Coordinator, Academic Departments

Details

Posted: 03-Jun-24

Location: USA - MA - Cambridge

Type: Full-time

Salary: Open

Categories:

Administrative/Support
Staff/Administrative
Student Affairs/Services

Internal Number: 65939BR

Job Summary

The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) educates design, research, and scholarship leaders to make a resilient, just, and beautiful world. The GSD offers degree programs across a range of design disciplines—architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, urban design, design engineering, and real estate—as well as advanced research programs that cut across these disciplines and a robust public program of lectures, exhibitions, and publications. The immense variety of people, programs, and ideas at the School sustains a vibrant and rich environment for learning, inquiry, and collaboration, unlike any other design school.
Reporting to the Administrative Manager, this position performs a wide range of high-level administrative tasks with accuracy, discretion, and good judgment, working independently and collaboratively across the GSD's academic departments and programs. The coordinator manages student group travel, including budgeting, planning with faculty trip leaders, coordinating bookings, and serving as an on-call resource during trips; supports cross-departmental projects including final reviews and thesis; provides in-person office coverage and support for the departments and programs, as needed; and provides high-level administrative support to a member of the architecture senior faculty.

Position Description

TYPICAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provides administrative support to a member of the senior faculty, including travel reimbursements, expense management, hiring and payment of outside contractors, coordinate student employment, correspondence support, coordinating promotion of publications and related events, mailings, complex travel arrangements, drafting correspondence, letters of recommendation, and calendaring.
• Audits and updates faculty office labels at the start of each semester and coordinates updates during academic year as needed. Manages documentation of office assignments in both internal and public facing mediums.
• Coordinates cross-departmental logistics and events for final studio reviews and thesis reviews, including:
  • Draft and post final review schedule and room reservations.
  • Manage internal and public facing review information via SERT, and other community-wide communications as needed.
  • Book catering for all review activities and coordinate receptions for both studio and thesis reviews.
  • Book hotel rooms at the direction of the program managers.
• Works frequently with Academic Administration & Planning staff and other departments across the GSD to support and/or serve as a back-up for coordination and execution of department and School-wide tasks including studio lottery and tray mapping preparation, admissions meetings, pre-term workshops, open houses, welcome receptions, end-of-year celebrations, commencement, and other special events/initiatives; works at the direction of managers and program coordinators as needed during certain times of year, or during staffing vacancies, and provides in-person office coverage as needed for the department and program offices.
• Assists in updating faculty information in faculty database (Digital Measures, Aurora) as needed to ensure faculty office assignments, committees, and other information is accurately documented; runs reports on faculty data as requested.
• Coordinates with Office of the Registrar and each academic department/program office to process and locally archive course evaluations; creates evaluation summaries for each department or program.
• Coordinates Mid-Semester Studio Check-in Surveys and related reports.
• Supports accreditation and local archiving needs by tracking and archiving course syllabi.
• Reviews course syllabi and travel surveys and coordinates with instructors and academic administration colleagues to ensure all travel plans are approved and documented properly; manages local travel information in the course travel database.
• Provides support for student desk labeling and tray mapping on a semesterly basis in coordination with departmental program coordinators and Administrative Manager.
• Coordinates planning and execution of group student travel, including all local bus trips; drafts travel budgets for domestic and international studio and non-studio travel, liaising with faculty trip leaders, department managers, and academic administration business office to ensure budgets can support travel plans; is accessible via phone and email during trips, and responds to urgent travel requests or accommodations as needed.
• Manages websites for cross-departmental pages including Final Review schedule resources and other academic administration pages; serves as web content editor backup for each academic department and program.
• Provides regular in-person support and office coverage for academic administration offices, including coverage of academic departments and program offices as needed.
• Orders office supplies for academic administration; assists with maintaining office technology and supplies such as printers and copiers.
• Other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

• 2-3 years administrative experience in an office setting preferably in higher education.
• Strong computer skills required including proficiency with Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, email and calendar applications
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent editing and proofreading skills required.
• Outstanding customer service skills.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and execute multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to work as part of a close team of staff sharing responsibilities when necessary to meet the needs of the department.

Additional Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor's degree
• Experience in an academic environment preferred.
• Experience with Harvard University financial systems.
• Professional manner and excellent organizational skills.
• Must work with confidentiality and have good judgment.
• Must be a self-starter and have excellent follow-through skills.
• Must be able to interact professionally with all levels of staff, faculty, potential donors and the public.

• Proven interpersonal skills with experience providing complex administrative support in a high-profile environment with tact and diplomacy.
• Proven flexibility and willingness to work in a fast-paced, changing environment.

Physical Requirements

Frequent use of keyboard and mouse

Working Conditions

Work is mainly performed in an office setting. This is a Hybrid role with initial 3-month orientation period requiring full time in office for training purposes. During peak times in the academic year, in person presence may be required up to 5 days/week.

Additional Information

Note: Must be willing to work Monday-Friday, 9-5, and overtime during peak periods.
In order to be considered for this position, a well written cover letter and resume is required.

Benefits

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