IT Project Leader, Wharton Computing

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

IT Project Leader, Wharton Computing

Job Profile Title

Information Technology Project Leader

Job Description Summary

Wharton School Overview
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 Computing Strategic Partnership Team

We work with Wharton’s academic and administrative departments as dedicated IT partners. Our role is to help faculty, staff, and students use technology effectively to support teaching, research, and operations. We do this by engaging directly with departments to understand their goals and workflows, identifying opportunities where technology can add value, and coordinating with Wharton Computing teams to design and implement solutions. We provide thought leadership and ensure that technology initiatives are aligned with departmental priorities and the School’s broader objectives.

The IT Project Leader serves as the Strategic Partner for assigned academic departments, providing consistent ownership and coordination of the faculty technology experience. This role operates at the intersection of academic strategy and operational execution, ensuring that technology solutions are aligned, sustainable, and responsive to faculty needs.

The IT Project Leader works closely with faculty and department leadership to understand priorities, provide consultation, and coordinate across Wharton Computing teams to ensure effective delivery and continuity of support. This includes helping translate departmental needs into actionable initiatives, supporting planning efforts, and ensuring that work is aligned and communicated across teams.

The IT Project Leader will lead and coordinate technology initiatives, ensuring clear ownership, alignment, and successful outcomes. In addition to project involvement, this role ensures continuity from initial engagement through resolution, stepping in when coordination, clarification, or escalation is required. The IT Project Leader builds strong, ongoing relationships with faculty and departmental leadership, ensuring needs are clearly understood and effectively represented within Wharton Computing.

The role requires balancing responsiveness with long-term sustainability, helping departments make informed decisions that consider risk, compliance requirements, and operational impact.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities:

• Serve as the named Strategic Partner for assigned departments, providing consistent engagement with faculty and departmental stakeholders 

• Engage directly with faculty to understand needs, provide consultation, and address simple issues when appropriate or capture and coordinate requests across teams 

• Coordinate and route requests across Wharton Computing teams, ensuring clear context, alignment, and timely resolution, particularly for complex or cross-functional issues 

• Represent departmental needs within Wharton Computing, ensuring alignment with available services and resources 

• Build and maintain strong relationships with faculty, department leadership, and administrative staff through regular engagement 

• Facilitate cross-team collaboration by forming and leading pod-based teams, bringing together stakeholders across Wharton Computing to address departmental needs 

• Lead and coordinate technology initiatives, ensuring clear scope, alignment, and successful delivery, while working in partnership with specialized service teams 

• Support faculty in the effective use of technology for teaching and research, including emerging tools such as AI-enabled classroom technologies 

• Identify patterns, recurring issues, and opportunities for improvement across departments 

• Ensure that solutions align with university standards, security requirements, and operational expectations 

Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science and 2 to 3 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.

• Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional technology initiatives from strategy through successful implementation.

• Demonstrated understanding of emerging technologies, including AI-enabled tools, and the ability to evaluate their strategic, operational, and ethical implications in an academic environment.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders.

• Proven ability to drive organizational change and support adoption of new systems, processes, and workflows.

• Strong ability to translate business needs into clear technical requirements and actionable project plans.

• Experience partnering effectively with senior academic and administrative leadership to influence decision-making without direct authority.

• Ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives while balancing competing priorities and stakeholder expectations.

• Experience analyzing and optimizing business processes to deliver measurable operational improvements.

• Familiarity with enterprise systems, integrations, and data governance considerations in a complex IT environment.

• Experience managing vendor relationships, evaluating third-party solutions, and overseeing service delivery performance.

• Demonstrated ability to coordinate across multiple teams and stakeholders to deliver clear, consistent outcomes without direct authority.

 
Preferred Qualifications:

• ITSM/ITIL experience a plus.

• Prior experience in Higher Education.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

Wharton School

$71,733.00 - $85,000.00 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.

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To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay