Research Associate (Writing Focused)

Harvard University • Boston, MA

18h • Hybrid

About The Position

Harvard Business School seeks multiple Research Associates (RA) to support faculty members on writing/content focused work. The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of business topics and prior writing experience. The Research Associate (RA) position reports directly to faculty supervisors and an administrative manager in the Research Staff Services office. Ideal RA candidates will be comfortable in an environment that requires a high level of independence, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to use discretionary judgment. Specific faculty hiring include: Joshua Margolis, Fritz Foley (supporting a book project on the role of CFO in organizations, requiring finance knowledge, strong writing/research skills, and statistical analysis ability), Frances Frei, Jonas Heese and Aiyesha Dey (supporting a book project on corporate fraud, requiring prior writing experience and interest in business management), Lakshmi Ramarajan (half-time, supporting projects on identity and power, requiring experience or strong interest in various research methods including interviewing, qualitative data analysis, laboratory and field experiments, and quantitative methods using archival and survey data), and Yuan Zou (half-time, supporting case writing and course development for the spring 2027 Business Analysis and Valuation elective, requiring strong understanding of core accounting principles and financial statements, and excellent writing skills).

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree with a GPA above 3.5 is required.
• Ability to read academic, subject-specific information and write a reasoned and thoughtful analysis, as well as produce a creative interpretation, is a must.
• Extremely high standards in terms of quality of work, attention to detail, strong organization skills, and absolute commitment to task completion.
• Must be able to balance multiple tasks and shifting priorities under tight deadlines at an accelerated pace when necessary.

Nice To Haves

• Evidence of prior high-quality, original academic writing, and background in analysis and interpretation of relevant data, research, news, and literature is helpful.
• Familiarity with navigating a complex organization, such as Harvard Business School.
• Prior experience supporting short form writing and website project management preferred.
• Knowledge in finance, strong writing and research skills, along with the ability to conduct statistical analysis on firm profitability data (for Professor Foley's project).
• Prior writing experience and an interest in business management (for Professors Heese and Dey's project).
• Experience with, or a strong interest in, a range of research methods, including interviewing and qualitative data analysis, laboratory and field experiments, and quantitative methods using archival and survey data (for Professor Ramarajan's project).
• Strong understanding of core accounting principles and financial statements, as well as excellent writing skills (for Professor Zou's project).

Responsibilities

• Work under the general direction of HBS faculty on topics central to HBS research agenda.
• Provide subject-area knowledge, analysis and interpretation to faculty member.
• Identify and explore a wide-range of questions related to faculty’s research agenda.
• Write cases, case supplements, project reports, and drafts for a book project from start to finish creating original writing based on subject-area expertise, research, and interviews, and write articles for applicable business audiences such as Harvard Business Review.
• Under general direction of faculty member, must be able to take complex research ideas, concepts, and methodologies and apply them to new projects and situations.
• Must be able to structure assignments and keep faculty member informed as necessary, using own judgment.
• Build trust and collaboration by being present on-site and engaging directly with colleagues and various constituents.
• Responsible for other duties as assigned.

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