Research Support Director

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

Research Support Director

Job Profile Title

Director, Research Support

Job Description Summary

Founded in 1881 as the world's first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With campuses in both Philadelphia and San Francisco, Wharton has over 850 staff, a faculty population of more than 235 renowned professors, and 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students.

Each year 13,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education's individual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 104,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. Wharton is home to a dynamic community of staff, bringing a wide range of skills, experiences, and perspectives. To learn more, visit (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..

Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) is a comprehensive research platform operated by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania that provides research tools and access to a wide range of financial, economic, and business research datasets. It is widely used by academic institutions, researchers, and professionals for data analysis, empirical research, and financial modeling.

The Research Support Director
-WRDS will work with a team of Ph.D.'s on Finance or Accounting and IT professionals with expertise in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Statistics, and Computer Science to help WRDS Community by providing high quality research programs, analytics, applications, research database evaluations, research replications and related research tools using Python, SAS and Machine Learning in big data environments. Advance on best practices of conducting empirical research with WRDS data.

Act in a leading role in creating and delivering new financial and analytical products to academics and corporate customers that are specialized, complex, and based on academic research. Present analytics in a user-friendly format; assist WRDS users on research and data-related issues; and conduct academic and corporate training sessions for WRDS users around the world, including scholars in finance, accounting, economics, and other business disciplines.

Stay abreast of research at the frontier to help identify new finance research directions and trends. Advise the WRDS, Data, and IT teams on data integrity processes to enhance current products and to contribute to the design of new products and services that facilitate research accuracy and reliability. Conduct research and data-related academic training seminars for WRDS users. Provide content support for research using academic databases, including CRSP, Compustat, and/or IBES.

Job Description

Responsibilities will include:

+ Provide to WRDS Academic Research Community and Corporate Clients high quality Analytics, Research Programs, Applications, Financial engines and related research tools to improve their research productivity.

+ Provide support to faculty and PhD users by offering consultative guidance on empirical research best practices, troubleshooting data and tool issues that may affect research results, and conducting site visits and training sessions to promote the effective use of WRDS for academic research.

+ Keep track of the evolution of top academic research in finance and accounting to help WRDS both creating their own signature research products and providing new data sources to the research community.

+ Construct and enhance…