Director, Program on Higher Education Research

The Institute for Quantitative Social Science (IQSS) at Harvard University recently established a new Program on Higher Education Research. IQSS scientific programs focus on areas of inquiry that are of particular interest to faculty directors who enjoy a close working relationship with IQSS administrative, development, and technical staff that provide invaluable infrastructure to researchers. This new program will conduct and support rigorous research on topics pertaining to higher education.

The Program on Higher Education Research will also house the Council on Academic Freedom at Harvard (CAFH), a Harvard-wide faculty-led group of more than 200 Harvard faculty members, dedicated to the promotion of academic freedom, civil discourse, and viewpoint diversity at Harvard. The Council is led by an executive council of seven elected faculty co-presidents but situated within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and hosted administratively in IQSS within the newly established Program for Higher Education Research.

The Director will oversee all aspects of the Program operations, communications donor relations, programming, and will work closely with affiliated faculty on advancing rigorous research and the CAFH Co-Presidents on the Council’s intellectual and academic vision. The person who fills the position will interact with all Program and Council faculty, along with students, staff, other centers, administrative departments at Harvard, other universities, and all partners and donors.

The position will work under the supervision of the IQSS Faculty Director and Co-Presidents of the Council, and will report to the Executive Director of IQSS.

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the development and implementation of a strategic plan for the new research program.
• Develop and implement a strategic plan for enhancing the Council’s engagement with university stakeholders, including organizing annual strategy meetings with Co-Presidents and faculty members.

Day-Day Operational Oversight

• Oversee recruitment for staff hires, design onboarding processes, and coordinate appointments in collaboration with IQSS HR.
• Conduct an active scholarly program leading to publications and conference presentations, as appropriate.
• Represent the Program and CAFH at various convenings as requested.

Public Relations and Communications

• Oversee the development and implementation of the Program’s communications strategy, in coordination with IQSS and University communication teams.
• Direct the Council's public messaging through weekly updates, manage content creation for the Council’s website (with thousands of annual visitors), and oversee media outreach campaigns.
• Manage the Council’s membership lists, email listserv, and website.
• Draft and/or edit letters and statements expressing the Council’s views on matters relevant to its mission.
• Recruit and maintain relationships with Council members.
• Manage partnerships with other universities and nonprofit entities with aligned goals.

Conferences and Events

• Organize 2-4 major events annually, including agenda materials preparation, presenter coordination, and post-event evaluation using tools like Zoom and Eventbrite.

Budgeting and Finance

• Oversee all aspects of the Program’s financial planning.
• Work with IQSS finance team to monitor annual budgets and financial accounts, and produce quarterly financial reports for the CAFH Co-Presidents.

Development

• Lead advancement, development, and stewardship activities for the Program.
• Maintain relationships with current donors and develop a network of new funders.
• Oversee communications and meetings with donors in collaboration with Program faculty and the CAFH Co-Presidents.
• Identify and meet new potential donors, and develop and support opportunities.
• Prepare periodic reports for Program donors.
• Liaise with University Development Office and other Harvard fundraising teams.

External Research Grants

• Identify and pursue new grant opportunities.
• Develop drafts of grant content.
• Oversee relations with established foundation and other grant funders, and foster new relationships.
• Oversee all spending on existing grants and donor funds.
• Collaborate with IQSS Sponsored Research team, Office for Sponsored Programs, and others to ensure compliance with University policies.

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 8 years of progressive administrative management experience.

• Deep commitment to the ideals of free inquiry, civil discourse, and intellectual diversity.
• Skill in working with people of diverse political and ethical beliefs.
• Strong writing, leadership, and organizational skills.
• Academic interests in free inquiry, intellectual diversity, and/or civil discourse, broadly conceived.
• Familiarity with the Harvard community and Harvard’s administrative processes.
• Supervisory experience.
• A master’s or doctoral degree is desirable.
• Demonstrated administration or leadership experience within higher-education, non-profit, or business sector.
• Ability to operate independently with a strong sense of self-management.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively with students, faculty, and staff.

• This is a 12-month term position from the date of hire, with the possibility of extension based on funding and performance.
• We are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.
• All formal offers will be made by FAS Human Resources.

IQSS sits in the Division of Social Science, which is strongly committed to creating and supporting a diverse workforce. Respect and fairness, kindness and collegiality, and trust and transparency are among the values we espouse and promote in our workplace culture. We work hard to ensure a healthy, inclusive and positive environment where everyone does their best work in support of Harvard’s mission.

IQSS is a university-wide institute whose mission is to solve society’s greatest challenges through the creation, preservation, and dissemination of social science knowledge. We build infrastructure and community so social scientists can work at unprecedented speed, scale, and levels of collaboration. The IQSS approach includes: providing an environment (physical space, events, services) that encourages scholars to convene and collaborate; developing powerful (and broadly useful) statistical, computational, and analytical infrastructure and tools; building bridges between the many different scientific communities concerned with real world problems; removing impediments to discovery by providing exceptional administrative services; and supporting and showcasing innovative ideas through the creation and incubation of scientific programs.

• Paid Time Off: 3-4 weeks of accrued vacation time per year (3 weeks for support staff and 4 weeks for administrative/professional staff), 12 accrued sick days per year, 12.5 holidays plus a Winter Recess in December/January, 3 personal days per year (prorated based on date of hire), and up to 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents who are primary care givers.
• Health and Welfare: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits, disability and life insurance programs, along with voluntary benefits. Most coverage begins as of your start date.
• Work/Life and Wellness: Child and elder/adult care resources including on campus childcare centers, Employee Assistance Program, and wellness programs related to stress management, nutrition, meditation, and more.
• Retirement: University-funded retirement plan with contributions from 5% to 15% of eligible compensation, based on age and earnings with full vesting after 3 years of service.
• Tuition Assistance Program: Competitive program including $40 per class at the Harvard Extension School and reduced tuition through other participating Harvard graduate schools.
• Tuition Reimbursement: Program that provides 75% to 90% reimbursement up to $5,250 per calendar year for eligible courses taken at other accredited institutions.
• Professional Development: Programs and classes at little or no cost, including through the Harvard Center for Workplace Development and LinkedIn Learning.
• Commuting and Transportation: Various commuter options handled through the Parking Office, including discounted parking, half-priced public transportation passes and pre-tax transit passes, biking benefits, and more.
• Harvard Facilities Access, Discounts and Perks: Access to Harvard athletic and fitness facilities, libraries, campus events, credit union, and more, as well as discounts to various types of services (legal, financial, etc.) and cultural and leisure activities throughout metro-Boston.