Senior Director of Strategy, Advancement, and Organizational Development

Harvard University • Boston, MA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Harvard Medical School's mission is to nurture a diverse, inclusive community dedicated to alleviating suffering and improving health and well-being for all through excellence in teaching and learning, discovery and scholarship, and service and leadership. You’ll be at the heart of biomedical discovery, education, and innovation, working alongside world-renowned faculty and a community dedicated to improving human health. This is more than a job - it’s an opportunity to shape the future of medicine. About the MEDscience Program: HMS MEDscience seeks an experienced, innovative, and collaborative senior leader to join its leadership team as the Senior Director of Strategy, Advancement & Organizational Development. This newly created executive leadership role will help shape the organization's next chapters growth by supporting the infrastructure, partnerships, and organizational capacity needed to expand MEDscience's impact across Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, and beyond. Founded eighteen years ago through a partnership between Harvard Medical School and Boston Public Schools, HMS MEDscience has grown into one of Harvard Medical School's most innovative educational initiatives, serving more than 4,500 students annually through immersive STEM education, medical simulation, workforce development, and biomedical engineering programs. HMS MEDscience is actively engaged in expanding partnerships and offerings at the local, regional, national and international levels.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required in Education, Organizational Leadership, Public Administration, Nonprofit Management, Healthcare Administration, Human Resources, or a related field.
• Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in K-12, higher education, nonprofit management, healthcare, philanthropy, and/or related sectors.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree preferred.
• Exceptional strategic planning and organizational leadership skills.
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated success securing philanthropic funding.
• Experience writing complex grant proposals.
• Experience leading strategic human resources functions and organizational development initiatives.
• Expertise designing evaluation systems and educational research initiatives.
• Experience producing peer-reviewed publications, institutional reports, and other scholarly or professional publications.
• Experience developing communications strategies, annual reports, and organizational marketing initiatives.
• Outstanding written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple complex initiatives simultaneously while maintaining exceptional attention to detail.
• Commitment to educational equity, workforce development, and STEM education.
• Fluency in Spanish (written and verbal) desirable.
• Doctoral degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provides strategic leadership across multiple enterprise-wide functions, including organizational development, advancement, human resources, communications, research and evaluation, and institutional partnerships.
• Strengthen the systems in place, people, and resources to support MEDscience's growth while preserving the quality and innovation that define the organization.
• Lead organization-wide initiatives that strengthen systems, policies, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness.
• Design and implement organizational structures and processes that support sustainable, new growth.
• Lead organizational planning, expansion initiatives, and emerging strategic opportunities.
• Assist in program development of key, current initiatives such as workforce development.
• Assist in developing policies and best practices that promote operational excellence.
• Lead strategic human resources functions across the organization.
• Design recruitment strategies for professional, instructional, and leadership positions.
• Develop job descriptions, organizational restructurings, and position reclassifications.
• Partner with HMS HR on recruitment, compensation, performance management, and employee relations.
• Design and direct leadership development strategies.
• Foster an inclusive, collaborative, and high-performing organizational culture.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and accountability.
• Design knowledge capture and organizational learning strategies.
• Design organization-wide evaluation systems and develop organizational dashboards, performance metrics, and reporting systems.
• Lead educational research initiatives in collaboration with institutional partners.
• Lead the development of peer-reviewed publications, white papers, conference presentations, and institutional reports.
• Build collaborations with key partners including but not limited to Boston Public Schools, Gateway City school districts, and higher education institutions.
• Promote evidence-based decision-making and continuous organizational learning.
• Establish and oversee MEDscience's communications and marketing function.
• Lead development of annual report and institutional publications.
• Develop strategies to strengthen organizational visibility and thought leadership.
• Oversee web content, social media, media relations, and public-facing communications.
• Ensure consistent messaging and branding across all platforms.
• Collaborate with HMS communications staff.
• Develop and implement strategies to increase philanthropic support from foundation, corporate, government, and individual giving.
• Write and manage complex grant proposals.
• Cultivate relationships with foundations, corporations, government agencies, and philanthropic organizations.
• Work closely with HMS Office of Alumni Affairs and Development.
• Ensure compliance with university and school policies and processes.
• Lead and establish new satellite programs.
• Support senior leadership team in developing partnerships with school districts, healthcare organizations, universities, foundations, corporations, and community organizations.
• Collaborate across Harvard to advance interdisciplinary initiatives.
• Identify opportunities for regional, national, and international expansion.
• Advice the Founding Executive Director and associate director in cultivating new institutional partnerships.
• Represent MEDscience at conferences.

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: Executive