Job location: Translational Research Laboratories

Employment Type: Full-time
Posted data: 2019-09-12
Req: JR00007820
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.

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

Director, Programs & Community Engagement

Job Profile Title

Director B

Job Description Summary

The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania is the oldest and one of the finest medical schools in the United States. Penn is rich in tradition and heritage and at the same time consistently at the forefront of new developments and innovations in medical education and research. Since its founding in 1765 the School has been a strong presence in the community and prides itself on educating the leaders of tomorrow in patient care, biomedical research, and medical education. http://www.med.upenn.edu/

Job Description

Orphan diseases represent a collection of disorders that afflict fewer than 200,000 individuals for any single disease type, yet there are more than 7,000 distinct orphan diseases. The Orphan Disease Center (ODC) in the Perelman School of Medicine was founded in 2011 to promote and fund research in rare diseases globally, beyond Penn, making a difference for these under-served patient populations. A unique aspect of ODC is that it is a ‘Center without walls’ which sources and contributes to developing transformative therapies through the use of platform technologies and of research strategies that can be deployed across multiple rare disease programs. The main feature is a pilot grant program which provides $8M annually to over 35 global institutions.

We are currently seeking a Director, Programs & Community Engagement to design clinical development plans for multiple high-priority programs within the ODC.

Reporting to the Executive Director of the Orphan Disease Center (ODC), the Director, Programs & Community Engagement is responsible for managing multiple programs and initiatives to engage the research-focused rare disease community: community & patient engagement, external grant programs, philanthropic activities, communications and marketing.

As Director, Programs & Community Engagement, you will be responsible for overseeing and coordinating all community engagement and patient relations activities for the Orphan Disease Center (ODC) at the University of Pennsylvania. This includes leading efforts to identify, develop, improve, deliver, and execute patient engagement and outreach strategies for the ODC. Key responsibilities in this area include:
• Establish recognition within the rare disease community as a leader for the ODC.
• Partner with ODC leadership to identify, determine, review and implement appropriate outreach strategies to promote research community and patient engagement.
• Establish collaborative and productive working relationships with a wide range of community organizations, patient advocacy groups, local/global agencies, research community, key opinion leaders, and other key constituents to further goals surrounding patient advocacy and community outreach.
• Coordinate meetings and forums with rare disease community stakeholders as a method of engaging in bi-directional communication and awareness of the ODC.
• Lead efforts to translate strategy development into effective planning, development, execution, and evaluation of rare disease community engagement and program marketing initiatives, which includes the creation and maintenance of web pages for the ODC.
• Remain abreast of new developments in the communities we serve to identify potential business development or partnership opportunities.

You will provide oversight and accountability for the successful execution of MDBR and all MDBR-related events, several scientific symposia, think tank, and advisory board meetings per year, and multiple grant programs.

Additionally, you will supervise and manage a Project Coordinator to support you in the execution of the outlined objectives.

Bachelor’s degree with minimum of 5 to 7 years of professional experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

Perelman School of Medicine

Pay Range

$59,703.00 - $113,435.00

Affirmative Action Statement 
Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.

Special Requirements 
Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.