Director of Design Strategy

Director of Design Strategy

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.

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 Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Vision: Set and evolve the overall design strategy for The Nudge Unit, in alignment with organizational goals and priorities; partner with senior leadership to integrate human-centered design and systems thinking into strategic planning and decision-making processes; drive innovation roadmaps that leverage design to address complex healthcare challenges at the system level.
• Team Leadership & Development: Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing design team; establish performance metrics and professional development paths; foster a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and excellence.
• Program Management & Portfolio Oversight: Oversee concurrent design initiatives across clinical, operational, and research domains; establish project governance structures and milestone tracking; manage design resource allocation and program budgets, where applicable; ensure design initiatives deliver measurable outcomes and sustainable impact.
• Cross-Functional Partnership & Stakeholder Management: Build and maintain strategic relationships with clinical leaders, informatics partners, CHTI partners, and operational executives; facilitate alignment between diverse stakeholder groups on design objectives and implementation approaches; represent design perspective in leadership meetings, presentations, etc.; collaborate with academic partners, experts, and peer health systems to advance design practice.
• Design Excellence & Oversight: Guide and oversee application of design research, facilitation, ideation, prototyping, and user testing methods on high-impact projects; establish design standards, methodologies, and best practices; conduct regular reviews and continuous improvement initiatives; establish metrics to measure design program's effectiveness and ROI; serve as creative director for The Nudge Unit's brand.
• Capacity Building & Education: Build design literacy across The Nudge Unit, CHTI, and wider health system; develop and lead workshops, trainings, and tools that equip staff and clinicians to apply design thinking in their own work.
• External Engagement & Thought Leadership: Represent The Nudge Unit externally to disseminate insights, build partnerships, and enhance visibility as a leader in health system innovation and design; contribute to healthcare design knowledge 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 5 to 7 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required. Masters degree and 2 to 3 years experience preferred.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Perelman School of Medicine

$79,500.00 - $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.

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, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any class protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

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 familywhatever 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 excitementand 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.