Faculty Assistant III

Harvard University, Faculty of Arts & Sciences; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Parental leave

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Tuition assistance

Job summary

Harvard University, Faculty of Arts & Sciences, seeks a proactive Faculty Assistant to provide advanced administrative and programmatic support for the Department Chair and multiple faculty. The role includes coordinating high‑level meetings, travel, and events; assisting with lab administration and purchasing; and supporting cross‑campus Harvard activities.

The position emphasizes discretion, independent problem‑solving, and collaboration across internal and external partners to enable research

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of administrative or customer service experience.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Strong organizational and communication skills.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.

Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive administrative support to the Department Chair, including coordinating research, teaching, and administrative tasks.
• Plan and execute high‑level meetings, travel itineraries, and events for department leaders and partners.
• Support Wagers Laboratory administration, including purchasing and appointment coordination.
• Assist with report preparation, data analysis, and presentation materials.
• Coordinate visa requests and multi‑faculty support across Harvard campuses.

Skills

Organizational skills

Time management

Communication skills

Discretion

Independent work

Stakeholder coordination

Education

Bachelor’s degree preferred

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 welcomingenvironment 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 Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology is seeking anexperienced, highly professional, collaborative and proactiveFaculty Assistant to provide efficient and effective administrativeand programmatic support of varying complexity for the departmentfaculty chair and ancillary support for four to five additionalfaculty members for Harvard-related business. The Faculty Assistantwill perform a wide range of advanced, diversified, andconfidential administrative duties that are complex in nature andwhere sound judgment, independent action and a high degree ofinitiative are required in resolving issues and makingrecommendations. The Faculty Assistant will determine methods andprocedures on new assignments and projects, and will performadministrative duties in areas such as communications withstrategic internal and external partners, coordinate high profilemeetings, travels and events, initiate and execute specializedprojects, as well as provide lab administration services asneeded.

Specific responsibilities will include:

Department Chair High-level Support

• Provide comprehensive administrative support to the DepartmentChair, including support for research, teaching, and administrativeresponsibilities. Use sound judgment and experience to interpretthe faculty member’s directions;
• Make independent decisions to triage the demand for thefaculty’s time in light of their overall priorities, follow throughto ensure each engagement is completed and well executedsatisfactorily;
• Provide high level calendar management services to departmentchair; plan and execute complex travel itineraries both local andinternational, coordinate visits from strategic internal andexternal partners across multiple Harvard campuses as well asfunders and research collaborators;
• Plan and execute high profile meetings, prepare and disseminatematerials and meeting minutes; develop and facilitate schedules fordepartment visitors; process reimbursements, manage allmeeting/event logistics including room booking, AV, and catering asneeded.
• Assist with report and presentation preparation, including dataanalysis, generating tables and figures, and editing, assembling,and formatting documents.
• Print, organize, and transport print materials for courses,meetings, conferences, and events.

Wagers Lab Administration

• Manage administrative operations and financial,physical/laboratory, and personnel resources for the WagersLaboratory;
• Support lab ordering processes, including submitting orders,account reconciliation, and invoice processing using Buy2Pay;
• Work with department chair to coordinate all researchappointments/ re-appointment, including appropriate documentationfor initial appointment, monitoring appointment end dates, timelysubmission of paperwork and work with the investigator to ensureequity in salary determination;
• Anticipate needs of laboratory appointees and investigate andresolve a broad range of personnel issues;
• May coordinate requests for visas by working with employees,Investigator, and Faculty and Academic Affairsrepresentatives;
• Process reimbursements for lab members and visitors, orders andinvoices;
• Coordinate lab administrative meetings and social events;
• May interface with vendors and lab members on the purchase ofequipment or services and scheduling of delivery or maintenancevisits;
• May be responsible for obtaining permissions and copyrightregistrations.

Additional Administrative Support:

• Provide ancillary community and teaching based support for fourto five non-FAS based faculty for Harvard-related business needs onthe Cambridge campus including making purchases through Buy2Pay,and assisting with meetings and courses.
• Maintain and update faculty documents (bibliographies, CV,presentations, and/or web pages).
• Assist with printing, organization, maintenance anddistribution of didactic materials used in teaching ofundergraduate, graduate and medical school courses, and othermaterials for meetings, conferences, and events.
• Assist with report and presentation preparation, including dataanalysis, generating tables and figures, and editing, assembling,and formatting documents.
• Participate in, support, and prioritize a wide range ofprojects. Initiate projects by determining tasks to be done,identify individuals needed, coordinate meetings, and distributedata, as necessary.
• Support the Chair and the Executive Director with strategic,administrative, and operational projects as assigned.
• Perform other activities as needed.

Working Conditions:

This position is primarily on-campus in Cambridge, MA, with fourdays per week on site generally expected. Flexibility in weeklyschedule will be discussed during the interview process.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

Minimum of five years of administrative or customer serviceexperience

Additional Qualifications and Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• 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 with discretion
• 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

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: All formal offers will be made by FASHuman Resources

Work Format Details

This position has been determined by school or unit leaders thatsome of the duties and responsibilities can be effectivelyperformed at a non-Harvard location. The work schedule and locationwill be set by the department at its discretion and based uponoperational needs. When not working at a Harvard orHarvard-designated location, employees in hybrid positions mustwork in a Harvard registered state in compliance with theUniversity’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 priorto employment.

Salary Grade and Ranges

This position is salary grade level 055. Please visit Harvard's Salary Ranges to view thecorresponding 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 to equal opportunity and non-discrimination . We seek talentfrom all parts of society and the world, and we strive to ensureeveryone at Harvard thrives. Our differences help our communityadvance Harvard's academic purposes.

Harvard has an equal employment opportunity policy that outlines our commitment to prohibiting discrimination on thebasis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, sexualorientation, gender identity, veteran status, religion, disability,or any other characteristic protected by law or identified in theuniversity's non-discrimination policy . Harvard's equal employment opportunity policyand non-discrimination policy help allcommunity members participate fully in work and campus life freefrom harassment and discrimination.