Social Sciences Financial Operations Manager

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.

Why join the 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.

Job Description

Job Summary:

Manage finance, accounting, and budget or other functional operations such as accounts payable or receivable, payroll, procurement, capital projects, endowment funding, or sponsored/non-sponsored research.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:
The Financial Operations Manager leads a team of approximately 10–15 Finance Associates and Senior Finance Associates responsible for delivering high-quality financial operations and customer service to academic departments and centers across the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). Reporting to the Divisional Director of Finance, the Manager is responsible for supervising staff, ensuring consistent service delivery, maintaining compliance with university and sponsor policies, and driving continuous improvement in financial operations.

The Manager serves as a coach, mentor, and operational leader, helping staff navigate complex financial issues while building a culture of accountability, collaboration, and exceptional customer service. The role partners closely with department administrators, center directors, faculty, and colleagues across the FAS Office of Finance to ensure the effective stewardship of university resources and to continuously improve financial processes and service delivery.

Leadership and Staff Management Supervise and develop a team of finance associates and senior finance associates across the division

Responsible for hiring and onboarding, training and development, performance management, and the promotion of an inclusive and innovative work environment

Manage task distribution and balance workload capacity across the team to maintain high service levels and equitable distribution of duties

Process Management and Continuous Improvement Evaluate accounting processes and procedures and make recommendations to foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement

Lead the team through system updates, policy enhancements, and workflow transitions, ensuring smooth adoption and minimal operational disruption

In collaboration with unit finance partners, oversee core operational workflows and accounting transactions

Identify operational bottlenecks and work with finance team to establish standard operating procedures

Collaborate in the development of training materials and resources for key financial systems, such as Buy2

Pay and Concur, to support effective use by non-finance staff and the broader university community

Governance and Compliance Ensure financial compliance with University policies and procedures, audit and accounting disclosure requirements, and…