Job Details

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 Reportsurvey. 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 foremployees 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 IT Project Leader, Wharton

Job Profile Title
Information Technology Project Leader Senior

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.

About the Department
We work with Wharton's academic and administrative departments as dedicated IT partners. Our job is to help faculty, staff, and students use technology effectively. We do this by meeting with individuals and teams to understand their goals and current workflows, identifying where technology can help, and coordinating with Wharton Computing to design and implement concrete solutions. We provide thought leadership to advocate and coordinate the implementation and use of technology. We empower our partners to achieve their goals and fulfill the School's greater objectives.

Position Summary
Reporting to the Senior IT Director within Wharton's Strategic Partnership team, the Senior IT Project Leader serves as a strategic partner to the Executive Education department, leading business process analysis and aligning technology solutions to evolving operational needs. This role evaluates current workflows across the large technology portfolio including key solutions such as CRM platforms, event applications, and hospitality technologies to identify inefficiencies, define improvement opportunities, and implement structured solutions. The position partners with business stakeholders and centralized teams to translate operational requirements into clearly defined deliverables, measurable outcomes, and prioritized technology initiatives. The Senior IT Project Leader drives structured intake, process optimization, and portfolio visibility, ensuring that technology that support the revenue generating division are aligned with sales, enrollment, program delivery, and long-term operational goals. This role requires someone who can assess complex environments, guide process evolution, and ensure technology investments result in tangible improvements in efficiency, clarity, and accountability.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

• Lead business process analysis efforts across Executive Education's key plaforms including CRM, internally developed applications, event platforms, and hospitality technologies to evaluate workflows, identify gaps, and recommend improvements.
• Document current-state and future-state processes, including system dependencies, integration points, and operational impacts.
• Translate operational and business needs into structured deliverables, including user stories, acceptance criteria, implementation plans, and defined success metrics.
• Manage and prioritize incoming technology requests by evaluating business impact, operational risk, and alignment to strategic goals.
• Facilitate working sessions with stakeholders to redesign processes and improve system adoption.
• Partner with Solutions, Infrastructure, Client Support Services, and Information Security teams to ensure requirements are clearly defined and initiatives are delivered as intended.
• Develop and maintain portfolio visibility dashboards and reporting artifacts to support prioritization and leadership decision-making.
• Identify and implement process improvements that increase efficiency, reduce redundancy, and enhance user experience across business systems.
• Evaluate emerging tools, including AI-enabled technologies, to determine their impact on workflow optimization and operational scalability.
• Support change management efforts by developing communication plans, training materials, and adoption strategies for system enhancements.
• Contribute to long-term operational and digital planning initiatives as Executive Education's delivery models evolve.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science and 4 to 6 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• Experience supporting business systems, enterprise platforms, or technology initiatives in a complex organization. Experience working with CRM or comparable enterprise systems in a service-oriented or revenue-generating environment.
• Demonstrated ability to translate business needs into structured requirements, documentation, and project artifacts. Experience managing or organizing project intake and prioritization across multiple stakeholders.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively with both business and technical teams. Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and sound judgment when navigating ambiguity.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 5-7 years of related experience.
• Experience in higher education, academic technology, executive education, hospitality, event technology, or SaaS environments. Experience using project management tools such as Asana, Jira, or similar platforms.
• Experience with Salesforce or comparable CRM platforms.
• Familiarity with IT service management frameworks (e.g., ITIL), Business Relationship Management (e.g. BRM), or formal change management (e.g. Prosci) practices. Exposure to AI-enabled tools, automation initiatives, or digital transformation efforts.
• Experience improving or formalizing governance and portfolio management processes.

Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School
Wharton School

Pay Range
$100,000.00 - $110,000.00 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.
  

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