Managing Director

Overview

Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society (BKC), an interfaculty research center, seeks a Managing Director. This is a rare and unusual opportunity to join a flourishing, intellectually robust community of faculty, staff, students, fellows and affiliates from multiple disciplines and backgrounds, committed to making sense of the digital environment and ensuring that it promotes human agency, dignity and genuine connection.

The Managing Director will be an integral member of BKC’s leadership team, serving as chief operating and administrative officer for all of the Center’s daily operations and programs. The Managing Director will also serve as deputy to the Executive Director and as a primary contact and resource for key BKC’s stakeholders, including HLS faculty and administrators, as well as BKC fellows, faculty associates and affiliates.

This role will supervise, support and work closely with several direct reports.

As Managing Director, you will:

• Lead all operational and administrative processes and systems at the Center—including management, information flow and organizational planning—in support of BKC’s mission; provide on-the-ground leadership and management in a multi-stakeholder setting;
• Manage the Center’s core administrative, IT, and programs personnel, whose dynamic activities span a range of institutional initiatives including finance, HR, administration, student and community programs, technology, office management, and special projects;
• Partner with the Executive Director, Faculty Director, and others on the BKC leadership team to implement Center’s vision and priorities and to provide guidance and direction to BKC staff;
• Oversee and ensure effective implementation of BKC program execution and new program development;
• Assist with selection and development of new projects, activities, and initiatives; develop and maintain broad knowledge of Center-wide activities, responsibilities, and timelines;
• Maintain and improve operational processes and systems at the Center—including staff management, information flow, technology, and organizational planning;
• Manage staff growth, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, management training and mentorship, professional growth and development, and capacity building;
• Plan and lead internal meetings, collaboratively implement technology resources and institute other process and structure improvements to support effective organizational function, knowledge management, and intercommunication;
• Strengthen relationships with administrative partners at HLS and across the university, with an eye to promoting both internal and external collaboration;
• Provide strategic oversight of financial management and budget planning, and assist in fundraising, including development activities and helping to generate proposals for future research and programs;
• Participate in and contribute to decision-making across Center leadership;
• Perform other important tasks as needed.

Basic Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree and at least eight years of administrative management experience, including at least two years of direct professional staff supervision.

Additional Qualifications and Skills

We are looking for people who have:

• Experience managing administrative and IT functions, and organizational work, in academic institutions, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and/or non-profits;
• Advanced degree and subject matter expertise in an area of concern to the Center a plus;
• A high facility for execution, strong detail orientation, and demonstrated problem-solving capabilities, a high tolerance for ambiguity; a strong command of process and technical savvy;
• Experience leading (or with a significant role in leading) an organization through an important strategic or programmatic transition with demonstrated keen project or program management skills;
  Existing connections, participation, and affiliations within broader public interest technology networks, including scholarly, civil, and public policy networks;
• Excellent writing, editing, proofreading, and oral communication skills.

Appointment End Date: This is a…