Faculty Assistant (AAAS, WGS, and American Studies)

Harvard University, Faculty of Arts & Sciences; Cambridge (MA); Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Parental leave

Health insurance

Retirement plans

Wellbeing resources

Family support

Tuition assistance

Commuter benefits

Job summary

Harvard University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences seeks a Faculty Assistant to provide essential administrative and operational support to faculty, enabling effective teaching and research. The FA serves as the primary contact for administrative matters and coordinates day-to-day activities; strong in-person presence is required.

Responsibilities include managing calendars, travel, expenses, and material preparation, along with supporting events, purchasing, and course materials.

Qualifications

• Three years minimum of administrative or customer support experience.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities with accuracy and attention to detail.
• Professional written and verbal communication skills.
• Discretion and sound judgment.
• Ability to work independently and elevate issues appropriately.
• Familiarity with higher education, research administration, or academic operations preferred.
• Strong skills in Word, Excel and PowerPoint; Canvas and Concur a plus.

Responsibilities

• Manage calendars, travel, expenses, and daily administrative needs for up to 10 faculty members.
• Prepare correspondence, reports, and meeting materials.
• Serve as primary administrative support for faculty activities (events, visitors, purchasing).
• Route faculty requests to functional partners and shared service centers.
• Provide support for teaching and research portfolios.
• Assist with events led by faculty.
• Update Canvas course materials when TAs are unavailable.
• Submit faculty concur expense reports and assist with financial forms.
• Handle confidential information with discretion and ensure timely deadlines.

Skills

Organization

Time management

Communication

Discretion

Independence

Stakeholder coordination

Customer-service orientation

Confidential information handling

Cross-team collaboration

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Canvas

Concur

Tools

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Canvas

Concur

Job description

Company Description

By working at Harvard University, you join a vibrant community thatadvances Harvard's world-changing mission in meaningful ways,inspires innovation and collaboration, and builds skills andexpertise. We are dedicated to creating a diverse and welcomeningvironment where everyone can thrive.

Why join the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences?

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) is the historic heart ofHarvard University. It is the home of Harvard’s undergraduateprogram (Harvard College, founded in 1636) as well as all ofHarvard’s Ph.D. programs (the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin GraduateSchool of Arts and Sciences, founded in 1872), Harvard Athleticsand the Division of Continuing Education. The 40 academicdepartments and 30+ centers of the FAS support a communityunparalleled in its academic excellence across the broadest rangeof liberal arts and sciences disciplines. Together, the FAS seeksto foster an environment of ambition, curiosity and sharedcommitment to knowledge and truth that elicits excellence from allmembers of our community and prepares the next generation ofleaders through a transformative educational experience.

Job Description

Job Summary:

The Faculty Assistant (FA) provides administrative and operationalsupport to faculty to enable effective teaching and research. TheFA serves as the primary point of contact for administrativematters and coordinates day-to-day activities. Strong in-personpresence required.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

• Manage calendars, travel, expenses, and daily administrativeneeds of up to 10 faculty members
• Prepare correspondence, reports, and meeting materials
• Serve as primary administrative support for faculty activities(e.g., events, visitors, purchasing)
• Route faculty requests to proper functional partner, serving astheir main point-of-contact to functional partners and sharedservice centers
• Provide support for faculty members directly related to theirteaching and research portfolio
• Provide support for events led by faculty
• May be responsible for obtaining permissions and copyrightregistration.
• Updates Canvas course materials when TFs are notavailable.
• Submit faculty concur expense reports
• Assists designated faculty with the submission of corporatecard receipts, required financial forms, and advises faculty ofupcoming payment deadlines.
• Uses multiple technical applications including word processing,database management, spreadsheets, graphics and presentationsoftware, electronic calendar, email, and othertechnical/scientific applications
• May perform other related duties as assigned, including sharingresponsibility for general administrative coverage such asreception and event support.

Working Conditions:

• May be expected to work on campus up to four days perweek.
• This position has been determined by school or unit leaders that some of the duties and responsibilities can be effectively performed at a non-Harvard location. The work schedule and location will be set by the department at its discretion and based upon operational needs. When not working at a Harvard or Harvard-designated location, employees in hybrid positions must work in a Harvard registered state in compliance with the University's Policy on Employment Outside of Massachusetts. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process.Certain visa types and funding sources may limit work location. Individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• Three years minimum of administrative or customer supportexperience.

Additional Qualifications and Skills:

• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities with accuracy andattention to detail
• Professional written and verbal communication skills
• Discretion and sound judgment
• Ability to work independently and elevate issuesappropriately
• Stakeholder coordination
• Ability to directly support multiple faculty simultaneouslywith a customer-service orientation
• Familiarity with higher education, research administration, oracademic operations preferred
• Ability to handle confidential information withdiscretion.
• Ability to work across teams and with a variety of projects andconstituencies.
• Strong skills in Word, Excel and PowerPoint required.Experience with Canvas and Concur a plus

Certificates and Licenses:

• Will require completion of internal financial, procurement, orresearch compliance training

Additional Information

• Standard Hours/Schedule: 35 hours per week
• Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University isunable to provide visa sponsorship for this position
• Pre-Employment Screening: Identity
• Other Information:
  • Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University isunable to provide visa sponsorship for this position
  • Other Information: All formal offers will be made by FASHuman Resources.
  • Job Architecture: Academic & Faculty SupportOperations, Grade 53, Individual Contributor

Work Format Details

This position has been determined by school or unit leaders thatsome of the duties and responsibilities can be effectively performed at a non-Harvard location. The work schedule and location will be set by the department at its discretion and based upon operational needs. When not working at a Harvard or Harvard-designated location, employees in hybrid positions must work in a Harvard registered state in compliance with the University’s Policy on Employment Outside of Massachusetts. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process.Certain visa types and funding sources may limit work location. Individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment.

Salary Grade and Ranges

This position is salary grade level 053. Please visit Harvard's Salary Ranges to view the corresponding salary range and related information.

Benefits

Harvard offers a comprehensive benefits package that is designed tosupport a healthy work-life balance and your physical, mental andfinancial wellbeing. Because here, you are what matters. Ourbenefits include, but are not limited to:

• Generous paid time off including parental leave
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage startingon day one
• Retirement plans with university contributions
• Wellbeing and mental health resources
• Support for families and caregivers
• Professional development opportunities including tuitionassistance and reimbursement
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks

Learn more about these and additional benefits on our Benefits & WellbeingPage.

EEO/Non-Discrimination Commitment Statement

Harvard University is committed equal opportunity and non-discrimination. We seek talent from all parts of society and the world, and we strive to ensure everyone at Harvard thrives. Our differences help our community advance Harvard's academic purposes.

Harvard has an equal employment opportunity policy that outlines our commitment to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, religion, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or identified in the university's non-discrimination policy. Harvard's equal employment opportunity policy and non-discrimination policy help all community members participate fully in work and campus life free from harassment and discrimination.