Posted Job Title

Managing Director, Penn Medicine Nudge Unit

Job Profile Title

Director D, Research

Job Description Summary

The Penn Medicine Nudge Unit is currently recruiting a talented, motivated, and proven leader to be its Managing Director. Join a collaborative, impactful, and mission-driven team working to improve health outcomes and effect systemic change at Penn Medicine and across the healthcare industry.

The Nudge Unit is a joint venture between the Penn Medicine Center for Health Care Transformation and Innovation (CHTI) and the University of Pennsylvania Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE). Founded in 2016, the Penn Medicine Nudge Unit is the world's first behavioral design team embedded within a health system. We leverage insights from behavioral and implementation science to design, implement, evaluate, and scale nudges that steer medical decision-making toward higher-value care, improved patient outcomes, and more equitable healthcare delivery. Our vision is a future where the right choice the easy choice.

The Nudge Unit has worked on 100+ projects, testing interventions in health systems and over 25 randomized trials. Our work has resulted in over 100 publications in leading medical journals such as NEJM, JAMA, Nature, and PNAS. The Nudge Unit currently supports a broad portfolio of projects to improve care within Penn Medicine as well as an extramurally funded program of research aimed at improving acute care and the prevention of overdoses and injuries. Our interventions often use electronic health records, automated text messaging, smartphone apps, and other digital interventions to change behavior.

Position contingent upon funding.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

• STAFF MANAGEMENT:

• Serve as the “chief of staff” for NU operational and research staff (currently 6 direct reports, total of 13 staff) and facilitate a culture of learning and growth among the team.
• Direct and manage staff and interns, with responsibilities including recruitment, training, coaching, and performance evaluation and management.
  • Assist staff in developing measurable performance goals/objectives, in alignment with Nudge, CHTI, health system, and program objectives, to ensure direct reports clearly understand expectations and responsibilities.
  • Direct staff in problem solving, conflict resolution, and process improvements.
  • Allocate staffing and other essential resources across the project portfolio; help ensure projects are clearly scoped and operationally feasible
  • Manage staff coverage for active projects during staff vacations, sick calls, and urgent situations, or provide interim coverage as necessary.
• Facilitate team meetings to ensure proper execution of study-related responsibilities and deliverables to meet key milestones.
• Supervise education and training for direct reports, including department-specific onboarding.
• Lead team culture pathways such as team retreats and pulse survey, NU events such as staff/project milestone events, holiday celebrations, and CHTI-wide culture initiatives and research collaboratives.
• Foster a positive culture, maintaining psychological safety and welfare of each staff member.

• OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT:

• Serve as point person on key processes related to the NU’s operations including best practices, SOPs, methods, communication, and budgeting.
• Identify and lead opportunities to improve team methods, operations, culture, project selection, and execution.
• Ensure the establishment of project-related process workflows, timelines, and milestones associated with the conduct of clinical/research projects to ensure compliance with the protocol, institutional policies, and all applicable regulations.
• Identify when projects are drifting or becoming disconnected from outcomes and help redirect them.
• Lead the development, evaluation, and implementation of new workflows and operating models in response to evolving strategic priorities, staff feedback, etc.
• Develop specific standards, including standardized operating procedures, guidance documents, and education/training in accordance with key objectives, milestones, and institutional policies and regulations.
• Cultivate and manage internal health system stakeholder relationships with executive leadership, grants management and procurement leadership, informatics partners, and clinical and operational leaders to ensure project support and prioritization and remove obstacles as necessary.
• Manage, set agendas, and lead team meetings such as the Nudge Leadership Team meetings, all-staff meetings, operations meetings, and collaborative learnings, and oversee Nudge role in CHTI quarterly meetings.
• Manage strategic communications and related programs such as newsletters, monthly clinical project progress reports, CHTI quarterly reports, dissemination of research findings, and publications through the appropriate communication streams.
• Develop and manage mechanism to streamline and prioritize internal and external requests for Nudge Unit consultations and project support.
• Oversee the planning and execution of NU hosted events including the Annual Nudges in Health Care Symposium, which draws an international audience of 200 clinicians, researchers, and operational stakeholders.
• Oversee NU budgeting and operations across its portfolio of health system and grant-funded projects, including adjusting staff allocations, directing expensing, forecasting budget needs, and preparing budgets for grant proposals.
  

• STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP

• Oversee annual setting of goals/objectives for the Nudge Unit in alignment with departmental and health system goals and priorities and periodic review of progress.
• Actively contribute to business development, shaping proposals, participating in executive-level discussions, and helping convert strategic opportunities into funded work.
• Provide thought partnership to Faculty Director and Nudge Leadership team on strategic decisions to facilitate the growth and continued success of the Nudge Unit.
• Represent the Nudge Unit in high-visibility internal and external settings, including conferences, advisory engagements, and partner meetings.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, and 7 to 10 years or Master of Science, Master of Arts, and 5 to 7 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• Demonstrated experience bringing operational excellence to an organization.
• Takes on new opportunities with a sense of urgency, providing direction, delegating, and removing obstacles to drive results.
• Systems-oriented but grounded in real-world execution.
• Comfortable operating in dynamic and evolving environment.
• Able to move fluidly between strategy and hands-on problem-solving.
• Outstanding people management skills with over 4 years of experience directly supervising staff.
• Experience working with IRB and human research protection regulations.
• Exceptional writing, analysis, and presentation skills.

• Preferred
  

• Experience managing large-scale implementations across health systems.
• Background in healthcare management or innovation.
• Experience developing and managing multi-stakeholder initiatives in a university-based setting.
• Experience in application of behavioral science, implementation science, informatics, and/or user-centered design thinking.
• Experience with digital clinical decision support approaches and information technology.
• Experience working with IRB and human research protection regulations.
  

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

Perelman School of Medicine

Pay Range

$112,433.00 - $140,000.00 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.