Director of Strategy and Programs (A&H)

Harvard University • Cambridge, MA

11d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Division of Arts & Humanities is entering an ambitious new chapter, and the Director of Divisional Strategy and Programs will play a critical role in it. Working in close partnership with the Divisional Dean, the Director will help shape and advance a forward-looking agenda focused on growing student engagement with the arts and humanities by increasing course enrollment, attracting concentrators, and making a compelling, evidence-based case that humanistic inquiry is among the most valuable offerings at Harvard. This is a role for someone who combines genuine intellectual commitment to the arts and humanities with the strategic and operational skills to turn vision into reality. The Director will be a thought partner to the Dean, an architect of implementable plans, and a relationship-builder who can bring faculty, staff, and institutional partners along on a shared journey.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required
• Minimum 10 years of experience in strategy and administration
• Experience developing and executing multi-year strategic plans

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree in arts, humanities, or a related field preferred
• Higher education or similarly complex organizational experience strongly preferred
• Genuine passion for the arts and humanities and a deep belief in their place at the center of a rigorous education
• Strategic thinker with the ability to move fluidly from vision to action, building implementable plans from complex, long-range goals
• Skilled relationship-builder, effective across faculty, administrative leaders, and senior institutional partners
• Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly and persuasively to a range of audiences
• Self-directed and autonomous, with the drive to initiate and follow through independently while maintaining close and consistent alignment with the Dean and divisional leadership
• Transparent and collaborative working style, with a commitment to keeping the Dean and all relevant stakeholders well-informed and engaged at every stage
• Sound judgment and discretion in handling sensitive organizational, financial, and institutional matters

Responsibilities

• Serve as chief of staff to the Divisional Dean, maintaining broad situational awareness across the division and ensuring priorities, projects, and problems receive appropriate and timely attention
• Partner with the Dean to define the division’s strategic direction, with particular focus on initiatives that grow student enrollment in arts and humanities courses and increase the number of students concentrating in fields across A&H
• Lead the annual and multi-year strategic planning process, translating priorities into a clear divisional roadmap with concrete goals, timelines, and accountabilities
• Design and implement policies, programs, and operational frameworks that embed new directions into sustainable divisional practice
• Build alignment across faculty, functional partners, and institutional leadership around shared divisional priorities, facilitating communication and sustaining momentum
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Dean, providing well-framed decision support on complex issues, emerging opportunities, and time-sensitive matters; frame options clearly, identify trade-offs, and drive toward alignment
• Cultivate strong working relationships with faculty and staff leaders across the division, fostering a collaborative and transparent culture
• Track and communicate progress against strategic priorities, surfacing risks early, recommending course corrections, and ensuring the Dean and key stakeholders have a clear and current picture of divisional initiatives
• Articulate and champion the professional value of arts and humanities education, connecting disciplinary depth to student career readiness and long-term impact

Benefits

• 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

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director