Research Support Director

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

Research Support Director

Job Profile Title

Director, Research Support

Job Description Summary

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.

Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) is a comprehensive research platform operated by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania that provides research tools and access to a wide range of financial, economic, and business research datasets. It is widely used by academic institutions, researchers, and professionals for data analysis, empirical research, and financial modeling.

The Research Support Director -WRDS will work with a team of Ph.D.'s on Finance or Accounting and IT professionals with expertise in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Statistics, and Computer Science to help WRDS Community by providing high quality research programs, analytics, applications, research database evaluations, research replications and related research tools using Python, SAS and Machine Learning in big data environments. Advance on best practices of conducting empirical research with WRDS data. Act in a leading role in creating and delivering new financial and analytical products to academics and corporate customers that are specialized, complex, and based on academic research. Present analytics in a user-friendly format; assist WRDS users on research and data-related issues; and conduct academic and corporate training sessions for WRDS users around the world, including scholars in finance, accounting, economics, and other business disciplines. Stay abreast of research at the frontier to help identify new finance research directions and trends. Advise the WRDS, Data, and IT teams on data integrity processes to enhance current products and to contribute to the design of new products and services that facilitate research accuracy and reliability. Conduct research and data-related academic training seminars for WRDS users. Provide content support for research using academic databases, including CRSP, Compustat, and/or IBES.

Job Description

Responsibilities will include:

• Provide to WRDS Academic Research Community and Corporate Clients high quality Analytics, Research Programs, Applications, Financial engines and related research tools to improve their research productivity.
• Provide support to faculty and PhD users by offering consultative guidance on empirical research best practices, troubleshooting data and tool issues that may affect research results, and conducting site visits and training sessions to promote the effective use of WRDS for academic research.
• Keep track of the evolution of top academic research in finance and accounting to help WRDS both creating their own signature research products and providing new data sources to the research community.
• Construct and enhance existing data-research products by refining analytics, research tools, and applications using WRDS data to improve data usability, research accuracy and efficiency. 
• Evaluate and recommend new datasets based on their potential to advance new research and enhance WRDS data offerings.
• Perform additional duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Ph.D. (or foreign equivalent) in Finance or Accounting. The requirement of a Ph.D., usual for faculty recruiting, means that an applicant must have received the degree or be at least “ABD,” meaning all requirements for the degree except the dissertation have been completed, with an understanding that the dissertation would be completed in the same academic year. 

Must have 1 year of post-bachelor's experience (may be gained pre-Ph.D. degree), in the following:

• Providing high-quality research programs, analytics, applications, research replications, and related research tools.
• Constructing and enhancing data-research products by evaluating research datasets focused on new research and providing new data sources to the research community.
• Performing academic research through the WRDS system on finance or accounting using Python and/or SAS programming skills in big data environments and Textual Analysis using Machine Learning;
• Performing empirical academic research with CRSP, Compustat, IBES and/or Household-Finance datasets.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• It could require 15% national and international travel.

Department / School

Wharton School

Pay Range

$80,891.00 - $145,000.00 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 protectedunder 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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To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay