Assistant Director of Student Engagement

Posting date: March 27, 2026

Reference: 002597SR

• Job Type: Full-time
• Location: Cambridge
• School/Unit: Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
• Salary Grade: 057
• Job Function: Faculty & Student Services
• FLSA Status: Exempt
• Term Appointment: Yes
• Union: 00 - Non Union, Exempt or Temporary

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 Faculty of Arts and Sciences?

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) is the historic heart of Harvard University. It is the home of Harvard’s undergraduate program (Harvard College, founded in 1636) as well as all of Harvard’s Ph.D. programs (the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, founded in 1872), Harvard Athletics and the Division of Continuing Education. The 40 academic departments and 30+ centers of the FAS support a community unparalleled in its academic excellence across the broadest range of liberal arts and sciences disciplines. Together, the FAS seeks to foster an environment of ambition, curiosity and shared commitment to knowledge and truth that elicits excellence from all members of our community and prepares the next generation of leaders through a transformative educational experience.

Job Description

Job Summary:

Independently assess the needs of the student body, develop and organize educational, social and cultural activities.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

Reporting to the Associate Director of Fellowships and Academic Programming and working in close consultation with Associate Director for Pedagogy, the Assistant Director of Student Engagement (ADSE) will oversee and build out a portfolio that directly engages and supports undergraduate and graduate students working on normative topics and programs hosted by the Center. The ADSE will sustain robust curricular, co-curricular, and residential programming, including but not limited to leading the Fellows in Values Engagement (FiVE) program; advising the Harvard Undergraduate Ethics Society; and offering program guidance and support to the Intercollegiate Civil Disagreement Partnership (ICDP) fellowship program. This position will also coach Harvard’s Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl team and prepare them for regional and national competitions.

Ethics Bowl and Ethics Society

• Convene Ethics Bowl team for researching, drafting, and practicing case responses.
• Advise Ethics Society students for similar conversations that engage other students at Harvard.
• Serve as a liaison between the Center  and Harvard’s team and Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl.
• Travel with Ethics Bowl team to regional and national competitions, as needed.
• May teach independent study course, as approved through a partnering department on the fundamentals of moral and political philosophy that ground Ethics Bowl cases and competitions.

FiVE program

• Create and lead all workshops and trainings for fellows.
• Evaluate and assess program impact and suggest improvements.
• Work with faculty deans to program development and fellow application and selection processes.
• Ensure fellows meet program expectations.

ICDP Program

• Steward Harvard program in collaboration with team leads from partner institutions across the country.
• Provide guidance and support to Harvard pedagogy lead and facilitate fellows’ meetings as pedagogy lead, when needed.
• Work with the Associate Director of Pedagogy and Chief Assessment Scientist to ensure alignment and accessibility of materials, resources, and assessment/ evaluation tools between ICDP and Harvard’s civil discourse resource site.
• Train new Harvard pedagogy leads as needed.
• Support expansion of ICDP to new institutions, as appropriate.

Community-Building & Outreach

• Responsible for creating community connections across all student fellowship cohorts and facilitating conversations, workshops, or other events and gatherings across fellowships where appropriate.
• Serve as Center’s main point of contact for undergraduate and graduate communities.
• Work with Communication Manager on program publicity and content.
• Represent Center at activity fairs held by various other schools and divisions at Harvard.
• Design and deliver conference presentations and author journal articles related to programs.

Program Development & Evaluation

• Contribute to curriculum design, determining areas of student need and interest for specialized learning in ethics and partners with the Associate Director of Pedagogy to create, refine, and share new resources.
• Partner with the Chief Assessment Scientist and other researchers to develop evaluation and assessment measures, analyze data, and draft related reports.
• Identify new opportunities for programming; in consultation with leadership, take the lead on building and implementing programs.
• Identify opportunities for external funding and assist with grant writing.

Working Conditions

• Significant on campus presence required.
• May be required to work nights and weekends.
• May be required to travel domestically.

Physical Requirements:

• Sitting using near vision use for reading and computer use for extended periods of time

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required
• Minimum of 5 years’ relevant work experience

Additional Qualifications and Skills:

PhD in Moral Philosophy, Government, or related field.  3+ years of experience developing and teaching undergraduate courses with ethics content. Demonstrated commitment to fostering ethical inquiry within undergraduate and graduate education. Experience with faculty and/or graduate student development, including experience leading workshops about teaching. Demonstrated written and oral communication skills necessary, as well as strong organizational and interpersonal skills.  Familiarity with, and experience applying, education research to curricular innovation. Ability to work collegially and productively with diverse constituencies required. Experience with Ethics Bowl.

Additional Information

• Appointment End Date: 1 year term from hire date with the possibility of renewal
• Standard Hours/Schedule: 35 hours per week
• Compensation Range/Rate (including Shift Differential if applicable):
• Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position
• Pre-Employment Screening: Identity, Education
• Other Information:This is a 1-year term position and may be renewed based on Center’s strategy and funding availability.
• For full consideration, please include a cover letter with your application.

Work Format Details

This position has been determined by school or unit leaders that some of the duties and responsibilities can be effectively performed at a non-Harvard location. The work schedule and location will be set by the department at its discretion and based upon operational needs. When not working at a Harvard or Harvard-designated location, employees in hybrid positions must work in a Harvard registered state in compliance with the University’s Policy on Employment Outside of Massachusetts. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process. Certain visa types and funding sources may limit work location. Individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment.

Salary Grade and Ranges

This position is salary grade level 057. Please visit  Harvard's Salary Ranges  to view the corresponding salary range and related information.

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.

EEO/Non-Discrimination Commitment Statement

Harvard University is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination. We seek talent from all parts of society and the world, and we strive to ensure everyone at Harvard thrives. Our differences help our community advance Harvard's academic purposes.

Harvard has an equal employment opportunity policy that outlines our commitment to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, religion, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or identified in the university's non-discrimination policy. Harvard's equal employment opportunity policy and non-discrimination policy help all community members participate fully in work and campus life free from harassment and discrimination.