Executive Assistant (Social Science’s Dean’s Office) at Harvard Business School in Cambridge, MA, United States

Job description

• The Executive assistant serves as the primary point of contact for the Social Science’s Dean’s Office and provides high-level administrative, scheduling, and communications support for the Dean. The Executive Assistant reports to the Director of Strategy and Programs and may provide administrative support to others within the Division of Social Sciences office as needed.

Responsibilities

• Front Office and Reception
• Act as the primary point of contact for the Social Sciences Dean’s Office by greeting visitors and guests in a welcoming and professional manner, answering phones, and fielding general inquiries.
• Calendar and Meeting Management
• Manage complex calendar for the Social Sciences Dean, including scheduling meetings, balancing priorities, anticipating needs, and proactively troubleshooting scheduling conflicts.
• Assist with agenda preparation for standing meetings and track action items to ensure timely follow up and resolution.
• Events and Travel
• Coordinate logistical details for meetings and events
• Coordinate travel logistics for the Dean
• Financial and Administrative Support
• Prepare expense reports on behalf of Social Sciences Dean
• Maintain up-to-date mailing and distribution lists, and assist with the dissemination of information to internal and external stakeholders.
• Maintain the electronic filing system for general administrative records and materials.
• Maintain office equipment and supplies, including shared printers, photocopiers, and reception area, to ensure smooth day-to-day office operations.
• Communications and Digital Presence
• Maintain and update the Social Science Division website
• Review the Dean’s email inbox daily to remove junk mail, flag messages requiring attention, and catch invitations, meeting details, and time-sensitive or urgent requests.
• Develop automated rules for routing incoming messages
• Draft templates to accurately address routine inquiries on the Dean’s behalf.
• Other tasks and projects as assigned.

Requirements

• 3 or more years of experience as an Executive Assistant or in a role providing administrative support.
• High level of independent judgment, initiative, discretion, collegiality, professionalism, confidentiality, and attention to detail.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills are required.
• Demonstrated ability to triage and prioritize a high volume of time-sensitive tasks and communications.
• Fluency in Microsoft Office applications including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in a Mac OS environment as well as Office 365 collaboration tools (Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, etc.), Google Suite applications, and Zoom.

Skills

Required

• Independent judgment
• Initiative
• Discretion
• Collegiality
• Professionalism
• Confidentiality
• Attention to detail
• Ability to triage and prioritize
• Google Suite applications
• Zoom

Benefits

• Harvard offers a comprehensive benefits package that is designed to support a healthy work-life balance and your physical, mental and financial wellbeing. Because here, you are what matters. Our benefits include, but are not limited to:
• Generous paid time off including parental leave
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one
• Retirement plans with university contributions
• Wellbeing and mental health resources
• Support for families and caregivers
• Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks
• Learn more about these and additional benefits on our Benefits & Wellbeing Page.
• This position is salary grade level 054. Please visit  Harvard's Salary Ranges  to view the corresponding salary range and related information.