Researcher Affairs Specialist: Lifecycle Admin for Researchers

Conditions. Workplace Diversity, LLC.; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 92,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision insurance

Paid time off

Retirement plans

Wellbeing resources

Tuition assistance

Commuter benefits

Job summary

Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences seeks a Researcher Affairs Specialist to manage researcher appointments across the employee lifecycle, including hiring, onboarding, visa coordination, payroll-related actions, and compliance with university policies and union agreements.

The role requires strong organizational skills, customer service orientation, and the ability to work with faculty, departments, and university offices to ensure timely onboarding and accurate processing of

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Three years of progressively responsible administrative experience in an academic, research, or higher education environment.
• Experience administering academic or research appointments.
• Experience with researcher lifecycle management, grants, and fellowships.
• Experience supporting faculty, researchers, or academic personnel administration is preferred.
• Experience with enterprise human resources systems; proficiency with Microsoft Office and aptitude for quick adoption of new applications including database and document management systems.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with sound judgment in managing sensitive matters.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize competing demands and manage multiple time-sensitive priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong customer service orientation with the ability to establish productive relationships across diverse constituencies.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to interpret and communicate complex policies and procedures to diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated discretion and the ability to maintain confidentiality when handling sensitive personnel information.
• Flexibility and adaptability in responding to changing organizational priorities.

Responsibilities

• Processes and manages all researcher appointment-related actions, including appointment, reappointments, salary changes, FTE changes, title changes, Reviews researcher appointments, reappointments, and promotions for compliance with FAS policies and appointment guidelines.
• Maintains researcher personnel records in accordance with FAS processes and policies.
• Tracks appointment end dates, reappointment dates, and review dates and communicates upcoming actions to departments.
• Supports and coordinates researcher hiring processes, including appointment documentation and workflow processing.
• Coordinates visual compliance screening and visa initiation as appropriate.
• Initiates and monitors I-9 processing and employment eligibility requirements.
• Partners with multiple University offices to ensure timely onboarding and appointment completion.
• Initiate visa request with HIO and liaise with the Harvard International Office (HIO) regarding visa status, timelines, and researcher appointments.
• Monitors visa-related requirements and ensures compliance with University policies and applicable regulations in conjunction with HIO.
• Ensures adherence to relevant union contracts and researcher appointment policies.
• Inputs and/or approves payroll and job data transactions for researchers.
• Coordinates with grant managers, payroll, and departmental administrators to ensure accurate and timely processing of complex transactions.
• Monitors appointment funding and payroll implications associated with researcher actions.
• Serves as a primary point of contact for departments regarding researcher transactions and appointment questions.
• Advises faculty, principal investigators, and administrators on researcher appointment types, processes, and policy requirements.
• Triages researcher-related issues and directs stakeholders to appropriate resources (e.g., HR, HIO, OFA Professional Development, Leaves).
• Responds to inquiries regarding researcher transactions, appointments, payroll, and policy interpretation. Builds effective working relationships with departments and University partners to facilitate efficient service delivery.
• Exercises independent judgment in administering researcher appointments, interpreting established policies and procedures, prioritizing workload, and resolving routine and moderately complex personnel issues. Identifies compliance concerns, recommends solutions, and escalates policy exceptions or high-risk matters to the Researcher Affairs Manager as appropriate.

Skills

Administrative experience

Research administration

Visa coordination

Payroll processing

Customer service

Microsoft Office

HRIS systems

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

HRIS systems

Job description

Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences seeks a Researcher Affairs Specialist to manage researcher appointments across the employee lifecycle, including hiring, onboarding, visa coordination, payroll-related actions, and compliance with university policies and union agreements.

The role requires strong organizational skills, customer service orientation, and the ability to work with faculty, departments, and university offices to ensure timely onboarding and accurate processing of