Director of Strategy and Programs (Science

Harvard Faculty Of Arts And Sciences

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.

The Division of Sciences encompasses a wide range of departments, research enterprises, and operational demands that together create a dynamic and richly complex academic environment. The Director of Divisional Strategy and Programs serves as a senior partner to the Divisional Dean, helping to manage a broad portfolio of initiatives, ensuring that the division's most significant projects receive the sustained leadership they deserve, and translating strategic priorities into well-structured, executable plans.

This is a role for someone with exceptional business acumen and a genuine talent for working across organizational boundaries. The Director will lead some initiatives directly and serve as the Dean's delegate on others, stepping into complex work streams and providing the structure, coordination, and senior judgment needed to drive them forward. The ideal candidate is a skilled, collaborative operator who strengthens how the division works without adding unnecessary complexity.

• Partner with the Dean to shape and advance the division's strategic priorities, translating long-range goals into actionable plans with clear owners, timelines, and measurable outcomes
• Lead the annual and multi-year strategic planning process, translating priorities into a clear divisional roadmap with concrete goals, timelines, and accountabilities
• Serve as the Dean's delegate on high-priority projects and work streams, including organizational reviews of individual departments, major capital and facilities initiatives, and efforts with significant financial or operational implications
• Assess departmental structures, workflows, and resource alignment, developing practical recommendations that strengthen organizational effectiveness across the division
• Identify opportunities to improve cross-functional coordination and streamline how work flows across the division, without adding organizational layers or complexity
• Partner with leaders across the division and FAS (finance, HR, operations, etc.) to ensure work streams are well-integrated and the right expertise is engaged at the right time
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Dean, providing well-framed decision support on complex issues, emerging opportunities, and time-sensitive matters; frame options clearly, identify trade-offs, and drive toward alignment
• Track and communicate progress against strategic priorities, surfacing risks early, recommending course corrections, and ensuring the Dean and key stakeholders have a clear and current picture of divisional initiatives

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required
• Minimum 10 years of experience in strategy and administration;
• Experience developing and executing multi-year strategic plans

Additional Qualifications and Skills:

• MBA or equivalent graduate degree preferred
• Higher education or similarly complex organizational experience strongly preferred
• Exceptional business acumen, including the ability to quickly assess financial implications, operational trade-offs, and institutional dynamics
• Highly collaborative, with a demonstrated ability to build trust and work effectively with a wide range of academic and administrative partners
• Skilled at establishing credibility quickly and providing structure within complex,…