Job Details

Senior Associate Director, Executive MBA Career Advisor & Programming Lead

Position Number: 7015744
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Position Type: Career Counseling and Placement

Senior Associate Director, Executive MBA Career Advisor & Programming Lead

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
Senior Associate Director, Executive MBA Career Advisor & Programming Lead

Job Profile Title
Associate Director D, Student Services

Job Description Summary
Wharton School Overview
Founded in 1881 as the world's first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With campuses in both Philadelphia and San Francisco, Wharton has over 850 staff, a faculty population of more than 235 renowned professors, and 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 13,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education's individual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 104,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. Wharton is home to a dynamic community of staff, bringing a wide range of skills, experiences, and perspectives. To learn more, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu.

The Wharton MBA Career Management office supports the career development of our 1700+ full-time MBA students, 500+ Executive MBA students and the 100K+ Wharton alumni. The office consists of ~30 staff working across seven teams: Student Advising, Employer Engagement, Executive Career Management (serving alumni and WEMBA), Marketing and Communications, Data Science and Operations. The key metrics of the office are measured by student placement, student satisfaction and alumni satisfaction. The leadership philosophy of the office can be described in three guiding principles: People (i.e., a human-centered caring approach to best support our students, alumni, employers and colleagues; the MBACM office is informed by the practices of positive psychology), Platforms (i.e., supporting our stakeholders at scale, on demand and in a personalized way requires the use of digital platforms in an well-designed ecosystem), and Data (i.e., using data to build models to understand student, alumni and employer success so that we can expand and democratize that success across all stakeholders). Our office's vision statement is: Standing on Wharton's legacy as the world's first business school, MBA Career Management's approach is life-long, service-oriented and adaptive to our diverse and dynamic population. We provide deep career management expertise through a blend of human-centric and analytics-driven methods. Our team prepares Wharton MBA students and alumni to lead impactful, fulfilling careers that strengthen their organizations, communities, and the world.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

Reporting to the Head of Wharton Executive MBA (WEMBA) Career Management, this role is a core member of the WEMBA Career team. The position serves as both a career advisor and the team's programming and content lead, supporting highly rated student and alumni engagement programs. The role also coordinates and builds strong relationships with career office teams, WEMBA Program staff, and other parts of the Wharton community.
This role provides best-in-class, executive-level career advising to WEMBA students focused on career advancement, career change, and entrepreneurship across all six Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Global cohorts. The position leverages advising insights to shape career programming, develop innovative content, and implement engagement strategies that increase stakeholder satisfaction and improve career outcomes.
The position is responsible for the strategy, design, delivery, and ongoing improvement of term-by-term WEMBA career programs, signature events, and online content, ensuring alignment with team priorities and the evolving needs of Executive MBA students.
The role leads key initiatives that increase WEMBA student and alumni engagement across major industry sectors.
The position partners with cross-office teams, including Student Services, Programs and Communications, MBACM Employer Engagement, and Data Science, to support initiatives aligned with WEMBA priorities. This role serves on several cross-office committees that advance the mission of the office and the school.
This position maintains high-touch communication and visibility with the WEMBA Program, class managers, and key program leadership.
The position is located on the Wharton campus in Philadelphia and requires occasional travel to San Francisco.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree and 7-10 years of experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience required.
MBA or other graduate degree strongly preferred along with a minimum of five to seven years of prior work experience in recruiting, job placement, career counseling or coaching, and/or significant industry experience in one or more of the following industries: Consulting, Consumer Products, Diversified Financial Services, Energy, Health Care, Hedge Funds, Investment Banking, Investment Management, Manufacturing, Media & Entertainment, Private Equity, Public Interest, Real Estate, Retail, Technology, Travel & Hospitality, Venture Capital, or Entrepreneurship.
A solid understanding of career development and recruiting process or related areas in either business or in an academic setting.
Highly skilled at using PC based systems/applications and prior experience with internet-based research. Intermediate Microsoft Excel skills desired.
Ability to travel, both domestically and internationally and work some evenings and weekends as required.
This is a hybrid position but the person must reside in a [Penn approved] state to be on campus in Philadelphia.

Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School
Wharton School

Pay Range
$79,500.00 - $115,000.00 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 protected under 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

Equal Employment 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 protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

To apply, visit https://wd1.myworkdaysite.com/en-US/recruiting/upenn/careers-at-penn/job/McNeil-Building/Senior-Associate-Director--Executive-MBA-Career-Advisor---Programming-Lead_JR00118107-1