International Project Administrator

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.

Reporting to the Director of International HR and Administration, with a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Director of International Consulting and Operations, this position works as part of a team with all Global Support Services (GSS) members and in particular supports our separate but affiliated non-profit corporation, Harvard Global Research and Support Services, Inc. (Harvard Global). The individual is responsible for annual planning, coordination, and completion of a portfolio of operational, compliance, and HR activities that support Harvard Global’s international entities and projects.

The role owns those key work streams and related tracking systems (e.g., for board governance, entity compliance, HR events, insurance, audits, and banking arrangements) to ensure that required steps, reviews, and approvals are completed accurately and on time.

Through this work, the position helps identify risks inherent in Harvard Global’s international operations and HR activities, coordinates with internal and external stakeholders to address and mitigate those risks, and serves as a central organizing point for activities with compliance and governance implications across all Harvard Global entities and projects.

The role requires excellent intercultural communication and organizational skills; the ability to build, influence, and maintain relationships with senior stakeholders; strong project and analytical skills; and the judgment to distill and reframe complex international laws and policies into practical, actionable workflows. The individual leads by modeling and reinforcing excellent customer service standards across Harvard Global’s international operations and projects in the US and globally.

Operational & Compliance Activity Management

• Plan, coordinate, and track Harvard Global’s key operational and compliance activities, using systems that track compliances and related actions (e.g., Smartsheet and Salesforce), and maintain comprehensive, organized records of activities for all entities.
• In collaboration with senior staff and legal advisors, translate compliance requirements into concrete workflows, checklists, and timelines, and contribute to the development, review, and updating of policies and procedures to ensure organizational practices meet in‑country legal and regulatory requirements.
• Monitor activity and risk across entities and projects, identifying and escalating issues; help leadership prioritize work by summarizing patterns and upcoming deadlines and communicating expectations organization‑wide.
• Stay abreast of current laws, regulations, and best practices affecting Harvard Global entities and, with guidance from legal and subject‑matter experts, update processes and activity plans accordingly.
• Coordinate with team members and leadership on the review of potential compliance issues, track investigations and remediation steps, and document and follow up on recommended corrective actions.

Board…