Director, Program on Higher Education Research

Company Description

By working at Harvard University, you join a vibrant community that advances Harvard's world-changing mission in meaningful ways, inspires innovation and collaboration, and builds skills and expertise. We are dedicated to creating a diverse and welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.

Why join the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences?

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) is the historic heart of Harvard University. It is the home of Harvard’s undergraduate program (Harvard College, founded in 1636) as well as all of Harvard’s Ph.D. programs (the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, founded in 1872), Harvard Athletics and the Division of Continuing Education. The 40 academic departments and 30+ centers of the FAS support a community unparalleled in its academic excellence across the broadest range of liberal arts and sciences disciplines. Together, the FAS seeks to foster an environment of ambition, curiosity and shared commitment to knowledge and truth that elicits excellence from all members of our community and prepares the next generation of leaders through a transformative educational experience.

Job Description

Job Summary:

The Institute for Quantitative Social Science (IQSS) at Harvard University recently established a new Program on Higher Education Research. IQSS scientific programs focus on areas of inquiry that are of particular interest to faculty directors who enjoy a close working relationship with IQSS administrative, development, and technical staff that provide invaluable infrastructure to researchers. This new program will conduct and support rigorous research on topics pertaining to higher education.

The Program on Higher Education Research will also house the Council on Academic Freedom at Harvard (CAFH), a Harvard-wide faculty-led group of more than 200 Harvard faculty members, dedicated to the promotion of academic freedom, civil discourse, and viewpoint diversity at Harvard. The Council is led by an executive council of seven elected faculty co-presidents but situated within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and hosted administratively in IQSS within the newly established Program for Higher Education Research.

The Director will oversee all aspects of the Program operations, communications donor relations, programming, and will work closely with affiliated faculty on advancing rigorous research and the CAFH Co-Presidents on the Council’s intellectual and academic vision. The person who fills the position will interact with all Program and Council faculty, along with students, staff, other centers, administrative departments at Harvard, other universities, and all partners and donors.

The position will work under the supervision of the IQSS Faculty Director and Co-Presidents of the Council, and will report to the Executive Director of IQSS.

Job Specific Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the development and implementation of a strategic plan for the new research program.
• Develop and implement a strategic plan for enhancing the Council’s engagement with university stakeholders, including organizing annual strategy meetings with Co-Presidents and faculty members.

Day-Day Operational Oversight

• Oversee recruitment for staff hires, design onboarding processes, and coordinate appointments in collaboration with IQSS HR.
• Conduct an active scholarly program leading to publications and conference presentations, as appropriate.
• Represent the Program and CAFH at various convenings as requested.

Public Relations and Communications

• Oversee the development and implementation of the Program’s communications strategy, in coordination with IQSS and University communication teams.
• Direct the Council's public messaging through weekly updates, manage content creation for the Council’s website (with thousands of annual visitors), and oversee media outreach campaigns.
• Manage the Council’s membership lists, email listserv, and website.
• Draft and/or edit letters and statements expressing the Council’s views on matters relevant to its mission.
• Recruit and maintain relationships with Council members.
• Manage partnerships with other universities and nonprofit entities with aligned goals.

Conferences and Events

• Organize 2-4 major events annually, including agenda materials preparation, presenter coordination, and post-event evaluation using tools like Zoom and Eventbrite.

Budgeting and Finance

• Oversee all aspects of the Program’s financial planning.
• Work with IQSS finance team to monitor annual budgets and financial accounts, and produce quarterly financial reports for the CAFH Co-Presidents.

Development

• Lead advancement, development, and stewardship activities for the Program.
• Maintain relationships with current donors and develop a network of new funders.
• Oversee communications and meetings with donors in collaboration with Program faculty and the CAFH Co-Presidents.
• Identify and meet new potential donors, and develop and support opportunities.
• Prepare periodic reports for Program donors.
• Liaise with University Development Office and other Harvard fundraising teams.

External Research Grants

• Identify and pursue new grant opportunities.
• Develop drafts of grant content.
• Oversee relations with established foundation and other grant funders, and foster new relationships.
• Oversee all spending on existing grants and donor funds.
• Collaborate with IQSS Sponsored Research team, Office for Sponsored Programs, and others to ensure compliance with University policies.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 8+ years of progressive administrative management experience.

Additional Qualifications and Skills:

• Deep commitment to the ideals of free inquiry, civil discourse, and intellectual diversity.
• Skill in working with people of diverse political and ethical beliefs.
• Strong writing, leadership, and organizational skills.
• Academic interests in free inquiry, intellectual diversity, and/or civil discourse, broadly conceived.
• Familiarity with the Harvard community and Harvard’s administrative processes.
• Supervisory experience.
• A master’s or doctoral degree is desirable.
• Demonstrated administration or leadership experience within higher-education, non-profit, or business sector.
• Ability to operate independently with a strong sense of self-management.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively with students, faculty, and staff.

Additional Information

• Standard Hours/Schedule: 35 hours per week
• Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position
• Pre-Employment Screening: Identity, Education
• Other Information:
• This is a 12-month term position from the date of hire, with the possibility of extension based on funding and performance.
• All formal offers will be made by FAS Human Resources.

IQSS sits in the Division of Social Science. At IQSS, respect and fairness, kindness and collegiality, and trust and transparency are among the values we espouse and promote in our workplace culture. We work hard to ensure a healthy, inclusive and positive environment where everyone does their best work in support of Harvard’s mission.

IQSS is a university-wide institute whose mission is to solve society’s greatest challenges through the creation, preservation, and dissemination of social science knowledge. We build infrastructure and community so social scientists can work at unprecedented speed, scale, and levels of collaboration. The IQSS approach includes: providing an environment (physical space, events, services) that encourages scholars to convene and collaborate; developing powerful (and broadly useful) statistical, computational, and analytical infrastructure and tools; building bridges between the many different scientific communities concerned with real world problems; removing impediments to discovery by providing exceptional administrative services; and supporting and showcasing innovative ideas through the creation and incubation of scientific programs

Work Format Details

This is a position that is based at a Harvard campus location with some remote work options available. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process. All remote work must be performed within one of the Harvard Registered Payroll States, which currently includes Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Washington, and California (CA for exempt positions only). Certain visa types and funding sources may limit work location. Individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment.

Salary Grade and Ranges

This position is salary grade level 058. Please visit  Harvard's Salary Ranges  to view the corresponding salary range and related information.

Benefits

Harvard offers a comprehensive benefits package that is designed to support a healthy work-life balance and your physical, mental and financial wellbeing. Because here, you are what matters. Our benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Generous paid time off including parental leave
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one
• Retirement plans with university contributions
• Wellbeing and mental health resources
• Support for families and caregivers
• Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks

Learn more about these and additional benefits on our Benefits & Wellbeing Page.

EEO/Non-Discrimination Commitment Statement

Harvard University is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination. We seek talent from all parts of society and the world, and we strive to ensure everyone at Harvard thrives. Our differences help our community advance Harvard’s academic purposes.

Harvard has an equal employment opportunity policy that outlines our commitment to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or identified in the university’s non-discrimination policy. Harvard’s equal employment opportunity policy and non-discrimination policy help all community members participate fully in work and campus life free from harassment and discrimination.