University Overview
The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.
Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.
The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.
Posted Job Title
Associate Director, Innovative Projects, School of Nursing
Job Profile Title
Associate Director D, ResearchThe Eidos LGBTQ+ Health Initiative is a cross-sector health innovation hub at the University of Pennsylvania that develops, tests, and scales equity-centered solutions to improve health outcomes for LGBTQ+ communities. Operating at the intersection of academia, community, industry, and philanthropy, Eidos advances initiatives that address behavioral, social, and structural determinants of health through human-centered design, implementation science, and translational research.
The Associate Director of Innovative Projects serves as a strategic leader responsible for advancing a portfolio of innovation initiatives from concept development through pilot testing, evaluation, and scale. This role leads multi-year project strategy, establishes measurable impact benchmarks, and guides interdisciplinary teams to translate evidence into scalable programs, tools, and partnership models. The Associate Director of Innovative Projects applies design-thinking and rapid experimentation methods to assess feasibility, refine solutions, and ensure operational, regulatory, and quality alignment across initiatives.
In addition to driving project execution, the Associate Director of Innovative Projects contributes to long-term sustainability by advancing funding diversification strategies, supporting grant and partnership development, and identifying pathways for institutional adoption or external scale. The role requires a high degree of strategic judgment, cross-sector relationship cultivation and collaboration, and the ability to navigate ambiguity in early-stage innovation while maintaining alignment with Eidos’ mission and growth objectives.
This position is contingent upon the continued availability of funding.
Job Responsibilities
1) Lead a portfolio of innovation initiatives from concept development through pilot testing, evaluation, and scale. Apply human-centered design, implementation science, and rapid experimentation frameworks to develop scalable, equity-centered solutions that address complex health challenges. Establish multi-year strategic roadmaps with measurable impact benchmarks and make independent decisions regarding feasibility, prioritization, resource allocation, and adaptation. Provide strategic guidance to interdisciplinary project teams and collaborators to ensure alignment with Eidos’ mission and performance goals, while maintaining regulatory, operational, and quality oversight across projects.
2) Advance funding diversification strategies to support long-term sustainability, including federal grants, foundation proposals, industry partnerships, and fee-for-service models. Contribute substantively to grant proposal development, concept papers, partnership pitches, and external investment materials. Assess opportunities for commercialization, institutional adoption, or external scaling of successful initiatives, and develop compelling cases for investment grounded in program outcomes and return-on-impact metrics.
3) Cultivate and maintain collaborative relationships with community organizations, industry partners, philanthropic stakeholders, and university collaborators. Work jointly with partners to define project scopes, deliverables, and shared goals. Represent Eidos in regional and national forums to strengthen strategic positioning and visibility. Promote equitable engagement of underrepresented communities throughout all phases of innovation activities.
4) Coordinate and align interdisciplinary teams to ensure timely execution and shared accountability across initiatives. Develop and refine project workflows, documentation standards, and operational processes that support effective implementation. Foster a collaborative, solutions-oriented culture across initiatives through influence and strategic coordination.
5) Oversee implementation metrics and evaluation strategies to ensure data-informed decision-making. Monitor progress against financial and operational benchmarks and prepare reports for university leadership, funders, and external stakeholders.
6) Other duties and responsibilities as assigned
Qualifications
Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, and 5 to 7 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required. Master’s Degree preferred. 5–7+ years of experience in health innovation or entrepreneurship, intervention/product development, research translation, or related field.
Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives.
Experience contributing to grant development and/or revenue-generating initiatives.
Required Skills and Abilities
Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Department / School
School of Nursing
Pay Range
$79,500.00 - $96,000.00 Annual Rate
Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job’s level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.
Equal Opportunity Statement
The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin(including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protectedunder applicable federal, state or local law
Special Requirements
Background checks may be required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.
University Benefits
Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
Tuition Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.
Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.
Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.
Wellness and Work-life Resources Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.
Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.
University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.
Discounts and Special Services From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.
Flexible Work Hours:Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.
Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.
Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.
To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay
