Associate Dean for Entrepreneurial Programs

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 Associate Dean for Entrepreneurial Programs

Job Profile Title Director E, Academic Affairs

Job Description Summary The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (Penn Carey Law) is shaping the next era of legal education, and it seeks a senior-level, entrepreneurial leader who will help build that future. Around the world, demand for legal knowledge is growing on multiple fronts. Lawyers need continuing education that keeps pace with a rapidly changing profession, and they look to trusted institutions to build these programs. At the same time, business executives, compliance officers, technologists, and policymakers increasingly need fluency in the law, and they are seeking it in new formats, on new timelines, and from institutions they trust. Penn Carey Law is recruiting a senior leader to design and grow the programs that will serve this expanding global audience, carrying the reach of a world-class legal education far beyond the traditional classroom.

Penn Carey Law has retained Criterion Search Group, Inc., an executive search firm specializing in mission-driven leadership, to conduct this national search. Confidential inquiries should be directed to Criterion Search Group at administrator@criterionsg.com.

The Opportunity: Penn Carey Law has the faculty depth, the brand, and the programmatic infrastructure to lead in serving the legal education market. It also enters this work at an opportune moment: through Penn Learning for Life, the University is investing in shared capabilities and streamlined support for program design and delivery, and it is building connections across the schools’ pre-college, professional, and executive offerings. This leader will be positioned to draw on that investment and to build collaborations with sister schools across the University, including the Wharton School, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the Perelman School of Medicine, whose professional and online education operations are already running at scale. What Penn Carey Law needs now is a builder: someone who will make the most of University resources where they exist and create what the Law School needs where they do not.

The school seeks a senior leader to establish its next major avenue of growth by extending Penn Carey Law’s teaching to professionals, organizations, and learners around the world, beyond the traditional JD pipeline. This leader will take ownership of an existing portfolio: the Master in Law (ML) degree, continuing legal education, a substantial online course catalog, the pre-college summer academy, executive education, and customized programs. The opportunity is to expand their reach, reputation, and revenue, and, crucially, to help invent what comes next.

This is a start-up role with exceptional support from school leadership. The Dean, Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs and Innovation, and Chief Financial Officer will be active partners, helping to navigate the University and support key relationships. The role will also collaborate frequently with the Dean’s senior leadership team. The ideal candidate will combine strategic vision, entrepreneurial instinct, and operational follow-through, and will be genuinely excited to build something new.

Position Overview: Reporting to the Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs and Innovation, the senior faculty leader who serves as the Dean’s principal architect of the school’s academic strategy, and with regular direct engagement with the Dean, this position serves as Penn Carey Law’s primary strategic and operational leader for educational innovation and growth. The successful candidate will be a thought partner to the Dean and Deputy Dean on innovation, revenue diversification, and new directions in legal education. The role leads two established teams (the Master in Law staff and the Legal Education Programs staff) and works closely with faculty, administrative colleagues, and cross-university partners. The JD program and the school’s existing graduate degree programs for lawyers (LLM, LLCM, and SJD) sit outside this portfolio, though the school anticipates close collaboration on new program formats as the portfolio evolves. The early emphasis will be on market assessment, organizational capacity, partnerships, and near-term revenue growth.

Job Description Job Description

Candidate Qualifications

Additionally valuable: experience in digital and online learning, including platform economics and enrollment marketing; existing networks in corporate learning, executive education, or professional services markets; global program experience; and familiarity with the legal industry, whether through professional development leadership, business development in a law firm or in-house legal department, or prior work in legal education.

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. For clarity, this includes not discriminating on the basis of ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, and military status as required by the American Bar Association Standard 205.

Job Location - City, State Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School Law School

Pay Range $132,275.00 - $238,000.00 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 lo