Ellucian Banner Pennant Records Director - Division of Finance

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

Ellucian Banner Pennant Records Director - Division of Finance

Job Profile Title

Information Technology Technical Director

Job Description Summary

The Pennant Records Director leads and supervises the Student Records team within the Pennant Operations group. The Pennant Operations Student Records team consists of 4 full-time analysts that support the Pennant Records suite of applications used by the staff of the Office the University Registrar, students, faculty and administrators across the University. The Pennant Records Director directs the planning, analysis and execution of information system activities for the Records installed base of applications which consists of Banner, Leepfrog, Infosilem, and other third-party applications.

The application administration includes maintaining, configuring, and executing processes in the system to support daily operational tasks, maintaining and monitoring the batch schedule, vendor upgrades, implementing system enhancements and resolving production defects. As part of that process there will be oversight and coordination of system testing, issue tracking and resolution, implementation planning, communications, and updating process documentation.

The position will participate in strategic planning with the governance groups setting direction for the Pennant Records system. With the direction from the governance boards and business office, the Director supports the team in evaluating the work, completing capacity planning, setting the scope of releases, monitoring the execution of the work, and planning implementation. The planning and oversight requires complex coordination with constituents in Student Registration and Financial Services (SRFS), ISC, school/center personnel, and third party system vendors.

Directs a technically complex IT function requiring advanced subject-matter expertise. Provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the architecture, integration, and support of enterprise systems. Leads initiatives that demand deep technical coordination across multiple platforms and domains, and may supervise staff in highly specialized areas.

Job Description

1. Oversee and lead day-to-day operations, activities, and projects of the Pennant Operations Records IT team. 

2. Provide direction to the team to meet academic and business priorities as outlined by School and SRFS leadership.

3. Manage the team by planning and assigning work, setting priorities, setting expectations and monitoring the delivery and quality of the work.

4. Lead the team through the effective implementation of vendor releases and upgrades.

5. Implement releases timely to ensure the latest system functionality is enabled and security updated accordingly.

6. Ensure that the team keeps up to date on current trends and innovations with the vendors and industry.

7. Lead new projects and process improvements for Banner Student and other Records applications.

8. Plan, direct, and oversee the transition to support operations for new projects.

9. Identify impact to the other modules within Banner or third-party systems. 10. Coordinate cross functional work with the other work streams within the Pennant Support team and keep the other work streams informed of Pennant Records initiatives.

11. Supervise a team of staff members including setting priorities, balancing conflicting demands and ensuring staff development.

12. Foster a high-performing, inclusive team culture committed to technical excellence and customer service by working with the team to set goals and develop plans to meet those goals.

13. Mentor and coach staff, conduct performance evaluations, and support professional growth and career development.

14. Establish and maintain contacts within business units to better understand their business processes and goals and provide consistent transparency into the work completed by the team.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree

• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience working with student information systems, preferably Ellucian Banner, or administrative ERP systems preferably in a decentralized, research university, with a comprehensive understanding of a Registrar’s business processes and best practices.

• Knowledge of Ellucian Banner Student module including experience maintaining configurations, baseline batch processes, Population Selections, ability to configure Self-Service Banner, and an understanding of Ethos, and Banner APIs.

• Knowledge of Leepfrog Products

• Knowledge of JIRA or other development issue tracking tool.

• Advanced interpersonal skills to develop and maintain cooperative relationships with professional colleagues, maintain confidence and communicate effectively with external representatives and partners.

• Ability to manage multiple projects, take initiative, work well under pressure, meet deadlines, adapt to changing priorities, and willingness to rapidly learn new skills as needed.

• Ability to execute short and long term goals simultaneously.

•  Identify risks and help mitigate challenges while tracking dependencies and progress.

• Ability to analyze and interpret data and prepare data reports and visualizations.

• Experience with querying data via tools like TOAD and Snowflake.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

Division of Finance

Pay Range

$120,000.00 - $150,000.00 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