Senior Associate Director, Predegree Advising and Admissions Policy Management

The Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences seeks a Senior Associate Director to oversee admissions operations and planning, including applicant recruitment and evaluation, event planning, data analysis, and policy and workflow development.

About the Role

Reporting to the Office of Professional and Academic Affairs and Admissions (OPA&A), the Senior Associate Director leads the consistent interpretation and administration of predegree advising and admissions policies and processes. They supervise the advising team and manage key departmental operations, ensuring compliance with policies and regulations.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with admissions and academic policies and applicable legal requirements.
• Research, analyze, interpret, and resolve policy questions, providing accurate and timely guidance to staff and leadership.
• Identify, monitor, and mitigate potential risks to admissions-related policies, practices, and student matters.
• Maintain departmental procedural resources, records, and databases to support consistent practices and informed decision-making.
• Evaluate and resolve complex predegree student concerns and complaints, engaging with students in a helpful, respectful, and accessible manner.
• Manage and administer the policy petition process for all predegree students, including evaluating complex requests, issuing communications, and preparing materials for escalation to the Administrative Policy Committee and Administrative Board.
• Directly manage predegree and admissions advisors and the Assistant Director of Predegree Advising and Admissions Policy Management, providing coaching, performance management, professional development, and operational guidance.
• Participate as a member of the OPA&A leadership team in annual and seasonal departmental processes for managing degree program changes, application and admission eligibility reviews, and student communications.
• Integrate, extract, and analyze quantitative and qualitative data from multiple HES systems and external sources, developing clear and concise reports, dashboards, presentations, and other data visualizations that communicate findings, trends, implications, and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to OPA&A leadership and a policy and operational resource for peer and senior DCE colleagues, informing stakeholders and participating in relevant meetings and cross-functional initiatives as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required.
• Minimum of 7 years’ relevant work experience.
• Master's degree in higher education administration, business administration, or a related field strongly preferred.
• Significant experience in admissions, advising, student services, higher education administration, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success supervising, coaching, and developing professional staff.
• Significant experience interpreting, applying, and communicating complex policies and regulations.
• Experience identifying, monitoring, and mitigating potential risks to admissions-related policies, practices, and student matters.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Experience with enterprise student information systems, CRM platforms, and reporting tools (Banner, Salesforce, JIRA/Confluence, or comparable systems) preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize competing demands, manage multiple initiatives, and perform effectively in a fast-paced environment.

Additional Information

This position is based in Cambridge, MA, with a hybrid workplace model requiring a minimum of 2 days per week on campus. Salary range is $90K-$110K/annual, with benefits including medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage, retirement plans with university contributions, and tuition assistance. Visa sponsorship is available, and individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment. For more information, visit Harvard's Benefits & Wellbeing Page.