Senior Associate Director, Senior Leadership Engagement

Harvard University • Cambridge, MA

7d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Associate Director, Senior Leadership Engagement is a strategic leadership position on Harvard University’s Senior Leadership Engagement team, which plans and implements donor and alumni engagement activities involving the President, Provost, FAS Dean, SEAS Dean, and other FAS academic leaders. The role establishes and oversees best practices for supporting FAS academic leaders in trips, prospect meetings, and events, and serves as a strategic thought partner to FAS Development leadership and fundraisers to align leaders’ development time with fundraising objectives. The position manages two assistant directors and a coordinator, with an additional assistant director reporting through a dotted line.

The role also manages the FAS Dean’s portfolio and select FAS academic leaders. Responsibilities include itinerary and visit pipeline management, prospect communications, briefing review, event-host coordination, oversight of trip logistics, and partnership with academic leaders’ offices. The position works closely with FAS Development leaders, fundraisers, prospect managers, and academic offices to plan and coordinate leadership engagement with donors, prospects, alumni, and volunteers.

This is a hybrid position, with specific in-office days determined by the department according to operational needs. The standard schedule is 40 hours per week. Occasional additional evening and weekend hours and limited travel are required.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
• At least 8 years of relevant work experience.
• Proven project-management ability.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office software.
• Strong organization, attention to detail, interpersonal skills, and communication skills.
• Ability to establish and promote productive working relationships with alumni, colleagues, faculty, administrators, and students.
• Flexibility and ability to manage multiple tasks accurately under deadline pressure.
• Ability to work in a complex organization and make informed decisions in the context of strategic organizational goals and policies.
• Ability to work independently and take initiative.
• Ability to handle confidential materials with discretion.
• Professional, proactive, creative, collaborative, conscientious, and results-oriented approach; strategic and conceptual thinking and sound judgment.
• Solid computer skills in a PC environment and ability to master new software applications and technologies, including database management.
• Energy, motivation to learn, and openness to change.
• Excellent speaking, writing, and client-service skills; professional phone etiquette.
• Ability to work occasional additional evening and weekend hours and undertake limited travel.
• Ability to work in a hybrid arrangement, with specific in-office days set by the department.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in a fundraising and/or academic environment is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop fiscal-year plans for FAS academic leaders and administrators, including virtual visits, travel, event participation, and other development needs.
• Partner with FAS management and regional leads to ensure effective engagement of academic leaders with donors, volunteers, and prospects; develop reporting processes, criteria for engagement activity, and priorities for leadership time.
• Manage and oversee the work of two assistant directors supporting FAS leaders and a coordinator; an additional assistant director has a dotted-line reporting relationship.
• Oversee Senior Leadership Engagement team data management, including tracking practices, information updates, Advance data audits, senior-management reports, and data used for annual planning; work with Operations partners to improve data-management practices.
• Manage the FAS Dean’s portfolio and select FAS academic leaders.
• Partner with FAS Development management and regional leads to deploy leaders for trips, prospect meetings, and events, including itinerary development and pipeline prioritization.
• Oversee meetings and events arranged by AA&D, including outreach, scheduling, logistics, travel arrangements, briefing coordination, and record-keeping.
• Work with senior leaders and prospect managers to review, finalize, and package engagement materials for leaders.
• Maintain communication with staff in FAS academic offices and serve as their first point of contact for development- and alumni-affairs scheduling and logistics questions.
• Coordinate internal approval processes for event invitations, meeting requests, and other engagements.
• Liaise with donor hosts for select small events and receptions, and manage invitation pools and communications in partnership with fundraising colleagues.
• Undertake process-improvement projects as directed by the Director.
• Attend planning meetings, training sessions, events, and conferences as necessary.
• Cultivate favorable working relationships with institutional and external constituencies and provide a high level of client service.

Benefits

• Generous paid time off, including parental leave.
• Medical, dental, and vision 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