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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

Administrative Coordinator, Penn Development Research Initiative- DevLab

Job Profile Title

Administrative Coordinator

Job Description Summary

The Penn Development Research Initiative (PDRI)- DevLab at the University of Pennsylvania is looking for an Administrative Coordinator with excellent communication skills, an upbeat attitude, and a demonstrated ability to multitask. The PDRI- DevLab Administrative Coordinator will facilitate the efficient operation of PDRI-DevLab by performing a variety of administrative and communication tasks. The Administrative Coordinator responds to and resolves all administrative inquiries and questions related to day-to-day PDRI-DevLab operations and liaises with University of Pennsylvania administrative and business departments to complete administrative tasks, as needed. Candidates should be able to assist management and all visitors to PDRI-DevLab by handling office tasks, providing high level customer service to all stakeholders, making reservations or travel arrangements, and providing all aspects of administrative and academic support for the department. The Administrative Coordinator must be comfortable with computers, general office tasks, and have excellent verbal and written communication skills. This is a full-time, in-person, term-appointment position until June 30, 2027.

Job Description

PDRI-DevLab affiliates work on projects focused on various aspects of international development including migration and forced displacement, land and the environment, education, health, governance, gender, poverty reduction, and economic growth. Through regular seminars, conferences, collaborative research projects, and dissemination activities, PDRI-DevLab makes it possible for faculty and graduate students at Penn to expand their efforts to conduct research that advances science and policymaking, and contributes to the improvement of well-being in developing countries.

Connecting international development researchers at Penn. While many international development researchers are trained to use theory to formulate potential solutions to complex problems and test those solutions in real-world settings, individual disciplinary perspectives are rarely sufficient for solving complex problems. Addressing these challenges requires joining forces with researchers from multiple disciplines. PDRI-DevLab helps to facilitate such collaboration across the Penn campus.

Connecting researchers at Penn to the world. Even the best research can be inadequate for solving problems if it is isolated from the world of practice. Local and international practitioners and various government agencies have valuable platforms for learning and critical expertise in implementing and scaling potential solutions. PDRI-DevLab focuses on connecting social scientists at Penn who work in international development with the community of development practitioners to create rigorous programming, collect monitoring and evaluation data, and conduct impact evaluations of development projects. We bring together scholars and students attuned to the research frontier and with advanced capabilities in experimental and quasi-experimental impact evaluation designs, survey design and other data collection tools, and data analytics, including web scraping and geospatial analysis.

As established social scientists, we are adept at identifying opportunities for knowledge generation that will benefit the Penn community of scholars and the scientific community more broadly. As academics trained in applied statistics, we are well-positioned to offer advice on best practices for cutting-edge program evaluation to practitioners. Our setting also gives us access to a range of experts on the frontier of technology relevant to program evaluation.

Job Responsibilities:

• Completes administrative tasks associated with hiring of staff, student research analysts, etc.

• Manages the submissions of initial immigration documents, such as H1B visas, for predoctoral fellows, etc.

• Coordinates and schedules travel, meetings, and appointments for staff, faculty, and fellows.

• Prepares agendas and schedules for meetings and PDRI-DevLab events.

• Prepare communications, such as memos, emails, invoices, reports and other correspondence

• Write and edit documents from letters to reports to instructional documents, such as onboarding documents for new staff and fellows.

• Support expenses and reimbursements for PDRI-DevLab.

• Support the hiring and onboarding of pre-doctoral fellows, visiting fellows, and other visitors.

• Support the onboarding of vendors and subcontractors

• Assist with room scheduling, coordinating AV, event planning, etc.

• Monitor and respond to general questions on the PDRI-DevLab email account and social media accounts

• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• H.S. Diploma or GED is required with 5-7 years of related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Experience providing administrative support in an academic or similar environment

• Demonstrated ability to understand and implement policies and procedures clearly and accurately.

• Proactive, self-starting, and strong attention to detail.

• Ability to follow through on multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.

• Comfortable with technology including Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint)

• Excellent communication skills, and strong writing skills

• Adaptable and familiar with the daily protocols of an office or higher education setting.

Preferred Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s Degree is preferred

• Previous background in a creative communications capacity and/or social media communications with specific experience in writing and editing, reporting news stories, working with graphics, and marketing, video/website copywriting

This is term-appointment position with an end date of June 30, 2027.

*For consideration, please submit a cover letter as well as a resume in the CV section of your application. You can upload multiple documents to the "Resume/CV" section.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

School of Arts and Sciences

Pay Range

$20.45 - $30.00 Hourly 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, as well as internal and market factors and grade profile.

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.

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

  The University of Pennsylvania's special character is reflected in the diversity of the Penn community. We seek talented faculty and staff who will constitute a vibrant community that draws on the strength that comes with a substantive institutional commitment to diversity along dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, veteran status, interests, perspectives, and socioeconomic status. Grounded in equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and affirmative action, Penn's robust commitment to diversity is fundamental to the University's mission of advancing knowledge, educating leaders for all sectors of society, and public service. The University of Pennsylvania prohibits unlawful discrimination based on 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.