Director for Postdoctoral Affairs

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.

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 Medical School's mission is to nurture a diverse, inclusive community dedicated to alleviating suffering and improving health and well‑being for all through excellence in teaching and learning, discovery and scholarship, and service and leadership.

You’ll be at the heart of biomedical discovery, education, and innovation, working alongside world‑renowned faculty and a community dedicated to improving human health. This is more than a job - it’s an opportunity to shape the future of medicine.

The Office for Research Initiatives and Global Programs at Harvard Medical School oversees inter‑departmental and inter‑institutional research initiatives, fellowship programs, research cores, and education and training programs. Spanning about 40 different programs implemented by 50+ faculty and staff through an annual budget of about $30M, the Office for Research Initiatives and Global Programs is seeking a Director for Postdoctoral Affairs to lead the Office for Postdoctoral Fellows at Harvard Medical School (OPF).

Reporting to the Dean for Research Initiatives and Global Programs, the Director for Postdoctoral Affairs is a key leader who works collaboratively with OPF staff and other institutional leaders to design, implement, strengthen, and broaden postdoctoral fellowship experiences for scientific advancement and professional and career development in the Harvard Longwood community. Specific responsibilities include:

Design and implement the mission of the Office for Postdoctoral Fellows to serve approximately 600 postdocs in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School.

• Provide strategic leadership for postdoctoral training at HMS/HSDM, including setting and executing annual office goals, managing staff (currently one full‑time employee), and overseeing the office budget.
• Solicit feedback on strategic direction from the Office’s Advisory Committee.
• Design, deliver, and continuously improve comprehensive postdoc programming, including orientation, training curriculum, outreach and recruitment, and collaborations that expand services.
• Open this programming to the HMS non‑ladder faculty community and to the broader HMS‑wide postdoc community, including postdocs at affiliate institutions (approximately 5,000 postdocs).
• In collaboration with the HMS Office of Faculty Affairs, develop and manage data, systems, and policies related to postdocs, including dashboards, process and policy repositories, and an alumni database for outcomes and networking.
• Support the postdoctoral community and institutional mission by assessing needs, writing grant support letters, and supervising the Harvard Medical Postdoctoral Association and HMS Black Postdoctoral Association.

• Advise and mentor postdocs on career options and counsel postdocs on how to successfully complete training, make the most of the postdoc, and prepare for career transition.
• Develop and deliver comprehensive programs and…