Assistant Director of Instructional Technology

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

Assistant Director of Instructional Technology - Office of Academic Innovation - Penn Engineering

Job Profile Title

Information Technology Manager

Job Description Summary

Penn Engineering Online is seeking a leader with expertise in instructional technology, operational management, and emerging technologies to lead the Instructional Technology Team. This role will oversee day-to-day course operations and manage AI-related projects and initiatives across the Office of Academic Innovation to ensure a cutting-edge learning experience.

Job Description

Penn Engineering Online is seeking a leader with instructional technology and operational expertise to lead the Instructional Technology Team—a fast-paced, agile team in a growing and dynamic office. The Assistant Director will manage the team of approximately four full-time employees responsible for ensuring a successful and seamless learning experience for over 2,000 students in multiple online programs.

This role will manage and supervise day-to-day operations, including maintaining and innovating a comprehensive customer service strategy focused on outcomes and student success. Beyond core operations, the Assistant Director will act as a strategic lead for the Office of Academic Innovation’s AI initiatives, managing the lifecycle of AI-related projects and their integration into the digital ecosystem. The Assistant Director will serve as the go-to expert in supporting operations in an online learning program, implementing best-in-class instructional technology, and leading and growing a team of high-performing contributors.

The job will follow a hybrid work schedule. Some evening and weekend work is required.

Responsibilities

• Team Management As the supervisor of the Instructional Technology Team, manage employees responsible for day-to-day operations of at-scale online, for-credit, courses. Specifically, review and refine existing processes, responsibilities and operations to ensure a smooth course experience for faculty, TAs, students and staff. Develop and manage a complex course support system, ensuring the responsibilities are distributed evenly among all staff members. Oversee TA hiring and exam proctoring. Work with the Instructional Design Team to refine processes related to revisions and preparations for the following semester. Ensure the staff has regular training and professional development to increase their understanding of instructional technology and team operations.

• Instructional Technology In concert with other Instructional Technologists on the team, serve as an expert in instructional technology, troubleshoot all platform or course challenges, and develop workarounds as needed. Perform quality assurance checks on a number of systems and platforms to ensure bugs are caught early and remedied quickly. Maintain and update a comprehensive knowledge base for various stakeholders including staff, faculty, and TAs to use as a reference when they encounter challenges during the semester. Stay abreast of new technologies in EdTech, regularly provide suggestions for platform improvements, and evaluate new tools.

• AI Integration and Strategy Lead the management and implementation of AI-related projects and initiatives across the Office of Academic Innovation, ensuring AI tools are ethically and effectively integrated into the curriculum and administrative workflows. When informed of a platform or AI tool update, manage the education and training of faculty, TAs, and staff so they can easily adapt to the change. Stay current on generative AI and machine learning applications in EdTech and identify opportunities for adoption and innovation

• Student Success Support the Student Affairs Team in helping every student in the degree programs to succeed. Specifically, track quantitative and qualitative information from multiple systems, work closely with the Faculty, TAs and Student Affairs team to monitor student progress, coordinate interventions and track accommodations.

• Other Duties as Assigned

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree , Master’s in a related field strongly preferred, and a minimum of 3-5 years experience, preferably in higher education, technology or a closely related field, or an equivalent combination off education and experience.

• Demonstrated experience managing AI integration projects, pilot programs, or AI-driven educational tools.

• Demonstrated experience managing online courses and/or instructional technology.

• Demonstrated experience managing teams that need to meet daily, weekly and semester goals, i.e., both strong project management skills and supervisor skills.

• Strong customer service skills, positive attitude and attention-to-detail.

• Intermediate Excel skills such as pivot tables, vlook-up and filters.

• Experience with LMSs, LTIs, and associated instructional technology.

• Proficient with GSuite and comfortable using project management tools.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Experience working in a highly collaborative team environment preferred.

• Experience working with students in higher education environment.

Note: Cover Letter strongly recommended.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Pay Range

$83,500.00 - $97,000.00 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