Communications and Partnerships Manager - Community for Rigor - Penn Engineering

About the role

The Community for Rigor (C4R) is an innovative team at the University of Pennsylvania dedicated to changing research culture by providing comprehensive educational materials, promoting best practices, and fostering a community committed to improving research reliability. C4R is a 6-year funded project from NIH NINDS, and operates as a hub that coordinates the efforts of multiple partner institutions.

Responsibilities

• Own C4R's communications strategy and execution across all channels — audience targeting, platform-specific approaches, and brand and style-guide consistency — working with the Communications Team to plan, write, and distribute content (newsletters, op-eds, blog posts, social media) on a regular published cadence, tracking engagement and iterating based on performance.
• Supervise a team of two, including assigning work, reviewing output, and supporting their development.
• As a member of C4R Leadership, design and deploy a strategy for community engagement, including contribution and engagement pathways for our partners, stakeholders, learner audience, and broader scientific community.
• Serve as one of the key representatives of C4R's product to external audiences, designing and delivering tailored applications that support adoption — such as outreach presentations, 15-minute demonstrations of longer content, and short-form interactives for live events.
• Develop and maintain working knowledge of C4R's curriculum, including what each unit teaches and the research-rigor problem it addresses.
• Develop and maintain an understanding of C4R's audiences — including how researcher needs and motivations vary across disciplines and career stages — to shape messaging, audience targeting, and engagement pathways.
• Establish channels to gather feedback from audiences and stakeholders on C4R's products, such as surveys or other structured methods, and communicate findings and recommendations to organizational leaders.
• Identify and cultivate funding and partnership opportunities that support C4R's mission and long-term sustainability.
• Plan and coordinate events and C4R's annual conference across virtual, in-person, and hybrid formats, owning logistics through execution and follow-up.
• Support grant-related communications and donor or funder engagement as needed.
• Receive and act on feedback and direction constructively, collaborating professionally with colleagues, partners, and supervisors, and proactively reporting on projects, progress, and outcomes to maintain internal visibility.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree (neuroscience background preferred, STEM background minimum) and a minimum of five years of professional experience in communications, community management, outreach, program administration, or a similar field or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, translating a broad vision into actionable goals and executing without close supervision.
• Evidence of presentation skills for live audiences, in person and virtually.
• Strong writing, editing, and documentation skills, including style and operations guides, op-eds, blogs, social media posts, etc.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, stakeholder management and conflict management skills.
• Experience with digital, print, and/or video content production.
• Experience with fundraising, development, or donor/funder engagement.
• Experience with event planning for events of 50-100 guests minimum, both in-person and virtually.
• Experience identifying and cultivating funding or partnership opportunities, such as grants, sponsorships, or institutional collaborations.
• Familiarity with research rigor, reproducibility, and/or open-science topics.
• Familiarity with research, academic, or higher-education environments.
• Interest in developing new skills and taking on new responsibilities as the project evolves.

Preferred / Nice-to-Have Experience

• With inclusive and accessible design (e.g., user personas)
• Community Manager certification (e.g., CSCCE)
• Availability to work in the office minimum once a week
• Experience with AI and its thoughtful application within workflows
• Familiarity with accessibility practices (WCAG, alt text, inclusive language)

Job Location

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pay Range

$77,330.00 - $90,000.00 Annual Rate

Timeline

We intend to have the position start in late August or early September. Please indicate when you are able to start in your application materials.

Department / School

School of Engineering and Applied Science

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.