Staff Assistant

Harvard University Graduate School of Design; Cambridge (MA); Hybrid; USD 58,232 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Tuition assistance

Job summary

Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD) seeks a Staff Assistant for the ALPs team to support annual and leadership giving programs and administrative duties. The role involves data maintenance, reporting, and stewardship of donors, reporting to the Senior Director of Annual and Leadership Giving.

It is a fast-paced, collaborative environment. Based in Cambridge, MA, this hybrid position requires on-campus presence several days per week and offers opportunities to contribute to

Qualifications

• HS Diploma or equivalent.
• Minimum 2 years’ full‑time office experience.
• Proficiency with MS Office and development CRM systems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support for annual and leadership programs.
• Enter and track donor data, generate reports, and maintain accuracy.
• Coordinate logistics for donor visits, events, and travel.
• Assist in stewardship activities and maintain CRM records.
• Support on-site events and cross‑team collaboration within DevAR.

Skills

Communication skills

Detail oriented

Customer service

Team collaboration

Organization

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

Advance CRM

Salesforce

Raiser's Edge

Job description

Company Description

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

Job Description

The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) educates design, research, and scholarship leaders to make a resilient, just, and beautiful world. The GSD offers degree programs across a range of design disciplines—architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, urban design, design engineering, and real estate—as well as advanced research programs that cut across these disciplines and a robust public program of lectures, exhibitions, and publications. The immense variety of people, programs, and ideas at the School sustains a vibrant and rich environment for learning, inquiry, and collaboration, unlike any other design school. For more information about Harvard GSD see: https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/.

The GSD is Harvard's epicenter for scholarship and innovation related to the built environment. Our faculty and students address defining questions across architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and design, real estate, and design engineering, advancing fields that profoundly influence the human experience. At the GSD, research and teaching drive creative solutions to the world's most urgent challenges, reimagining infrastructure, communities, and cities on a global scale.

Staff Assistant, Annual, Leadership, and Planned Giving Team (ALPs)

The Staff Assistant supports giving programs, as well as administrative duties for the Senior Director of Annual and Leadership Giving. The key functions include administrative, logistical, and database support, including solicitation, reporting, tracking, and stewardship of annual donors; as well as major gift fundraising support, including preparing briefings, maintaining follow‑up, and tracking in the database. These activities are critical to the overall department’s fundraising, engagement, and stewardship efforts.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Annual and Leadership Giving, the person in this position works collaboratively and must be able to proactively help move projects and administrative tasks forward independently. This is a fast‑paced work environment with multiple changing priorities; the Staff Assistant is expected to anticipate problems and help resolve them. The successful candidate will be proactive, creative, and pragmatic, interested in improving and expanding our fundraising efforts as well as contributing across the development team. The Staff Assistant must adhere to timelines and be adept in project management, data maintenance, and crucial administrative duties. This is an ideal position for an organized, detail‑oriented individual who is service‑minded and interested in growing on a mission‑driven alumni relations and fundraising team.

Typical Duties and Responsibilities

Annual, Leadership, and Planned Giving Programs

• Primary focus on annual giving program activities, maintaining timelines for the annual appeal schedule for multi‑channel engagement of solicitations, acknowledgments, and ongoing cultivation and stewardship.
• Assist with data pulls and data management; maintain prospect and pipeline activity for the team.
• Run reports to track progress to goals; maintain benchmarking data.
• Help coordinate logistics for solicitations, including data, mail house timelines, and processing expenses.
• Support the stewardship process and gift acknowledgments, working in collaboration with colleagues across DevAR.
• Maintain and enter all prospect updates in our CRM system.
• Support leadership giving and planned giving activities as needed.

Major Giving Support

• Prepare agendas, briefings, and meeting materials for the Senior Director of Annual and Leadership Giving officer, using templates.
• Enter contact reports, proposals, and other relevant information into the database.
• Help coordinate logistics for donor visits, small dinners, events, and activities.
• Assist in tracking prospects through pipeline to keep fundraiser focused on fundraising objectives.
• Manage calendars, coordinate regular team meetings, confirm appointments, make travel and accommodation plans, and reconcile officer expenses.

