Senior Research Manager

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.

Why join the Harvard Kennedy School?

The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is one of 12 graduate and professional schools at the university. Harvard Kennedy School’s mission is to improve public policy and leadership so people can live in societies that are more safe, free, just, and sustainably prosperous. By combining cutting‑edge research, the teaching of outstanding students, and direct interaction with practitioners, we have an impact on solving public problems that no other institution can match.

When you work at Harvard Kennedy School, you make a difference.

The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs is the hub of Harvard Kennedy School’s research, teaching, and training in international security and diplomacy, environmental and resource issues, and science and technology policy. The Center brings together scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to advance policy‑relevant knowledge on critical issues at the intersection of science, technology, and international affairs. This position will be affiliated with the Belfer Center and collaborate with our vibrant intellectual community, including faculty‑led research teams and center staff focused on related areas of international policy.

The Senior Research Manager (SRM) will report to Professor Gita Gopinath, the Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics at Harvard University and Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. Professor Gopinath undertakes extensive research on the evolving global economic order and engages strategically with senior policymakers and private sector leaders to help architect a new and improved global economic order.

She is also working on creating a Lab to enhance this work.

The SRM will be responsible for research management, day‑to‑day strategic development, and operational work associated with this agenda, including on developing the Lab.

Professor Gopinath is a leading voice on international finance and macroeconomics, with deep expertise in the architecture and evolution of the international economic and financial order. Her research addresses critical questions about dollar dominance and alternative payment systems, exchange rate dynamics, the fragmentation and resilience of global supply chains and trade flows, the management of sovereign debt in developing economies, the coordination (and divergence) of monetary policy across major central banks, the emergence of regional trade arrangements, and the transmission of financial crises across borders.

She recently completed her tenure as First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (2022–2025), where she previously served as Chief Economist (2019–2022), giving her unique insight into how these economic forces shape geopolitics and international stability.

Professor Gopinath endeavors to produce cutting‑edge research and analysis on how the international economic order is evolving—including shifts in trade patterns and global supply chains, changes in the international monetary system, and capital flows and financial stability. The goal is to produce rigorous, policy‑relevant research designed to inform policymakers, international institutions, and scholars navigating a rapidly changing economic landscape.

The Senior Research Manager will be the operational and strategic lead for this agenda, working closely with Professor Gopinath to develop the research agenda, oversee projects, manage the team, and engage with external partners. This is an ideal role for someone who combines strong research and project management skills with a genuine interest in international economics, trade, finance, and their role in shaping international affairs.

Program Strategy & Development

• Partner with Professor Gopinath to develop and refine the strategic…