This position will be based on our campus in Cambridge, MA, in a hybrid work environment.

Alumni Affairs and Development (AA&D) comprises the University Development Office (UDO), Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Development, AA&D Resources, and the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA). There is a unique relationship between the University and the FAS fundraising operations, resulting from a long history in which University fundraising ultimately grew out of College fundraising.

AA&D Resources
AA&D Resources encompasses teams that support all units across AA&D plus all schools and units across the University. AA&D Resources includes Technology and Support Services, Business Process and Operations, Alumni and Development Services (ADS), Administration and Finance, Events, Communications Creative Services, Research and Prospect Management, Human Resources, and the AA&D Talent Program.

Overview
Reporting to the Managing Director of Events, the Associate Director will serve in a one-year time-limited role and will be a part of the events leadership team and be integral to assuring the team provides consistent and successful events and activities that support the development and alumni engagement efforts for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), the University Development Office (UDO), and the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA).
They will make strategic recommendations on the event planning process and communicate regularly with the event leadership team.

The Associate Director project manages a diverse portfolio of events and ensures consistency and continuity on all Faculty of Arts and Sciences events. The Associate Director will create and maintain relationships across FAS Development to understand fundraising priorities and constituent preferences; provide mission-driven experiences and transparent reporting on activity. They will manage the overall FAS event calendar and ensure collaboration and communication across UDO and HAA activity.

They will coordinate with fundraisers and Senior Management on event and donor engagement strategies and will lead and motivate the event planning teams to maintain deadlines and articulate roles and responsibilities. This position operates in a fast-paced, high-volume, deadline-driven environment.

The Associate Director is responsible for managing a team of event managers within the AA&D Events department. They oversee their team members’ professional development and event workload. They must be able to provide meaningful feedback and guidance to their team members, as well as establish a collaborative work environment that enables an efficient and positive approach to a high-volume workload.

The list below covers the most significant responsibilities of the position. However, it does not exclude other duties, the inclusion of which would conform with the position level.

• Reports to the Managing Director for events and serves on the events leadership team; has baseline understanding on all event partners (FAS, HAA, UDO) and their priorities
• Has in-depth knowledge on priorities and initiatives for FAS and inspires and motivates team to drive event planning with those priorities in mind

• Manages calendar and ensures consistency and continuity on all Faculty of Arts and Sciences events
• Works and communicates closely with the Events leadership team, and AA&D partners, to identify training needs, skills enhancement, and professional growth opportunities for team members
• Manages and approves FAS event budgets in coordination with AA&D Finance team
• Ensures data integrity in Workfront, Advance and on AA&D’s intranet, the Source event data
• Reports out and analyzes overall FAS event data to leadership

Event Planning and Implementation

• Manages a diverse portfolio of events
• Manages stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities
• Motivates and mentors staff assigned to events, provides open communication on expectations
• Ensures planning teams are working towards event goal and fundraising priorities
• Plans the experience and ambience at events creatively and thematically
• Works with venue and vendor selections as well as contract negotiations to ensure events areexecuting on-time and on-budget
• Supervision of support staff as assigned
• Troubleshoots for both virtual and in-person events
• Assigns and maintains on-site event assignments and responsibilities
• Communicates with leadership on status of events

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with at least 6 years’ office experience in planning and coordinating meetings, events, administrative management, and related projects.
• Previous experience managing and executing events required.
• Overtime required (can be significant during peak periods) including evenings and weekends
• Some travel required.

• Experience working in a higher education environment preferable.
• High attention to detail and creative problem-solving skills
• Excellent organizational, time management, interpersonal and communication skills
• Competency with full Microsoft Office suite of programs, Zoom and Workfront (preferred)
• Ability to work effectively with different stakeholders during periods of significant change using creative problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently, use judgment, and provide excellent client service.
• Strong written and oral communication skills required.
• Strong computer skills, including database management.
• Ability to set priorities among competing task, multiple constituencies, and deadlines.
• Must be able to manage the demands of multiple constituencies.
• Ability to develop staff, deliver positive and constructive feedback, and motivate staff to deliver quality work.
• This position requires good judgment, discretion, confidentially, an understanding of processes and excellent diplomatic skills to represent the Alumni Affairs and Development constituencies professionally.

This position requires a 3 month orientation and review period.
Please include a cover letter with your application.

Why AA&D?
We are a dedicated team of 400 alumni affairs and development professionals supporting Harvard’s advancement activity through roles that include front-line fundraising, alumni and volunteer engagement, technology, events, communications, prospect management and research, business process, talent management and many other areas.

Harvard’s Alumni Affairs and Development team inspires and galvanizes alumni, friends, and members of the University community to support Harvard through philanthropy, governance, and active engagement. AA&D believes a workplace that reflects the diversity of our society and our ever-evolving University constituency makes us a stronger and more effective organization. Our goal is to create an environment of respect that values the many talents, perspectives, and experiences of our community, to deliver the strongest possible results by incorporating diverse perspectives into our daily work, and to make AA&D a great place to work for everyone. AA&D strives to live our values of respect, inclusion, trust, collaboration, innovation and sharing of information in our daily interactions and our work.

To learn more about how Harvard supports diversity and inclusion throughout the University please visit the Office for Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at https://dib.harvard.edu/.

Harvard University Benefits: Information can be found at https://hr.harvard.edu/totalrewards.

Accommodations: Harvard University welcomes individuals with disabilities to apply for positions and participate in its programs and activities. If you would like to request accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please let your recruiter know.

COVID 19 Vaccination Information:
The health of our workforce is a priority for Harvard University. With that in mind, we strongly encourage all employees to be up to date on CDC-recommended vaccines.

Alumni Affairs and Development, General Administration

USA - MA - Cambridge

360058 Admin Offcr/SrIndiv Contrib

Hybrid (partially on-site, partially remote)

Alumni Affairs and Development

-

Full-time

058

00 - Non Union, Exempt or Temporary

Education, Identity

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.

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.