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

Senior Curriculum Developer - Community for Rigor - Kording Lab

Job Profile Title

Manager Research Project B

Job Description Summary

The Community for Rigor (C4R - https://c4r.io/ ) is a growing and innovative team at the University of Pennsylvania with the goal of making science more rigorous through leading-edge educational materials. There is a growing recognition that science could be made more efficient and impactful, by addressing research problems such as: failure to replicate, poor documentation, non-open or gatekeeping of data, and ineffective research questions. Community for Rigor is a 6-year funded project from NIH NINDS, and operates as a hub that coordinates the efforts of partner institutions from many leading universities. Our vision is to empower scientists to do reliable, rigorous research, through inclusive pedagogy, and in collaboration with a vibrant global community.

We are seeking a Senior Curriculum Developer that will be responsible for collaborative creation of training materials, suitable for scientists of all levels and career stages. As part of the Curriculum Team at C4R, you will work alongside internal teams and our external partners to design, develop, deploy, assess, and revise educational content. In addition to empowering scientists, we also aim to empower every member of our team, through a supportive, inclusive, and open working environment. C4R fosters the success of each individual and team through a variety of professional development and peer learning opportunities

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

The Senior Curriculum Developer will:

• Work alongside leading subject matter experts, professional educators, rigor champions, technologists, and more, to create the next generation of engaging and effective educational content.

• Contribute to shared projects as part of C4R’s overall mission (e.g. provide feedback on design and user experience of web-based interactive components, evaluate existing educational units, and integrate feedback in future versions).

• Be a flexible and adaptive team player, and work alongside different entities at C4R, the Kording Lab, Penn, and our partners.

• Communicate effectively across different teams and individuals, including giving and receiving constructive feedback and actionable guidance.

• Support C4R in implementing its values throughout our work and our processes.

• Present C4R content to audiences when needed (including instruction to test audiences) and travel to conferences to represent C4R ( travel requirement <10%).

Qualifications

• Master's degree and a minimum of three years of experience teaching in a higher-education setting or an equivalent combination of education and experience (e.g. Doctoral degree and 0 years of experience).

  • Preference for background in statistics, the life sciences, neuroscience, or related fields.

• Awareness of rigor and reproducibility issues, especially in the biomedical sciences.

• Familiarity with evidence-based pedagogy and instructional design.

• Empathy with our learner audience and meeting them “where they’re at”.

• Strong writing and documentation skills, including providing written feedback and updating internal knowledge base documents.

• Ability to write effective copy, instructional text, audio/visual scripts, etc. 

Preferred / Nice-to-Have

• Certified Instructor for The Carpentries or similar certification.

• Familiarity with explicit teaching / explicit instruction.

• Familiarity with project management tools or systems (Monday.com, Trello, Asana, Jira, etc.).

• Experience creating educational multimedia (graphics, audio recordings, video clips, interactive simulations).

Resume and Cover Letter

Please provide a resume and cover letter in your application. We use these documents to understand your experience and who you are as an individual. Your resume should include recent positions, descriptions of what you did in each role, and any relevant skills. Your cover letter should describe why you are interested in joining C4R, your connection to its mission, how your prior experience has prepared you for the various aspects of this role (technical background, leadership experience, etc), and (research background, pedagogical

experience, etc), and your approach for creating engaging and effective educational materials. 

Please keep cover letters to two pages or less. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

Timeline

We intend to have the position start in early to mid November. Please indicate when you are able to start in your application materials.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Pay Range

$67,155.00 - $90,000.00 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 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