Senior Director for IT Strategy and Project Management

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.

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) is the historic heart of Harvard University. It is the home of Harvard’s undergraduate program (Harvard College, founded in 1636) as well as all of Harvard’s Ph.D. programs (the Harvard Kenneth

C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, founded in 1872), Harvard Athletics and the Division of Continuing Education. The 40 academic departments and 30+ centers of the FAS support a community unparalleled in its academic excellence across the broadest range of liberal arts and sciences disciplines. Together, the FAS seeks to foster an environment of ambition, curiosity and shared commitment to knowledge and truth that elicits excellence from all members of our community and prepares the next generation of leaders through a transformative educational experience.

Job Summary:

The Senior Director of IT Strategy and Project Management reports directly to the Managing Director of Administrative IT, and plays a multifaceted role in driving impactful outcomes for 25,000 students, 1,800 faculty and instructional staff, and 500 administrative staff. The Senior Director is responsible for aligning decision support, strategy, vision, and project planning across the four Administrative IT (AIT) units (ERP Systems, Platform Solutions, Infrastructure, and Project and Product Management).

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

The Senior Director partners strategically with the AIT Managing Director, providing insights and decision-making support to advance organizational objectives. Acting as an advisor, provides a wide ranging inputs on strategic and tactical matters. The Senior Director provides strategic coordination to integrate and unify AIT work streams, connect teams, and facilitate communication between leadership and the organization. They will evaluate departmental metrics to gauge effectiveness and identify areas of improvement.

Other duties and responsibilities include:

• Advises DCE's Executive Leadership Team (ELT) on collaborations with HUIT, School partners, and vendor relationships.
• Chairs the Project Planning Governance board, assessing proposals, scoping projects, identifying risks, and recommending prioritizations to the ELT.
• Collaborates with the Chief of Staff in the Office of the Dean on DCE-wide processes, guidelines, and operations.
• Represents DCE in University initiatives, including the University Project Review Committee (PRC), which evaluates project proposals for well-defined business case, cost, scope and stakeholder involvement. The PRC provides feedback to proposal teams and recommendations to the University’s IT Capital Review Board.
• Leverages Harvard experience and institutional knowledge to advance DCE initiatives and align the Division with university-wide efforts.
• Guides teams, provides expert advice, and enhances overall efficiency. Fosters relationships across the organization and drives cross-divisional collaboration.
• Oversees strategic planning and alignment with organizational goals, identifying growth opportunities within AIT.
• Represents AIT externally, liaising with Harvard units, partner organizations, and other stakeholders. Represents the Managing Director in meetings, providing briefings and updates to the Leadership Team.
• Ensures strategic IT service delivery, streamlining processes and leading projects to enhance AIT operations. Identifies evolving needs and skill gaps to support business growth and team career development.
• Liaises with AIT leadership to collect, review, and compile budget input for the annual planning cycles.
• Oversees the Product Ownership model, which defines product visions, manages backlogs, and works as a liaison between the developer, stakeholder and vendor teams to ensure effective communication and timely feature delivery.
• Oversees management of project governance, methodology, portfolio…