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 Kennedy School?
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is one 12 graduate and professional schools at the university. Harvard Kennedy School’s mission is to improve public policy and leadership so people can live in societies that are more safe, free, just, and sustainably prosperous. By combining cutting-edge research, the teaching of outstanding students, and direct interaction with practitioners, we have an impact on solving public problems that no other institution can match. When you work at Harvard Kennedy School, you make a difference.
Job Description
The Senior IT Solutions Engineer will serve as a key technical leader in designing and delivering enterprise-grade applications and integration solutions across the Harvard Kennedy School. This role focuses on modern development methodologies, application lifecycle management, platform interoperability, and scalable software architecture—leveraging tools and technologies such as Salesforce, cloud services, and modern web frameworks.
This position is responsible for shaping, building, and supporting high-performing solutions that enable academic, research, and administrative functions. The ideal candidate will be experienced in agile development, architecture design, CI/CD, release management, and cross-platform development—including Salesforce and cloud-based tools.
Key Responsibilities
- Architect, design, and develop robust, scalable applications and integrations using modern development frameworks and platforms.
- Work across platforms including Salesforce, cloud services (Azure, AWS), and on-prem systems to design and support custom solutions.
- Lead end-to-end technical design processes, including documentation, prototyping, and technical specifications.
- Promote agile software development practices including sprint planning, iterative releases, peer code reviews, and DevOps automation.
- Implement and manage CI/CD pipelines and release management processes across development, staging, and production environments.
- Collaborate with stakeholders to translate functional requirements into technical solutions that are secure, maintainable, and aligned with institutional goals.
- Integrate third-party and SaaS applications with core university systems using APIs, middleware, and standard protocols.
- Ensure compliance with university data security and privacy policies (e.g., FERPA, HIPAA, GDPR).
- Provide technical leadership and mentorship to other developers and project teams, advocating for coding best practices and reusable design patterns.
- Support application monitoring, troubleshooting, and incident resolution as part of a shared operational model.
- Maintain architectural documentation, interface definitions, and system dependencies to support long-term sustainability.
- Collaborate with colleagues across Harvard, Higher Education, and Industry.
- Provide consultation support to users as needed.
- Develop strategic technical documentation and presentations as needed.
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications:
- Minimum of five years’ post-secondary education or relevant work experience
Additional Qualifications
- 7+ years of experience in application development, software architecture, or systems integration.
- Experience architecting and building web-based and cloud-native applications using modern frameworks.
- Hands-on experience with Salesforce development, including Apex, Lightning components, flows, and third-party integrations.
- Strong understanding of CI/CD processes, source control (e.g., Git), and DevOps tools (e.g., GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Azure DevOps).
- Proficiency in multiple programming languages such as Python, JavaScript, Java, or C#.
- Familiarity with containerization and orchestration technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
- Solid knowledge of RESTful APIs, system integration, and application security practices.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to work with cross-functional teams and non-technical stakeholders.
- Demonstrates adaptability and a proactive approach to exploring and integrating AI and emerging technologies to drive efficiency and innovation.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field—or equivalent experience.
- Salesforce certifications (e.g., Platform Developer I/II, Application Architect) preferred.
- Experience in higher education or public sector IT environments.
- Knowledge of agile tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence) and experience working in Scrum or Kanban frameworks.
- Experience with enterprise architecture modeling and documentation tools.
Certificates and Licenses:
- Completion of Harvard IT Academy specified foundational courses (or external equivalent) preferred
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
- Other Information:
Work Environment: Normal office environment with hybrid work options. Some after-hours work may be required for releases, incident response, system upgrades or other time sensitive work.
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.