The Chief Executive Officer will provide enterprise-wide leadership for the Science Center and serve as its principal strategist, external ambassador, coalition builder, and operating executive. Working in close partnership with the Board, the leader will define a compelling, forward-looking strategy, translate it into disciplined execution, and align organizational resources and stakeholder relationships behind the priorities that will create the greatest impact.
Building on the Science Center's established history and track record, the leader will strengthen its position as an indispensable partner within Greater Philadelphia and as a credible national voice in translating research and innovation into practical, scalable solutions. As a known and noteworthy leader with established credibility across relevant networks, the CEO will open doors, attract and retain influential partners, and extend the Science Center's reach. Success will require the ability to navigate ambiguity, make choices among competing priorities, secure resources, develop partnerships, strengthen organizational capability, and hold the enterprise accountable for outcomes.
Leadership Model
The strongest candidates may come from different pathways, but all must demonstrate a blended profile across three leadership dimensions:
- Ecosystem Builder: Stakeholder engagement Coalition building Capital formation Partnerships
- Trailblazer: Translational innovation Scientific credibility Systems thinking Future orientation
- Commercial Leader: Market delivery Resource allocation Operating discipline Growth orientation
Shape strategy and lead enterprise tranformation
Partner with the Board and senior leadership team to define a compelling, shared, forward-looking strategy for the Science Center's next chapter.
- Translate strategy into a focused operating agenda, clear priorities, accountable owners, measurable outcomes, and disciplined resource allocation.
- Clarify the Science Center's role across convening, operating, commercializing, investing, and integrating, and communicate that role consistently to internal and external stakeholders.
- Lead through complexity and ambiguity, making timely choices and sequencing initiatives to protect organizational capacity and maintain momentum.
Build a sustainable business model and strengthen financial performance
- Develop a resilient and diversified financial model that aligns mission, market opportunity, and organizational capability.
- Expand and diversify revenue through partnerships, philanthropy, public funding, programmatic models, commercialization, venture fund development, and other appropriate sources, while identifying, cultivating, and converting high-value philanthropic opportunities aligned with the Science Center's mission and priorities.
- Bring strong commercial judgment to investment decisions, portfolio choices, partnerships, and new opportunities.
- Instil rigorous financial stewardship, scenario planning, performance management, and transparency.
Advance the innovation and commercialization agenda
- Accelerate the translation of research and discovery into investable ventures, scalable partnerships, and measurable societal impact.
- Provide seasoned perspective on evidence, regulatory strategy, reimbursement, licensing, venture creation, investor readiness, and commercial adoption.
- Advance the Translation Project and create a more integrated ecosystem that enables the validation, optimization, and operationalization of opportunities emerging from collaboration among research institutions, entrepreneurs, investors, corporations, government, and communities.
- Ensure innovation priorities remain future-oriented, market-informed, mission-aligned, and executable.
Strengthen ecosystem leadership and external impact
- Serve as the Science Center's chief ambassador and relationship leader across Greater Philadelphia and beyond.
- Build durable coalitions across universities, academic health systems, corporations, investors, founders, government, philanthropy, and community organizations, leveraging the CEO's visibility and relationships to create noteworthy partnerships and philanthropic opportunities.
- Convert relationships into clear commitments, shared initiatives, capital, market access, and measurable outcomes.
- Elevate the Science Center's visibility and reputation as a leading innovation platform with regional depth and national influence.
Partner effectively with the Board and strengthen governance
- Build a high-trust partnership with the Board grounded in clarity, candor, transparency, and shared accountability.
- Provide timely, decision-useful information and frame strategic choices, risks, resource implications, and expected outcomes clearly.
- Work with Board leadership to define the mandate, decision rights, measures of success, and governance practices needed to support transformation.
- Engage directors productively as ambassadors, connectors, advisors, and fiduciaries while respecting the distinction between governance and management.
Align, develop, and lead the organization
- Build, align, and empower a high-performing senior leadership team with clear roles, shared goals, and strong operating rhythms.
- Create a culture of trust, transparency, accountability, collaboration, inclusion, and constructive challenge.
- Assess organizational capabilities and address leadership, talent, structure, process, technology, and capacity gaps.
- Communicate frequently and credibly, creating confidence during change while holding the organization to high standards of execution.
- Implement comprehensive succession planning for key leadership and critical roles, ensuring the organization has the talent, capabilities, and leadership depth needed for future growth and impact.
Advance critical enterprise priorities
- Advance a portfolio of enterprise priorities that accelerate commercialization, expand access to capital through venture fund development, strengthen the Science Center's role as an innovation catalyst, evaluate strategic growth and M&A opportunities, integrate acquired capabilities effectively, and align investments in real estate, talent, and technology with long-term strategic objectives.
- Ensure each priority has a clear strategic rationale, accountable leadership, appropriate resources, milestones, risk management, and measures of impact.
Goals and
Goals and Objectives
The following priorities are expected to define success during the first 12 to 24 months. They should be refined with the Board and leadership team and translated into measurable performance indicators following appointment.
- Strengthen financial sustainability. Develop a credible plan to diversify revenue, improve resource allocation, strengthen capital formation, and increase commercial and operating discipline.
