Executive Assistant​/Project Coordinator

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 University's Central Administration (CADM) is a 5,000+ employee organization that supports the university's overall excellence by understanding and serving the needs of its schools, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and surrounding communities. Through dynamic and collaborative partnerships, CADM provides high‑quality and efficient services to the schools to help them achieve their goals.

The Office of the Vice Provost for Research reviews, develops, and implements Harvard’s research‑related policies, as well as the organization and execution of academic research, especially in the sciences. With Harvard’s increasing pursuit of cross‑disciplinary ventures, the Vice Provost for Research (VPR) works closely with university and school leadership to identify and ease the practical impediments inherent to interdisciplinary research in a highly decentralized academic environment.

Additionally, a critical mission of the Office is to develop best practices for education, training, and guidance to promote the responsible conduct of research and to ensure compliance in all areas of research administration.

The Office, with the concurrence of the Provost, convenes as appropriate university‑wide committees that bring together key faculty and administrators from across Harvard to address matters relating to research and research training policies and practices. These committees, with full cognizance of applicable federal and state law, regulation, and guidance, review existing institutional policies and implementation practices that bear on the oversight and conduct of research, and consider ways to enhance, harmonize, supplement or supplant them.

The VPR works closely with faculty and administrative colleagues in government affairs, sponsored research, technology licensing, university development, and other domains to cultivate and sustain sound and appropriate relations with industry and with private and government agencies involved with academic research.

The Office also assists faculty in securing the necessary support for their important scholarly work – be it through one of the five internal funding opportunities it oversees; coordinating, in conjunction with the schools, the university’s competitive process for federal and foundation funding; or establishing university guidance around corporate giving.

Reporting to the Executive Director and Associate Vice Provost for Academic‑Corporate Initiatives (ED), the EA/PC will provide administrative and project coordination for the ED and ensure smooth operations of emerging priorities in University‑wide academic‑corporate partnerships. The EA/PC position involves significant interaction with executive leadership of external institutions such as corporations. The Executive Assistant/ Project Coordinator will also provide calendaring and administrative support for the ED and will coordinate a wide range of projects identified as priorities within the broader corporate engagement portfolio.

• Preparing materials for the ED’s public speaking engagements, University‑wide meetings, including agendas and briefings by compiling relevant information and data related to strategic performance metrics for academic‑corporate initiatives.
• Coordinating and communicating with external parties, including senior executives in corporations, financial investors, government officials, alumni, and donors.
• Coordinating and staffing University‑wide committees, meetings, and events.
• Providing timely follow‑up as needed, including tracking items and ensuring their completion.
• Maintaining and updating information in a customer relationship management tools to track and foster productive academic‑corporate…