Coordinator, Sponsored Research

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.

Harvard Business School, located on a 40-acre campus in Boston, was founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University. It is among the world's most trusted sources of management education and thought leadership. For more than a century, the School's faculty has combined a passion for teaching with rigorous research conducted alongside practitioners at world-leading organizations to educate leaders who make a difference in the world.

Through a dynamic ecosystem of research, learning, and entrepreneurship that includes MBA, Doctoral, Executive Education, and Online programs, as well as numerous initiatives, centers, institutes, and labs, Harvard Business School fosters bold new ideas and collaborative learning networks that shape the future of business.

Job Summary:

The Coordinator, Sponsored Research provides support for sponsored research activities within the Research Administration team. Working closely with the Research Administration team, including the Director of Sponsored Research, Manager, Research Administration, and colleagues across the division and School, the Coordinator supports proposal preparation, budget documentation, award tracking, and compliance documentation collection. The role focuses on accurate execution of established processes under guidance, maintenance of documentation integrity, support for school-level review workflows, and timely completion of recurring administrative tasks across the sponsored research lifecycle.

• Work with PIs and their research teams for end-to-end proposal development and submission, and ensure formatting, editing, and all other sponsor- and opportunity-specific requirements for proposal submission are met.
• Help facilitate school-level review and approval processes for externally funded proposals.
• Collect required compliance documentation and supporting materials, including disclosures and certifications.
• Enter and update data in institutional and sponsor submission systems.
• Review and assemble complete proposal package (e.g., biosketches, current and pending support, facilities & resources) for completeness and routing under guidance of the Director of Sponsored Research and Manager, Research Administration.

• Assist with budget preparation using established templates and guidance from Sponsored Research team.
• Validate fringe, indirect rates, and standard cost elements using approved institutional and sponsor rates.
• Support preparation of budget justifications and required sponsor forms.
• Assemble subcontract and subaward packets and supporting documentation.
• Support administrative and financial documentation associated with proposal submissions.

• Track submission, reporting, day-to-day grants management tasks, and compliance deadlines.
• Maintain proposal and award records in shared systems and institutional platforms.
• Update grant tracking systems and databases with submission and award activity.
• Prepare grant budget forecasts, routine reports, data summaries, and status updates for faculty and stakeholders.
• Support coordination of subcontracts and subawards associated with sponsored funding, including ensuring consistency with Subrecipient Monitoring Policy.
• Assist with information collection for leadership and ad hoc reports on sponsored funding activity and trends.

• Maintain documentation repositories and shared electronic filing systems.
• Ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency of proposal and award records.
• Support compliance documentation tracking, including disclosures and reporting requirements.
• Collaborate on sponsored research-related intranet content, faculty communications and newsletters, as applicable.
• Stay informed of procedural, regulatory, and University updates…