Curriculum Team Manager - Community for Rigor - Penn Engineering

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

Curriculum Team Manager - Community for Rigor - Penn Engineering

Job Profile Title

Information Technology Project Leader

Job Description Summary

The Community for Rigor (C4R) is a growing and innovative team at the University of Pennsylvania dedicated to changing research culture by providing comprehensive educational materials, promoting best practices, and fostering a community committed to improving research reliability. Community for Rigor is a 6-year funded project from NIH NINDS, and operates as a hub that coordinates the efforts of multiple partner institutions.

We are seeking a Curriculum Team Manager to direct the creation of C4R''s educational content and to steward the people and processes behind it. You will shape how scientific rigor is taught, bringing subject-matter judgment to what goes into our units and finding engaging, original ways to reach learners at every career stage. This is a role for someone who will champion pedagogical rigor in scientific-training, strengthen collaboration across teams, and guide units from creation through to dissemination and uptake. In addition to empowering scientists, we also aim to empower every member of our team, through a supportive, inclusive, and open working environment.

Job Description

Responsibilities

• Project manage two collaborative working pods in collaboration with the Director of Operations and the Director of User Research.

• Lead a pod of curriculum developers through the design and revision of educational units, setting direction and fostering thoughtful, creative work.

• Working with the Curriculum Team and leadership, create vision for future direction of C4R resources, including novel formats, expanding existing work, new product types, etc.

• Write and shape instructional content in alignment with existing style and format, including design educational content and web applications, and prototyping new ways to teach rigor alongside the team.

• Review all C4R educational content for consistency and clarity.

• Bring subject-matter judgment to content decisions, and weigh feedback from collaborators and reviewers to distinguish core issues from surface fixes.

• Cultivate the processes that keep unit production moving, turning big-picture goals into clear priorities.

• Represent the Curriculum Team within C4R's leadership and governance, co-leading product decisions and enhancing coordination across teams.

• Serve as the voice of curriculum development and vision in conversations with external partners (funders, stakeholders, and institutions).

• Present C4R content to audiences when needed (including instruction to test audiences) and travel to conferences to represent C4R (travel requirement <10%).

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and two to three years of experience in a higher education setting or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Master's degree preferred. Preference for background in Neuroscience or related field.

• Experience leading a team or group toward shared goals, including giving and receiving constructive feedback.

• Expertise in scientific training, and rigor and reproducibility issues, especially in the biomedical sciences.

• Familiarity with evidence-based pedagogy and instructional design.

• Demonstrated ability to create effective and engaging instructional content, including text, interactive activities, audio/visual scripts, etc.

• Strong writing and documentation skills, including providing written feedback and updating internal knowledge base documents.

• Ability to teach varied audiences and represent a team to external partners and stakeholders.

• Interest in developing new skills and taking on new responsibilities as the project evolves.

Preferred / Nice-to-Have

• Experience coordinating work across teams in a multi-stakeholder or multi-institution setting.

• Hands-on technical fluency with interactive educational content, web applications, games, etc.

• Experience with coding in Python and/or Javascript.

• Familiarity with AI tooling for content development, such as Claude Code and system-prompt design.

• Experience creating educational multimedia (graphics, audio recordings, video clips, interactive simulations).

• Experience with proof-reading and copyediting.

• Certified Instructor for The Carpentries or similar certification.

• Familiarity with explicit teaching / explicit instruction.

• Familiarity with project management tools or systems (Monday.com, Trello, Asana, Jira, etc.).

• Availability to work in the office minimum once a week. Application for remote work will be considered but hybrid strongly preferred.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Resume and Cover Letter Description

Please provide a resume and cover letter in your application. We use these documents to understand your experience and who you are as an individual. Your resume should include recent positions, descriptions of what you did in each role, and any relevant skills. Your cover letter should describe why you are interested in joining C4R, your connection to its mission, how your prior experience has prepared you for the various aspects of this role (technical background, leadership experience, etc), and (research background, pedagogical

experience, etc), and your approach for creating engaging and effective educational materials. Please keep cover letters to two pages or less. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

Timeline

We intend to have the position start late August to early September. Please indicate when you are able to start in your application materials.

Department / School

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Pay Range

$71,733.00 - $100,000.00 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