Career Center

Job Summary

Reporting to the Director for Master’s Programs within the Office of Master’s and Professional Programs (OMPP) at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), the Manager for Student Engagement and Programs has primary responsibility for supporting master’s student life and building student community.  With significant program growth in recent years and expected continued growth, this role offers an exciting opportunity to work in a cutting-edge field supporting graduate students with a comprehensive curricular and co-curricular program, enabling them to enter industry and/or research.

SEAS currently offers the following professional master’s programs: (1) MS/MBA: Master of Science in Engineering Sciences and MBA  – joint program with Harvard Business School (HBS) (2) CSE: Computational Science and Engineering (3) DS: Data Science  – joint program with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Statistics department (4) MDE: Master in Design Engineering – collaborative program with Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) (5) AB/SM; Co-terminal master’s program for current Harvard College undergraduates. All programs result in master’s degrees conferred by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), except the MDE degree, which is conferred by the GSD.

Job Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

Student Community: 

• Develop and manage a vibrant program of student events and co-curricular activities, including bi-weekly socials, recruitment events, commencement reception, technical talks, outings and tech treks. Collaborates with the team for planning of orientation activities.
• Collaborates with the Office of Career Services, the SEAS Director of Experiential and Career Development and outside partners for student recruitment and professional development services. 
• Leads the OMPP Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Initiative, working as a liaison between faculty, staff, the SEAS DIB Office and master’s students to implement programming, including collaborations with other universities. 
• Serves as advisor to the Graduate Advisory Committee, tasked with identifying and implementing areas for improved diversity and inclusion. 
• Works with the Director for Master’s Programs and the Director for Master’s Education to develop scholarship proposals from external funders and manages student scholarship and fellowship awards and disbursement.

Alumni Engagement: 

• Works with the Director for Master’s Programs and the Director for Master’s Education to develop alumni engagement strategies.
• Works with the OMPP team to deliver alumni engagement programs, communications, and events for all master’s programs.

Administrative: 

• Collaborates with the Office of Academic Programs to ensure master’s students have opportunities to attend conferences; works with Administrative Coordinator to ensure student expenses are paid.
• Manages on-boarding for lecturers, preceptors, and staff. 
• Manages annual budgets and oversees tracking of expenses. Develops and contributes project-specific budget information and ensures responsible budget implementation on both a day-to-day and long-term basis, including reallocation of funds as necessary.
• Establishes and disseminates OMPP policies, particularly those focused on appointments, finances, and general administrative processes. 
• Oversees space planning and related technology purchases. 
• May provide assistance with communications including website, annual report and brochure, and student communications, using online platforms and social media. 
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Supervisory: 

• Supervises the Administrative Coordinator for Master’s Programs and a graduate student intern.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required
• Minimum of 5 years’ relevant work experience

Additional Qualifications and Skills

• Experience working with students in a diverse population and creating an inclusive student environment.  Strong commitment to and ability to stay current on issues of diversity and inclusion in student affairs.
• Ability to demonstrate leadership, initiative, program management and strong communication skills (both written and verbal). 
• Ability to advance projects while managing multiple initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to work as a member of a team in cooperation with a diverse constituency, from administrative staff to students and faculty.
• Entrepreneurial spirit in addition to an open mindset and flexible approach in adapting to shifting priorities. 
• On occasion, events planned by this role will take place during weekday evenings and/or weekends and will require on-site support from the Manager for Student Engagement and Programs.
• Analytical and financial skills, as well as the ability to effectively track details regarding day-to-day and longer-term initiatives.  
• Microsoft Office skills, including intermediate Excel.
• Strong comfort with technology and ability to learn new software. Familiarity with some of the following programs and processes would be helpful: Salesforce management, website editing (HTML), social media, online learning platforms.
• Supervisory experience and strong interest in managing staff. 
• Master’s degree preferred.

Physical Requirements

• Sitting using near vision use for reading and computer use for extended periods of time

Working Conditions

• Work is performed in an office setting
• May be required to work nights and weekends in conjunction with student events

Additional Information

• The Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences does not provide visa sponsorship for administrative and staff positions.
• Please submit a resume and a cover letter.
• The University requires all Harvard community members to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and remain up to date with COVID-19 vaccine boosters, as detailed in Harvard’s Vaccine & Booster Requirements. Individuals may claim exemption from the vaccine requirement for medical or religious reasons. More information regarding the University’s COVID vaccination requirement, exemptions, and verification of vaccination status may be found at the University’s “COVID-19 Vaccine Information” webpage: http://www.harvard.edu/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine-information/. 
• This position will be primarily based in Allston, MA, with some hybrid work possible. Individual flexible and remote work options for this role will be discussed during the interview process. Any remote work must be performed in a state in which Harvard is registered to do business (CA, CT, MA, MD, ME, NH, NY, RI, and VT).