The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education

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Harvard University — Assistant Director, Student and Alumni Engagement
Filed in Administrative on January 28, 2023

Harvard University

Assistant Director, Student and Alumni Engagement
Harvard Kennedy School
61165BR

Job Summary

At the heart of the mission of the Center for Public Leadership (CPL) is our direct work with students. This includes CPL’s graduate student fellowships for students at HKS and co-curricular program offerings that extend to the wider HKS and Harvard communities. CPL also has a vibrant fellowship alumni community.

The Assistant Director, Student and Alumni Engagement plays a vital role on the CPL Programs Team, overseeing activities primarily related to co-curricular program design and overseeing work with CPL’s fellowship alumni.

Position Description

Strategy: The Assistant Director develops and drives co-curricular programming and alumni strategy and works as a close collaborator with the Director, CPL Programs on cross-fellows strategy.
Co-Curricular Leadership Development Programming: Oversee the design and execution of co-curricular programming that CPL offers to the broader HKS and Harvard community. These programs include topical cohorts for non-CPL fellows, faculty-led and practitioner-led intensives and workshops, speaker series, and more.
Alumni Relations: Identify, cultivate, and steward CPL fellowship alumni. Serve as the main point of contact for the CPL Alumni Council. Develop, sustain, and strengthen alumni networks and programming. Create alumni mentoring opportunities with current CPL fellows. Collaborate with the Alumni Council and Communications team to plan and run alumni events.
Cross-Fellowships Collaboration: Collaborate with Fellowship Program Managers to design programming across all fellowship cohorts to create a strong community of student engagement at CPL. Support the Director, CPL Programs and CPL Programs Team in the planning and execution of recruitment and selection strategy of the CPL fellowships.
Administration and Monitoring: Coordinate and produce proposals, reports, and analyses for management, to include proposals for new programs, budget reviews of areas of programmatic responsibility, periodic reports to reflect relevant data gathering and analysis, and post-event reports and recommendations. Work across teams, including CPL Programs, Finance and Administration, and faculty advisors to develop metrics for monitoring progress and evaluating the effectiveness of all CPL leadership programming.
Other programs and initiatives: as determined in consultation with the Director, CPL Programs, there may be other programs and initiatives that CPL will want to develop as part of the leadership development programming. The Assistant Director will take responsibility for leading efforts on these programs.

Basic Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree
5+ years program or project management experience

Additional Qualifications and Skills

3+ years of successful supervisory experience
Experience coaching or mentoring students
Demonstrated experience in leadership and/or adult development
Experience in a higher education environment preferred
Ability to work with diverse stakeholders to achieve shared goals

Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, and strong attention to detail
Demonstrated organizational skills, the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, meet deadlines, and work independently
Proven ability to manage a budget and analyze data to produce reports
Available to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends as needed
Occasional travel required

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Harvard Kennedy School’s Mission and Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism

At Harvard Kennedy School, fostering a diverse and inclusive community where everyone feels they belong is a matter of basic fairness consistent with our core values as an institution. It is also essential to our mission of improving public policy and leadership-because recruiting the best people and creating an environment where they can thrive make us better at what we do, because we learn more from people with different perspectives, and because we work in diverse groups and serve diverse societies.

Learn more about Harvard Kennedy School’s commitment to Diversity Equity, and Anti-Racism.

Job Function
General Administration

Sub Unit
————

Location
USA – MA – Cambridge

Department
Center for Public Leadership

Time Status
Full-time

Union
00 – Non Union, Exempt or Temporary

Pre-Employment Screening
Education, Identity

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Harvard University views equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging as the pathway to achieving inclusive excellence and fostering a campus culture where everyone can thrive. We strive to create a community that draws upon the widest possible pool of talent to unify excellence and diversity while fully embracing individuals from varied backgrounds, cultures, races, identities, life experiences, perspectives, beliefs, and values.

EEO Statement
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.