AUGUST 22, 2025

001424SR

• Full-time
• Cambridge
• Hybrid
• Harvard Kennedy School

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 KENNEDY SCHOOL?

The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is one of 12 graduate and professional schools at the university. Harvard Kennedy School’s mission is to improve public policy and leadership so people can live in societies that are more safe, free, just, and sustainably prosperous. By combining cutting-edge research, the teaching of outstanding students, and direct interaction with practitioners, we have an impact on solving public problems that no other institution can match. When you work at Harvard Kennedy School, you make a difference.
Job Description

JOB SUMMARY:

The Senior Manager of Operations is a pivotal operational and project management partner to the Chief Communications Officer (CCO), responsible for overseeing, coordinating, and executing all operations within Harvard Kennedy School’s (HKS) Office of Communications and Public Affairs (OCPA). This leader drives the operations of the communications department, including office administration, project management, and tracking of goals and effectiveness. In this role, you will help drive the seamless integration of workstreams managed by four departmental directors—ensuring alignment, on-time delivery, and optimal outcomes for office-wide priorities.
The ideal candidate for this role is a results-driven project manager and operations professional who thrives in fast-moving, multifaceted environments. This person thrives on optimizing an office’s systems and processes, identifying areas for improvement, finding solutions, and collaborating across the teams. They are a strategic thinker with advanced project management expertise, skilled at building and executing detailed project plans, managing competing priorities, and optimizing processes and budgets across various teams. This leader brings proven experience shepherding large-scale initiatives involving multiple stakeholders, accelerated timelines, and high organizational visibility. They lead proactively—anticipating issues, identifying risks, and ensuring that all projects are executed efficiently, effectively, and collaboratively.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree and 5 years of professional experience in operations, communications, public affairs, media relations, as a chief of staff, project manager, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience/interest in the field of communications, public service, government, or politics, through education or professional experience.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS:

• Exceptional organizational, project management, and process improvement skills. Fluency with project management processes and systems.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills with a collaborative mindset and diplomatic approach to problem-solving.
• Ability to see the “big picture” while managing details and multiple priorities.
• Experience working in a complex, matrixed environment or with cross-functional teams with tight deadlines.
• Experience managing budgets.
• Strong writing, editing, and verbal communication skills.
  Additional Information

Standard Hours/Schedule: 35 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 position is based on our campus in Cambridge, MA. It requires working in-person a minimum of 3 days per week during the academic year.

LI-ES2

• Develop and monitor detailed project timelines, milestones, and deliverables; proactively track progress, resolve potential roadblocks, and provide regular status updates to leadership. Oversee and implement processes to track the Communications team’s annual workplan and progress toward departmental goals; collaborate with Communications Leadership to develop effective tracking systems.
• Serve a key project manager for the Office of Communications and Public Affairs (OCPA), partnering with the CCO to lead project planning, execution, and delivery for office operations and strategic initiatives—including complex, high-profile communications campaigns.
• Work with the CCO to strategically manage the budget, ensuring strategic and timely spending while identifying forward-looking opportunities. Manage financial systems such as invoicing, office-wide recurring expenses, and external vendors.
• Organize, schedule, and facilitate excellent team meetings, ensuring agendas are relevant, timely, and impactful.
• Drive cross-functional coordination and project alignment by facilitating communication, information sharing, and timely decision-making among the four OCPA directors and relevant stakeholders.
• Oversee project planning for key office activities, including effective meeting cadence, retreats, report management, coordination of freelancers and in-office vendors, and execution of recurring operational processes.
• Manage the office’s financial operations and project budgets, ensuring strategic allocation and timely spending, accurate invoicing, and optimization of financial resources across all projects and initiatives.
• Foster and maintain effective relationships with external vendors, ensuring all deliverables meet our standards, deadlines, and budget requirements.
• Advise and brief the CCO on project status, key updates, risks, and opportunities, enabling data-driven decision-making and agile response to emerging challenges.
• Support the development of materials and key content—including webinars, retreats, and leadership presentations—tailored to audiences such as the Dean’s Council, Visiting Committee, and all-staff meetings, in partnership with the appropriate team.
• Lead process improvements and workflow optimization initiatives, continuously identifying and implementing enhancements to increase productivity, collaboration, and project outcomes across the team.
  Qualifications