- Establish alignment and confidence. Build a strong partnership with the Board and senior leadership team; engage key stakeholders; clarify the mandate, decision rights, priorities, and measures of success.
- Define the forward-looking strategic roadmap. Assess the Science Center's strategy, portfolio, capabilities, and ecosystem role; articulate a focused direction and implementation roadmap.
- Sequence critical initiatives. Create an integrated plan for the Translation Project, PACT integration, real estate projects, leadership alignment, and AI governance.
- Build organizational capability. Assess leadership, structure, talent, systems, processes, and culture; address gaps and establish clear accountability and operating rhythms.
- Deepen partnerships and ecosystem impact. Re-engage and expand relationships across the regional ecosystem while converting partnerships into tangible commitments and measurable outcomes.
- Elevate visibility and influence. Strengthen the Science Center's position in Greater Philadelphia and expand the Science Center's national profile around translational innovation and ecosystem leadership.
- Demonstrate early momentum. Deliver visible, mission-aligned wins that reinforce trust, show disciplined execution, and create confidence in the Science Center's direction.
Expertise and Work Experience
- Significant enterprise leadership experience in an innovation intermediary, research institute, life sciences enterprise, academic health system, commercialization organization, science park, venture ecosystem, economic-development platform, or similarly complex environment.
- Demonstrated success navigating government, public-sector, academic, education, and community stakeholder environments, with the political savvy and relationship-building skills necessary to align diverse interests and achieve shared outcomes.
- Demonstrated success in setting forward-looking strategy and translating that success into sustained execution across a complex portfolio of programs, partnerships, investments, and organizational priorities.
- Experience building and aligning multi-sector stakeholder ecosystems and converting relationships into resources, partnerships, ventures, programs, or measurable impact.
- Commercial and financial acumen, including experience with capital formation, diversified revenue models, resource allocation, investment decisions, and organizational sustainability.
- A known and noteworthy reputation with strong credibility in research, translational innovation, commercialization, venture creation, healthcare, life sciences, technology transfer, or an adjacent field relevant to the Science Center's mission.
- Experience partnering with a governing board and leading through organizational transformation, ambiguity, competing priorities, and significant stakeholder expectations.
- A record of building, developing, and aligning senior teams and creating cultures characterized by trust, transparency, accountability, and performance. Fundraising, philanthropy, public-sector engagement, corporate partnership, or investor relations experience sufficient to broaden the Science Center's resource base and external reach.
Leadership Skills and Competencies
- Forward-looking strategic vision. Sees the whole system, defines a compelling future, makes choices, and connects long-term ambition to near-term action.
- Ecosystem leadership. Builds coalitions across sectors, understands stakeholder motivations, and creates shared value without relying solely on formal authority.
- Political savvy and organizational diplomacy. Reads complex environments accurately, understands formal and informal sources of influence, manages sensitive issues with discretion, and builds productive relationships across government, institutional, corporate, philanthropic, and community stakeholders to advance strategic objectives.
- Known and noteworthy external presence. Represents the institution with authority and authenticity, attracting partners, talent, capital, philanthropic support, and visibility.
- Commercial discipline. Evaluates opportunities rigorously, allocates resources thoughtfully, and balances mission, market potential, risk, and financial return.
- Execution in complexity. Prioritizes, sequences, and delivers complex initiatives while adapting to evolving circumstances.
- Governance fluency. Builds trust with directors, communicates candidly, supports sound decision-making, and clarifies the respective roles of governance and management.
- Organizational alignment. Creates clarity of purpose, roles, accountability, and operating cadence across the leadership team and enterprise.
- Innovation mindset. Demonstrates intellectual curiosity, scientific respect, systems thinking, creativity, and comfort in challenging established assumptions.
Personal Characteristics
- Trust creator and transparent communicator who listens carefully, communicates directly, and follows through consistently.
- Entrepreneurial, ambitious, and externally oriented, with the humility and judgment to build on institutional strengths while driving meaningful change.
- Comfortable with complexity, uncertainty, and constructive tension; able to make decisions without perfect information.
- Collaborative and inclusive, while willing to set priorities, address underperformance, and make difficult trade-offs.
- Intellectually curious and forward-looking, with respect for scientific rigor and a practical understanding of how innovation reaches the market and community.
- Resilient, self-aware, adaptable, and grounded; able to sustain confidence and momentum through transformation.
- Deeply committed to the Science Center's mission and to improving lives and communities through innovation.
Education
- An advanced degree in science, engineering, medicine, business, public policy, higher education, or a related discipline may be advantageous. Equivalent leadership experience and a demonstrated record of impact will be considered. The successful candidate must possess sufficient scientific and technical fluency to engage credibly across the Science Center's ecosystems.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- The Science Center seeks a leader who values different perspectives and experiences, creates an inclusive culture, and recognizes that scientific innovation and societal impact are strengthened when broad communities and stakeholders can participate and contribute.
Compensation
- Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with the scope of the role, the selected candidate's experience, and the market.
For questions or submit your application, contact:
Morten Nielsen NACD.DC
WittKieffer
Managing Partner and Board Director
Contact