Director of Design Strategy

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

Director of Design Strategy

Job Profile Title

Director C, Research

Job Description Summary

The Director of Design Strategy provides strategic leadership and vision for design initiatives across The Nudge Unit, overseeing the integration of human-centered design methodologies, behavioral sciences, and implementation science to transform healthcare delivery. This role leads a multidisciplinary design team and manages cross-functional partnerships with executives, clinicians, and operational leaders to drive systemic change that improves health outcomes, patient experience, and operational efficiency at scale. The Director of Design Strategy serves as the primary design leader, working closely with leadership to establish design as a core competency within the organization's innovation strategy. The role combines deep expertise in design strategy with strong leadership, systems thinking, and a proven track record of delivering transformative change in complex environments.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership and Vision​: Define and continually refine the overarching design strategy for The Nudge Unit in alignment with enterprise priorities. Partner with senior leadership to embed human‑centered design and systems thinking into strategic planning and decision-making. Architect innovation roadmaps that deploy design to address complex, system‑level healthcare challenges.
• Team Leadership and Development: Build, mentor, and scale a high‑performing design team. Establish clear performance metrics and progression frameworks. Cultivate a culture of curiosity, collaboration, rigor, and excellence that enables sustained delivery at pace.
• Program Management and Portfolio Oversight: Direct a multi‑project portfolio spanning clinical, operational, and research domains. Institute governance structures, stage‑gate milestones, and KPI tracking. Optimize design resource allocation and manage program budgets, where applicable. Ensure initiatives deliver quantifiable outcomes and durable impact.
• Cross‑Functional Partnership and Stakeholder Management: Forge and steward strategic relationships with clinical leaders, informatics partners, CHTI collaborators, and operational executives. Facilitate alignment across diverse stakeholder groups on design objectives and implementation pathways. Represent the design perspective in leadership forums and executive presentations. Collaborate with academic partners, subject‑matter experts, and peer health systems to advance design practice.
• Design Excellence and Oversight: Provide leadership, creative direction and methodological rigor across design research, facilitation, ideation, prototyping, and user testing for high‑impact engagements. Codify standards, toolkits, and best practices. Define and monitor metrics to assess program effectiveness and ROI. Serve as creative director for The Nudge Unit’s brand.
• Capacity Building and Education: Elevate design literacy within The Nudge Unit, CHTI, and the broader health system. Develop and deliver workshops, trainings, and practical tools that equip staff and clinicians to apply design thinking in their own work.
• External Engagement and Thought Leadership: Represent The Nudge Unit externally to disseminate insights, cultivate partnerships, and enhance visibility as a leader in health‑system innovation and design. Contribute to the field through publications, speaking engagements, and thought leadership.

• Other duties as assigned to support the unit, department, entity, and health system organization.

Position is contingent upon continued funding.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, and 7 to 10 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required; Master's and 5-7 years preferred.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

Perelman School of Medicine

Pay Range

$93,500.00 - $123,417.42 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