House Administrator, Kirkland House

Harvard University • Cambridge, MA

3h • Onsite

About The Position

The House Administrator plays a pivotal role in the residential community at Harvard College. They serve as part of the House senior leadership team and are a critical resource for events, processes, and policies impacting the House community and staff. This role involves handling confidential information with care and discretion, and acting as a primary contact for stakeholders and partners within the University. The Houses themselves are the foundation of the undergraduate experience, accommodating 350-500 students each with their own dining hall, common rooms, and facilities for academic, recreational, and cultural activities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
• 5 years of experience in student housing or student services in a higher education setting
• Strong skill sets in written and oral communication
• Strong skill sets in planning and organization
• Strong skill sets in budget management
• Strong skill sets in policy development
• Ability to work collaboratively with a variety of constituents
• Ability to manage change
• Ability to establish priorities and meet deadlines

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree preferred.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office
• General familiarity with website maintenance are strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of Harvard’s internal administrative systems for finance, human resources, housing and survey systems preferred.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for day-to-day management of House finances, including financial processing, reconciliation, reporting, and strategic planning on unrestricted and restricted accounts.
• In consultation with Faculty Deans, develop and submit annual House budget (approximately $300K -500K each year) and narrative outlining the House’s fiscal priorities related to programming, capital expenditures, and operations.
• Reports quarterly on House finances.
• Collaborate with the Dean of Students Office for compliance with all University and College financial policies and procedure.
• Support and train approximately 25-30 tutors and other residential staff on financial processes and policies.
• Oversee and manage all residential staff financial operations.
• Handle tutors’ financial transactions, including declining balance cards, purchases, reimbursements, and specialty Tutor support on weekly reconciliation and reports.
• Responsible for implementing and managing House-based proposals for additional funding opportunities supporting specific initiatives identified by the College.
• Advise the Faculty Deans on all House financial matters.
• Manage the administrative responsibilities of the House Office on behalf of the Faculty Deans and provide administrative support for House activities to the Faculty Deans.
• Hire, supervise and manage student workers and payroll.
• Maintains confidential personnel records for tutors.
• As part of Senior Staff, attend regular staff meetings and assist in setting House priorities and House culture, as related to fostering a supportive residential living-learning environment.
• Oversee the use of House common spaces and room reservations.
• Responsible for drafting and communicating policies on usage of space to the community.
• Work with the Faculty Deans to maintain the House calendar.
• Maintain and administer House-list-servs and other relevant platforms including my.harvard committees, residential staff directors and resident tutor rosters.
• Oversee the design and day-to-day management of the House website.
• Create and maintain House-managed social media platforms and publishing.
• Support the Faculty Deans to plan, implement, and manage various House events for students, faculty, administrators, and alumni.
• Plan, implement and coordinate signature House events: Commencement, House Lottery, Family Weekend receptions and a variety of class, student, and faculty events.
• Train/educate House community on relevant College/Dean of Students/city polices around events.
• Train and supervise Faculty Deans' Aides, Tutor, and student workers in coordinating such events.
• Provide periodic evening and weekend event management support.
• Develop, implement, communicate, and evaluate the House-based housing lottery policies, sophomore housing placements, and procedures for student housing assignments.
• Oversee the housing assignments for Tutors, House aides and Faculty Resident Scholars, and collaborate with the Dean of Students Office to ensure compliance with all University and College housing policies and procedures.
• Mediate roommate/suite mate disputes.
• Collaborate with the Faculty Deans and Resident Dean, to ensure effective development, implementation, and evaluation of Tutor training programs and to create and maintain a House-specific Resident Tutor Manual.
• As part of Senior Staff team, may participate in Resident Tutor Interview & Hiring Process.
• In coordination with Faculty Deans, hire, train, and manage House/Faculty Dean Aides.
• May serve as direct manager for House Aides.

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: Entry Level