Collaborate with Associate Director and OFA Director as a
thought-partner on new creative programming, curation and
initiatives for the festival.
Project manages the planning, marketing, hiring, logistics,
implementation and execution of the festival.
Recruit, hire, train, and coordinate a team of 12-15 Student
Producers
Organize 800-1,000+ student performers for festival.
Recruit and organize 60-100 volunteers (students, faculty,
staff, community members), and a Volunteer Coordinator to supervise
them.
Schedule 10-12 venues, security, equipment, volunteers, and
performances.
Serve as the primary lead for the Festival’s Performance Fair,
collaborating with the OFA Director and the Director for Artist
Engagement and Creative Productions on curation of the Performance
Fair.
Develop new partnerships with other Harvard schools, faculty,
offices, and departments to incorporate their ideas into festival
events.
Establish and maintain timelines and workflows for festival
committees/work groups
Track and organize logistical and publicity information.
Ensure that planning stays on schedule and that vendors and
staff have up-to-date information.
Solicit applications for festival events from university
partners and gather accurate publicity information on all campus
arts events and exhibitions occurring during the festival.
Gather/enter/manage Arts Fest event database, files, and
correspondence.
Work with Communications team to develop, manage and execute
strategy for marketing, communications, and outreach for Arts
Fest.
Prepare content for Arts First Guide, signage, website, social
media, media inquiries, and general communications materials,
working closely with senior colleagues.
In collaboration with the Associate Director for Creative
Productions track and update the festival budget, ensuring
effective allocation of resources and assist Festival event
producers to ensure timely reconciliation of invoices.
Prepare final documentation and post-production for festival,
and maintain Festival archive of digital and print materials, in
collaboration with OFA Communications team.
Organize annual post-mortem with OFA senior staff to discuss
Festival and offer proposed changes for following year.
Solicit, track and prepare data and create yearly festival
report; contribute data and language for OFA yearly impact
reports.
Special Event Strategy, Planning, and Project
Management:
- Support the Director for Artist Engagement and Creative
Productions to plan, project-manage, market and produce the OFA
Visiting Guest Artist Series, OFA special projects and university
events as assigned.
- Lead the setup/break down, logistics, hospitality, and artist
support for special events.
- Book hotels, travel, and manage hospitality and logistics for
visiting guest artist series and residencies.
- Build itineraries and be point person for visiting guest
artists.
- Track and organize logistical and publicity information for
special events
- Negotiate and coordinate with vendors and internal departments
to organize event services, including catering, audiovisual needs,
signage, registration, logistics, parking, and security
- Develop and maintain a schedule for event production
meetings
- Prepare detailed event plans and briefing documents to ensure
smooth operational execution. This includes assigning,
communicating, and training staffing roles and
responsibilities.
- In collaboration with the Director for Artist Engagement and
Creative Productions, track and update special events budgets.
- Partner with the OFA Director of Programs to evaluate the
event’s process by analyzing survey data and insights from
cross-functional team debriefs to assess audience experiences.
- Support digital story-telling, social media, and event
promotion as assigned by the Director of the OFA.
Working Conditions:
The work schedule and location will be set by the department at its
discretion and based upon operational needs and objectives and
consistent with College Policy, which requires 5 days on-site in
Cambridge, MA during term time (first day of classes through
commencement), with the exception of student breaks. 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 about the College policy 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.
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications:
- Master's degree required or equivalent work experience
- 5+ years of work experience in event management, event project
management, people management, or similar role required
Additional Qualifications and Skills:
- Strong attention to detail
- Experience producing live performance events
- Experience providing outstanding customer service to internal
and external constituents
- Excellent communication, organizational, time management, and
project management skills
- Experience working closely with students in a support
capacity
- Significant experience leading event projects requiring
collaboration across teams of diverse stakeholders
- Demonstrated ability to work both independently and on a
team
- Deep understanding of project management and productivity tools
(e.g., ClickUp)
- Knowledge of virtual and hybrid event platforms (e.g., Zoom
Events) Understanding AV technology and other event-related
tech
- Availability to work irregular hours, including evenings
- Demonstrated commitment to education and community
programming
- Ability to manage large quantity of detailed information,
problem-solve on the fly, remain calm and professional under
changing circumstances, combine creativity with solid production
and people management skills.
- Stage management experience is a plus, as is experience working
with multi-generational teams, including retirees and those under
18 years of age.
- Clear written and verbal skills.
- Familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite preferred. Familiarity
with publishing content to websites and social media marketing.
Command of digital Collaboration tools such as Google Drive and
Dropbox and project management software tools such as Trello are a
plus.
Additional Information
- Standard Hours/Schedule: 35 hours per week
- Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University is
unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position
- Pre-Employment Screening: Identity, Education
Work Format Details
This position has been determined by school or unit leaders that
all duties and responsibilities must be performed at a Harvard or
Harvard-designated location. Certain visa types 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.
