Program Manager

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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 Summary:

Faculty Support Services provides comprehensive administrative support to departments and centers within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Division. Reporting directly to the Director of Faculty Support Services, the Program Manager oversees and manages two Program Coordinators. 

As a member of a collaborative administrative team, the Program Manager and their direct reports will assume an expanding role in providing centralized event support and financial administrative services to units across the Division. The Program Manager will also provide interim coverage, as needed, during short- and long-term absences or vacancies among department administrators. 

Faculty Support Services provides support to departments and centers in the Faculty of Arts & Science Division.  This position is responsible for oversight and management of two Program Coordinators who will increasingly take on centralized event support and financial administrative processing for the units in the Divisions, provide interim floater coverage as needed during short and long-term absences or vacancies of department administrators. This position also performs day-to-day departmental administration transactions, including processing Concur transactions for non-ladder faculty within the Divisions and Buy2Pay payments using Harvard’s financial policies.  

 

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

Key Responsibilities: 

• Planning & Strategy: Consult clients, define event scope/themes, and build comprehensive timelines and run-of-shows. 

• Budget Management: Create and track budgets, process invoices, and manage expenses. 

• Vendor & Venue Sourcing: Research, visit, and book venues; hire and coordinate caterers, AV techs, entertainers, and staff. 

• Logistics & Marketing: Handle registration, permits, travel/accommodation, signage, and promotional/social campaigns. 

• On-Site Execution: Oversee setup, run live operations, manage guest flow/speakers, and troubleshoot last-minute issues. 

• Post-Event Review: Evaluate success metrics, gather feedback, and reconcile final bills. 

• Financial transactions: Reconcile accounts and balances funds at year-end. Develops and submits budgets for events to comply with FAS policy.  Processes high volume of Buy2Pay transactions and Concur expenses. 

In conjunction with the Director for Faculty Support Services, develops and implements procedures for work assignments and workflows to better support the needs of faculty and staff across the division. Manages daily performance of Faculty Support Services staff in their onsite and offsite responsibilities to ensure smooth completion of ongoing work and projects and additional assignments. 

 

Required Skills: 

• Organization: Multi-tasking complex, overlapping timelines, and vendor details. 

• Communication & Negotiation: Securing vendor rates, client relations, and team alignment. 

• Problem-Solving: Calmly pivoting and fixing unexpected vendor/logistical failures on-site. 

• Technical Proficiency: Experience with event/registration software (e.g., Cvent) and spreadsheets.

 

Working Conditions:

This is a hybrid position with an expectation of working on campus three days per week. Exact schedule will be determined in conjunction with your manager and may adjust based on operational and/or business needs. 

 

Basic Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience. A minimum of five years of progressively responsible administrative management experience, including staff supervision and financial management in an academic setting. 

Additional Qualifications and Skills:

Strong interpersonal and communication skills essential, including the ability to deal diplomatically with a wide range of people.  Strong leadership, negotiation, consensus building skills. Demonstrated experience with a service-oriented unit, and experience with financial systems and data query tools. 

• 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, Criminal
• Other Information: All formal offers will be made by FAS Human Resources. 

Work Format Details

This position has been determined by school or unit leaders that some of the duties and responsibilities can be effectively performed at a non-Harvard location. The work schedule and location will be set by the department at its discretion and based upon operational needs. When not working at a Harvard or Harvard-designated location, employees in hybrid positions must work in a Harvard registered state in compliance with the University’s Policy on Employment Outside of Massachusetts. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process. 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 057. 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, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, 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.