Senior Associate Director, Predegree Advising and Admissions Policy Management

Harvard University • Cambridge, MA

20d • $90,000 - $110,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Associate Director oversees the consistent interpretation and administration of predegree advising and admissions policies and processes and supervises the advising team. The role provides leadership on complex student matters and institutional risk; manages key departmental operations; and uses data to inform policy, planning, decision-making, and continuous improvement. This position will be based in Cambridge, MA. Hybrid workplace models in place at DCE with a minimum of 2 days per week on campus. DCE or department may adjust these as necessary or appropriate.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required
• Minimum of 7 years’ relevant work experience
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
• Excellent interpersonal, written, verbal, and presentation skills
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize competing demands, manage multiple initiatives, and perform effectively in a fast-paced environment

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in higher education administration, business administration, or a related field strongly preferred
• Significant experience in admissions, advising, student services, higher education administration, or a related field
• Demonstrated success supervising, coaching, and developing professional staff
• Experience interpreting, applying, and communicating complex policies and regulations
• Experience managing sensitive or high-risk situations using sound judgment, discretion, and diplomacy
• Demonstrated analytical skills with experience interpreting quantitative and qualitative data to inform operational and strategic decisions
• Experience improving business processes and implementing operational efficiencies
• Ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and build effective working relationships across diverse stakeholder groups
• Experience with enterprise student information systems, CRM platforms, and reporting tools (Banner, Salesforce, JIRA/Confluence, or comparable systems) preferred

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with School and University admissions and academic policies and applicable legal requirements.
• Research, analyze, interpret, and resolve policy questions, providing accurate and timely guidance to department, School, and University staff and leadership.
• Identify, monitor, and mitigate potential risks to School and University administration, operations, community, and reputation arising from admissions-related policies, practices, and student matters.
• Maintain departmental procedural resources, records, and databases to support consistent practices, informed decision-making, and continuous improvement to policy understanding and administration.
• Ensure the consistent and appropriate application of policy by the advising team through initial and ongoing training, guidance, and quality oversight.
• Manage and administer the policy petition process for all predegree students, including evaluating complex requests, issuing communications, and preparing materials for escalation to the Administrative Policy Committee and Administrative Board.
• Evaluate and resolve complicated predegree student concerns and complaints, engaging with students in a helpful, respectful, and accessible manner.
• Directly manage predegree and admissions advisors and the Assistant Director of Predegree Advising and Admissions Policy Management, providing coaching, performance management, professional development, and operational guidance; model and reinforce departmental values to support a collaborative, accountable, and student-centered work environment.
• Participate as a member of the OPA&A leadership team in annual and seasonal departmental processes for managing degree program changes, application and admission eligibility reviews and reporting, and student communications.
• Integrate, extract, and analyze quantitative and qualitative data from multiple HES systems and external sources, developing clear and concise reports, dashboards, presentations, and other data visualizations that communicate findings, trends, implications, and recommendations to stakeholders in an accessible and actionable manner.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to OPA&A leadership and a policy and operational resource for peer and senior DCE colleagues, informing stakeholders and participating in relevant meetings and cross-functional initiatives as needed.

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: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree