Associate Director, EC (Elective Curriculum) Program, MBA

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Job Summary: 

Are you a systems thinker who excels at translating academic priorities into well-designed, scalable operations? Do you enjoy leading complex, cross-functional work that directly shapes the student and faculty experience?

The Associate Director role offers the opportunity to serve as a strategic and operational leader for the MBA Elective Curriculum (EC), driving planning, processes, and continuous improvement. As part of the MBA Registrar’s Office, you will collaborate across stakeholders to ensure a cohesive, data-informed, and high-quality academic experience from course planning through registration and beyond. As the experts in the MBA Program’s academic experience, the Registrar’s Office team provides a variety of services to students, faculty, staff, and alumni and values excellent service to our constituents.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

EC Program Design & Implementation 

• Develop a deep understanding of the EC student and faculty academic experience, and the Registrar’s Office processes and systems that support it and use this understanding to design and revise processes to best meet constituent needs.
• Collaborate with the EC Registrar team, EC Faculty Chair, and Faculty Unit Heads to understand course priorities and integrate them into a cohesive elective schedule.
• Initiate and lead planning, development, and implementation efforts for the EC academic program, including academic calendar, course schedules, and student course selection process.
• Use EC program data and reporting to support annual EC planning process, to monitor the health of the EC portfolio, and for ad hoc needs.
• Develop a deep understanding of the course selection process and systems to design and implement the course education, registration, and Add/Drop processes.
• Develop and maintain a deep understanding of course registration policies and their interdependencies across EC processes and systems; lead the ongoing refinement and implementation of policies to meet evolving program needs and support a cohesive student and faculty experience.

EC Communication 

• Develop the strategy and plan for student communications to inform and educate students about the course education, registration, and Add Drop processes, resources, and tools. Communication channels include email, website, presentations, and student handbook.
• Develop the strategy and plan for faculty communications relevant to academic planning cycle, registration, and Add Drop processes.
• As the expert on the EC academic experience, serve as primary point of contact for EC students, MBA Program colleagues, and wider HBS community ensuring that all stakeholders receive timely and relevant information on all matters related to the EC.

Team Management 

• Manage two staff members. Responsible for the delegation of all tasks and projects, weekly check-in meetings, and performance reviews. Areas of responsibility for these roles include academic infrastructure, course selection tool configuration, grades, exams, and cross registration.
• Maintain comprehensive project plans and task lists for team planning and reference for all EC activities and manage staffing resource allocation planning.

Other Duties for MBA Registrar Services 

• Supports all-hands-on-deck events such as Term Start-up and Graduation.
• Participate in short- and long-term IT development projects to enhance faculty, staff, and student experience with the MBA Program. 
• Participate in departmental goal-setting processes and implementation of priorities.
• Serve on MBA Program-wide task forces and committees.
• Build trust and collaboration by being present on-site and engaging directly with colleagues and various constituents
• Additional duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required
• Minimum of 7 years’ relevant work experience

Additional Qualifications and Skills:

The MBA Registrar’s Office is looking for candidates who take pride in being part of a collaborative and team-oriented community. We strive to create an engaging work culture that is welcoming and provides opportunity to learn from and respect different cultures.  A successful Associate Director is someone who:

• has a proven ability to work in a complex organization and make informed decisions in the context of strategic organizational goals and policies.
• is detail oriented and enjoys solving puzzles.
• has great organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• is comfortable using and learning new technologies and is technologically resourceful, nimble, and curious.
• has experience with Registrar technology tools as well as related implementation and change management processes.
• has excellent communication and consensus-building skills, with the ability to distill and convey complex ideas clearly.
• has a proven capacity to manage multiple projects and workflows.

Working Conditions

• Some night and weekend work may be required.

• Standard Hours/Schedule: 40 hours per week
• Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position
• Pre-Employment Screening: Identity, Education
• Other Information:
  • This is a hybrid position which we consider to be a combination of remote and onsite work at our Boston, MA based campus. HBS expects all staff to be onsite a minimum of 3 days per week and departments provide onsite coverage Monday – Friday. Specific hours and days onsite will be determined by business needs and are subject to change with appropriate advanced notice.
  • We may conduct candidate interviews virtually (phone and/or via Zoom) and/or in-person for this role.
  • A cover letter is required to be considered for this opportunity.

Work Format Details

This position has been determined by school or unit leaders that some of the duties and responsibilities can be effectively performed at a non-Harvard location. The work schedule and location will be set by the department at its discretion and based upon operational needs. When not working at a Harvard or Harvard-designated location, employees in hybrid positions must work in a Harvard registered state in compliance with the University’s Policy on Employment Outside of Massachusetts. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process. Certain visa types and funding sources may limit work location. Individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment.

Salary Grade and Ranges

This position is salary grade level 058. Please visit  Harvard's Salary Ranges  to view the corresponding salary range and related information. 

Benefits

Harvard offers a comprehensive benefits package that is designed to support a healthy work-life balance and your physical, mental and financial wellbeing. Because here, you are what matters. Our benefits include, but are not limited to: 

• Generous paid time off including parental leave 
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one 
• Retirement plans with university contributions 
• Wellbeing and mental health resources 
• Support for families and caregivers 
• Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement 
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks 

Learn more about these and additional benefits on our Benefits & Wellbeing Page. 

EEO/Non-Discrimination Commitment Statement

Harvard University is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination. We seek talent from all parts of society and the world, and we strive to ensure everyone at Harvard thrives. Our differences help our community advance Harvard's academic purposes.

Harvard has an equal employment opportunity policy that outlines our commitment to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, religion, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or identified in the university's non-discrimination policy. Harvard's equal employment opportunity policy and non-discrimination policy help all community members participate fully in work and campus life free from harassment and discrimination.