Portfolio Director, Harvard Institutes for Higher Education

About the role

The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) seeks to empower educators to build competencies, skills, and networks necessary to have a positive impact in the field of education. The Portfolio Director for the Harvard Institutes of Higher Education (HIHE) plays a crucial role in designing and implementing a strategy to nurture, assess, refine, and expand a portfolio of professional development offerings for higher education professionals, faculty, and leaders across the US and globally.

Responsibilities

• Serve as an administrative leader of a portfolio of executive education programs and related professional development opportunities as part of HGSE’s Professional Education program designed to support educational leaders across the US and globally.
• Build and maintain a deep understanding of the broad landscape of professional development programs serving higher education leaders and proactively cultivate robust relationships with lead organizations, colleges, universities, and individuals to stay abreast of trends in the field.
• Work with HGSE faculty to explore new HIHE programs that best serve the needs of the field as informed by data and active discourse with sector leaders and key PPE client organizations.
• Research, propose, and vet ideas regarding a strategic direction for the overall size and shape of the portfolio with attention to portfolio coherence as well as program quality, relevance, accessibility, and sustainability.
• Collect, analyze, and utilize data to inform and implement PPE decisions about program frequency, updates, and retirements.
• Collaborate with faculty on overarching program vision and architecture.
• Develop program learning objectives and descriptions, and determine the characteristics of target audiences.
• Determine program presenters and learning activities.
• Identify, train, and manage program facilitators.
• Develop and manage program budgets, contributing to cost-effective program management.
• Inform, monitor, and participate in marketing and admissions processes for assigned programs to develop optimal cohorts, identify growth opportunities, and suggest mitigation strategies for enrollment challenges in partnership with PPE’s Marketing and Client Engagement teams.
• Collaborate with PPE’s Program Delivery Team to collaboratively plan and execute all aspects of program delivery to ensure a high-quality learner experience in every program modality (residential, live online, asynchronous online, blended).
• Conduct program debriefs and identify and drive follow-up on strengths and areas for development.
• Leverage best-practices in learning design to foster interactivity and the application of learning to problems of practice.
• Plan and implement strategic outreach to organizations, school systems, government agencies, and/or donors to build robust participant pools for programs in the portfolio.
• Engage in sector outreach (webinars, conferences, direct relationship-building with clients), and ensure that prospective and past participants have ongoing connection to each other, HIHE, and HGSE.
• Initiate and steward relationships with internal and external stakeholders and expand our network to advance potential new partnerships and programs.
• Develop custom engagements for learners and organizations within and outside the U.S. as applicable, with a particular focus on international universities.
• Identify subject areas where HGSE and Harvard faculty bring unique value to the field.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a relevant field;
• 5 years of college or university administrative or other directly related experience;
• Prior leadership experience in higher education strongly desired;
• A strong candidate has a deep understanding of and experience with the challenges, opportunities, and leadership context of higher education administrators and faculty, preferably from multiple institutions;
• Demonstrated experience collaborating successfully with senior faculty is highly desirable;
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage competing deadlines or priorities;
• Strong oral and written communication skills;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and experience developing partnerships to achieve strategic goals;
• Experience working as both a team player and leader across departments;
• Proven ability to prepare, work within, and manage budgets and deadlines;
• Experience in B2B business development a plus;
• Proven ability to problem-solve and respond effectively to shifting team needs;
• Experience developing and delivering professional/executive education programs with a leadership or education focus a plus.

Additional Qualifications and Skills

• Prior leadership experience in higher education strongly desired;
• A strong candidate has a deep understanding of and experience with the challenges, opportunities, and leadership context of higher education administrators and faculty, preferably from multiple institutions;
• Demonstrated experience collaborating successfully with senior faculty is highly desirable;
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage competing deadlines or priorities;
• Strong oral and written communication skills;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and experience developing partnerships to achieve strategic goals;
• Experience working as both a team player and leader across departments;
• Proven ability to prepare, work within, and manage budgets and deadlines;
• Experience in B2B business development a plus;
• Proven ability to problem-solve and respond effectively to shifting team needs;
• Experience developing and delivering professional/executive education programs with a leadership or education focus a plus.

Benefits

Harvard offers a comprehensive benefits package that supports a healthy work-life balance and your physical, mental, and financial wellbeing. This includes generous paid time off, medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage, retirement plans with university contributions, wellbeing and mental health resources, professional development opportunities, commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks, and more. Harvard is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination, and provides support for families and caregivers. Learn more about these and additional benefits on our Benefits & Wellbeing Page.