Academic Events Program Manager - Strategy & Operations

Harvard University FAS Human Resources; Cambridge (MA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous paid time off

Health insurance (medical, dental, and

Retirement plans with university 1Con

Job summary

Harvard University is seeking a Program Manager within Faculty Support Services to oversee two Program Coordinators. You will lead centralized event support and financial processing, ensuring timely execution and post-event reviews across the Division.

Hybrid role with campus days and on-site coordination. The position requires a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience and at least five years in academic administration, including staff supervision and financial management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible administrative management experience, including staff supervision and financial management in an academic setting.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with leadership, negotiation, and consensus-building abilities; experience with financial systems and data query tools.

Responsibilities

• Planning & Strategy: Consult clients, define event scope/themes, and build timelines and run-of-shows.
• Budget Management: Create and track budgets, process invoices, and manage expenses.
• Vendor & Venue Sourcing: Research, visit, and book venues; hire and coordinate caterers, AV techs, entertainers, and staff.
• Logistics & Marketing: Handle registration, permits, travel/accommodation, signage, and promotional campaigns.
• On-Site Execution: Oversee setup, run live operations, manage guest flow and speakers, troubleshoot issues.
• Post-Event Review: Evaluate success metrics, gather feedback, and reconcile final bills.
• Financial transactions: Reconcile accounts and manage Buy2Pay and Concur processing per policy.

Skills

Organization

Communication

Negotiation

Problem-Solving

Technical proficiency

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Cvent

Spreadsheets

Job description

Harvard University is seeking a Program Manager within Faculty Support Services to oversee two Program Coordinators. You will lead centralized event support and financial processing, ensuring timely execution and post-event reviews across the Division.

Hybrid role with campus days and on-site coordination. The position requires a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience and at least five years in academic administration, including staff supervision and financial management.