Administrative Duties

• Enter contact reports in the development database; help maintain records.
• Provide on‑site support for local DevAR events, working closely with the Engagement team (approximately 10‑12 events annually).
• Provide office support, printing, copying, mailings, filing, etc.
• Prepare correspondence, reports, and other materials using MS Office and development database.
• Oversee external inquiries and requests received through the office’s email inboxes; respond in a timely and professional manner and route as appropriate.
• Perform general administrative duties: scheduling projects and meetings; preparing agendas; taking notes during meetings; arranging for faculty, speaker, and staff travel; organizing files; supporting DevAR meetings.
• Other duties and administrative tasks as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

There are no supervisory responsibilities associated with this position.

Physical Requirements

Applicants must be able to perform typical office tasks, including sitting for extended periods, using standard office equipment, and occasionally lifting up to 20 pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Work Environment

• This position is based in Cambridge, MA, and requires on‑campus work two or more days a week. The work is mainly performed in an office setting. Flexible work options for this role will be discussed during the interview process.
• This position is hybrid and open to candidates residing in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is essential for the Staff Assistant to be present at the GSD frequently and on a flexible basis according to priorities.
• Candidates must have employment authorization to work in the US; we regret that we cannot sponsor a VISA.
• Candidates who do not live within commuting distance of our Cambridge, Massachusetts campus should indicate on their resumes whether they are “willing to relocate,” as this position requires a regular on‑campus presence.

Please note that to be considered for this position, a cover letter and resume are required with the submission of your application.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• HS Diploma or equivalent.
• Minimum of 2 years’ full‑time work experience in a professional office or equivalent transferable experience.
• Microsoft Office and general computer literacy, including proficiency with standard office software (Microsoft Office or Google Workspace) and experience with at least one Development CRM (Advance, Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge, or similar).
• Strong attention to detail and ability to proofread well.

Additional Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Must be professional, enthusiastic, collaborative, focused, motivated to learn, reliable, able to adapt, and able to work effectively with people from different backgrounds and experiences.
• Must demonstrate excellent written and verbal communication and customer service skills.
• Embody a high degree of professionalism with the ability to handle sensitive and confidential materials with sound judgment and discretion; able to work independently and flexibly.
• Have a proven track record of providing exceptional customer service and able to develop and maintain good working relationships with staff at all levels of the School.
• Have an interest or background in higher education, museums, fundraising, or arts and design/the design professions.
• Be creative and curious, attend GSD public lectures and events, and engage with colleagues outside of the DevAR team.
• Must be highly organized, detail-oriented, conscientious, and efficient, with the ability to work independently and handle multiple tasks accurately under deadline pressure.
• Accept challenging projects and be eager to develop new skills in a fast‑paced and flexible environment.
• Contribute positively to a collaborative team culture that values openness, learning, and shared success across all DevAR functions. Participate actively in the GSD campus community and represent the GSD professionally in all settings.
• Ability to thoughtfully employ AI‑assisted tools for written communications, data‑driven tasks, and workflow efficiencies, while exercising strong professional judgment and ensuring outputs align with institutional standards.
• Experience with Advance CRM and QlikView reporting preferred.
• Possess a sense of humor, high‑energy and productive mentality, and a solutions‑oriented approach to the work.

Additional Information

• Standard Hours/Schedule: 35 hours per week
• Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position
• Pre‑Employment Screening: Identity.
• Salary Information: The specific annualized hiring range for this position will be $58,232 - $70,000. Salary ranges within each pay grade are based on qualifications, skills, experience, equity in comparison to similar positions, and external market values. Salary ranges allow for differences among positions within the same grade as well as increasing levels of responsibility and performance within the same job. For more information regarding salary ranges at Harvard, please see: https://hr.harvard.edu/salary-ranges

Benefits

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

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

EEO/Non-Discrimination Commitment Statement

Harvard University is committed to 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.