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Associate Director of Strategy and Planning

University of Pennsylvania

Details

Posted:

June 19, 2025

Location:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Associate Director of Strategy and Planning

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 of Strategy and Planning

Job Profile Title
Director C, Business and Finance

Job Description Summary
Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) seeks a full-time Associate Director of Strategy and Planning (ADSP) to support the development and execution of strategic plans and initiatives. As part of the organization-wide process, the ADSP will work closely with top management, stakeholders, and external partners to align vision, mission, and goals with actions and outcomes. This position will additionally support other ACC programs and emerging centers as they strategize and prepare for important growth and expansion, as well as extend into other areas such as the NCI's Cancer Center Support Grant.

Job Description

The ADSP reports directly to the ACC's Chief Operating Officer (COO) with accountability to other faculty directors and associate directors within the ACC, with specific and direct interaction with Dr. Vonderheide, Director of the Abramson Cancer Center.

This position is responsible for a variety of duties with an emphasis on:

Planning: Serve as key strategic advisor and thought partner to top management. Select and apply strategic planning models and frameworks. Conduct environmental scans. Facilitate planning sessions to determine strategic priorities and resource allocation. Create plans (strategic and tactical), forecasts, and projections. Establish measures, targets, and dashboards.

Implementation: Engage across the organization to align strategy, planning, and management. Work closely with cross-functional teams to put plans into action. Identify and manage risks and challenges. Develop contingency plans as needed.

Monitoring: Monitor and evaluate performance and impact. Recommend adjustments and improvements. Ensure plans remain agile and responsive to changing conditions. Provide regular updates to stakeholders.

This position will be given more and increasingly complex responsibilities over time as the candidate's abilities develop and their familiarity with the organization improves. All work will be performed independently with minimal supervision or direction; some work-related responsibilities may occur outside of regular business hours.

Along with strategic long-term planning, this position will also support and drive special, large-scale projects (which impact clinical, transnational, and basic science activities, in addition to education and outreach) that require a high level of discretion and strategic insight. These projects may include capacity/resource planning, managing change, or process improvement across different functions.

The ADSP will additionally support the workload of the COO. Like the primary function (i.e., strategy and planning), this additional responsibility is critical to the successful performance of the job.

Fill gaps in the leadership structure when there is attrition in the organization. Support talent acquisition for top-level positions by establishing roles and responsibilities (job design) and managing recruiting efforts. Manage a constantly changing portfolio of projects that require sophisticated skills and span a variety of work streams (e.g., finance, grant funding, human resources, general operations, development and principal gifts, etc.).
Serve as a link and/or proxy between the COO and the broader organization. Tactfully represent the COO when he is out of the office or attending to other matters. Handle escalations while keeping the COO informed. Give approvals where the guiding principals have already been decided. Offer opinions, analyses, and recommendations when needed.

Qualifications

Bachelor of Science and 7 to 10 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required. or MA/MS/MBA with a minimum of 5-7 years). Must have significant experience in clinical research, including hands on roles that have evolved into leadership positions and a demonstrated ability to drive growth and innovation. Must have excellent strategic thinking and planning capabilities with a high-level learning agility and business acumen. Must have proficiency across a variety of functional business areas, such as operations, human resources, and finance, including a strong understanding of financial concepts and the ability to analyze financial data. Must have a demonstrated history of creativity and original thinking. Must have outstanding writing skills. This position requires a high degree of sophistication, resourcefulness, creativity, and the ability to lead by influencing others at all levels across the organization.

Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School
Perelman School of Medicine

Pay Range
$109,000.00 - $160,000.00 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/Perelman-Center-for-Adv-Medicine/Associate-Director-of-Strategy-and-Planning_JR00105319-1

Internal Number: 6311102

About University of Pennsylvania

Penn has a long and proud tradition of intellectual rigor and pursuit of innovative knowledge, begun by Benjamin Franklin in 1740. That tradition lives today through the creativity, entrepreneurship, and engagement of our faculty, students, and staff. Academic life at Penn is unparalleled, with an undergraduate student body of 10,000 from every U.S. state and around the world. The entering class of 2015 is the most talented and diverse in Penn's history. Consistently ranked among the top 10 universities in the country, Penn welcomes an additional 10,000 students to our top-ranked graduate and professional schools.

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Associate Director of Strategy and Planning

University of Pennsylvania

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