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

The Harvard Kennedy School Project on Indigenous Governance and Development is a research initiative dedicated to advancing scholarship and providing practical tools for Indigenous nation rebuilding. The Director of Research Projects provides strategic leadership and management for the Harvard Project's research agenda, overseeing a portfolio of projects that generate, explore, and disseminate innovative empirical scholarship, theoretical insights, and real-world solutions to strengthen institutions and economic development across a range of Indigenous Peoples' nations, communities, and homelands. This role ensures research and program impact through the production and dissemination of written publications, multimedia materials, convenings, events, and other outputs. The Director of Research Projects also manages relationships with individual researchers at Harvard or elsewhere, develops and manages project budgets and resource plans, and cultivates relationships with potential collaborating organizations. Candidates must demonstrate organizational management experience, creative problem-solving, research analytical skills, and the ability to approach our shared work in an inclusive and collaborative spirit.

In close collaboration with Professor Randall Akee, the Julie Johnson Kidd Professor of Indigenous Governance and Development and the Faculty Director of the Harvard Project, the Director of Research Projects plays a critical role in ensuring research and program impact. They are responsible for a robust content agenda, network expansion, and student engagement. The Director of Research Projects also leads efforts to secure gifts and grants and represents the Harvard Project in high-level university forums and among key constituencies and external stakeholders. The Ash Center, the Project's home at HKS, is a global, values-driven community that believes diverse perspectives are essential to understanding and addressing real-world problems and seeks candidates who share this commitment.

Founded in 1987, the Harvard Project on Indigenous Governance and Development (Harvard Project) is located at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School and is associated with the Harvard University Native American Program. Through applied research and service, the Harvard Project aims to understand and foster the conditions under which sustained, self-determined social and economic development is achieved among American Indian nations. The Harvard Project's core activities include research, advisory services, executive education, and administration of the Honoring Nations awards program. The Harvard Project also collaborates with the Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy at the University of Arizona.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

Research and analysis

• Increase and improve policy research through analysis and policy reports, academic events, and other public writing and outputs that inform, educate, and improve conditions for Indigenous Peoples, nations, and communities.
• Lead strategic planning for the Harvard Project's research portfolio in partnership with the Faculty Director, aligning priorities with Ash Center, HKS, and University goals and resources, and designing and launching new initiatives in response to emerging opportunities.

Visiting scholars and contributors

• Mentor and advise program/research fellows on project scope, design, execution, and work plans.
• Oversee recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and assignment of research project team members.
• Supervise and manage multiple research fellows, research assistants, freelancers, and staff.
• Provide feedback, guidance, support, and performance reviews for the research team.

Field building and impact

• Increase the flow of students, faculty, and leaders working on Indigenous Governance and Development in areas including programs for tribal leaders and administrators, curriculum development and teacher training, postdoctoral positions, and other future initiatives.
• Build successful working relationships with subject matter experts.
• Serve as a liaison to thematic experts and capture best practices and lessons learned.
• Represent the Harvard Project in high-level university forums and committees, as well as in meetings with senior leadership, tribal leaders, peer institutions, and external stakeholders at national and international convenings.

Project development and management

• Liaise and consult with faculty principal investigators from across the University on scope, design, and execution.
• Develop and manage the Harvard Project's research budget, aligning financial resources with strategic priorities and ensuring sound stewardship of gifts, grants, and other revenue.
• Identify and pursue funding opportunities that advance the Harvard Project's mission; lead the development of grant proposals and serve as Principal Investigator when appropriate; cultivate philanthropic and institutional partners in close coordination with the Faculty Director and Ash Center development staff.
• Ensure adherence to all quality assurance, regulatory, and compliance requirements applicable to the research program (e.g., IRB approvals, data security, funder requirements, and protocols for research with and in Indigenous communities).