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Why join the Harvard Graduate School of Design?

The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) educates design, research, and scholarship leaders to make a resilient, just, and beautiful world. The GSD offers degree programs across a range of design disciplines—architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, urban design, design engineering, and real estate—as well as advanced research programs that cut across these disciplines and a robust public program of lectures, exhibitions, and publications. The immense variety of people, programs, and ideas at the School sustains a vibrant and rich environment for learning, inquiry, and collaboration, unlike any other design school. For more information about Harvard GSD see: https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/.

SUMMARY

Reporting to the Director of Enrollment Services, this position is responsible for the management, planning, and implementation of registrar operations including maintenance of the student information system, production of data, tuition and billing, queries and reports, and general system coordination. This position will evaluate research, and report on opportunities to enhance services and streamline procedures. 

TYPICAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Registration and Enrollment

• Oversees registration by developing, executing, documenting, and evaluating policies and procedures.
• Ensures that academic policies and procedures are enforced, and proper records are maintained.
• Recommends changes to the student handbook and student policies each academic year. Works with the Student Life staff on any appropriate policy changes.
• Manages the ID Card Distribution Process.
• Monitors the general registrar email inbox, responding to inquiries appropriately and effectively.
• Oversees the production of transcripts by serving as the point of contact for Parchment, our third-party transcript ordering company.
• Processes enrollment verification letters, diploma replacements, loan deferments, and other custom letter requests.
• Acts as primary contact with the National Student Clearinghouse, performing degree verifications and reports graduate student data.
• Counsels students on Leave of Absence procedures, providing them with the appropriate documentation and makes all necessary changes to students’ records.
• Facilitates the migration of incoming students to the my.harvard system including updating their admission status and creating their programs in the student information system, as well as working with admissions on communicating processes for them to obtain their Harvard Key and GSD Email addresses.
• Block enrolls students into courses when appropriate.
• Serves as the primary contact for cross-registration out of the GSD with other Harvard Schools, MIT, and Tufts Fletcher School.
• Manually enters MIT grades and manages students’ enrollments in “variable unit” MIT courses each academic term.
• Serves as the primary contact for course substitution and waivers, processes these documents by entering them in the student information system.
• Coordinates the independent study process, answering student questions, collecting documentation, and enrolling them in the appropriate courses.
• Term Activates students each semester and updates maximum units as appropriate.
• Reviews students’ units each term to determine that they are meeting their full-time requirement or graduation requirements.
• Creates and uploads billing files (workshop fees, dorm charges, etc.) appropriately to charge students for various fees each semester.
• Charges course fees each semester as appropriate.
• Processes students’ formal withdrawals from the GSD.
• Provides new students with an information session on my.harvard and registration during Orientation with the Registrar.

My.harvard

• Serves as one of the GSD’s primary administrators (along with the Registrar) for the my.harvard system. Advises other staff on best practices and recommended uses for my.harvard.
• Anticipates, recommends, executes, and develops technological improvements to streamline processes.
• Responsible for data in the Student Information System (my.harvard) relating to awards and prizes, student groups, warning letters, extracurricular activities, and course data.
• Manages the tuition calculation process for the fall, spring, and summer semesters in conjunction with the Student Financial Services team.
• Processes TAP student documentation.
• Creates Grade Rosters and communicates grade deadlines with faculty.
• Processes and examines students’ advising reports to ensure that course substitutions and waivers are accurately reflected.
• Manages and updates all the registrar forms and works with the my.harvard team to create and manage GTE forms with associated workflows.
• Update students’ time statuses based on the number of units they are enrolled in.
• Manages the Department Work Center, to share various queries and data to the different department program administrators.
• Works with the CWD and my.Harvard teams to add various required training holds to student records prior to the start of each academic year.

Commencement

• Oversees the communication and procedures for 3 graduation periods per year. Creates and Ensures accuracy of graduation lists, providing graduation data to various constituents.
• Responsible for the graduation application each academic year. Ensures that the graduation application is visible to the appropriate students each term and monitors the students’ application progress and regularly follows up with those who have not submitted an application.
• Manages the diploma ordering and acts as the primary contact for Paradigm, the diploma vendor.
• Recommends improvements to the diploma distribution process and oversees diploma distribution.

CPT and International Students

• Recommends and executes policies and procedures for CPT at the GSD.
• Serves as the main point of contact for all CPT related questions, reviews documentation for accuracy, and provides documentation to the HIO.
• Enrolls students into the appropriate CPT courses and follows up to ensure grades are received.
• Assists with processing of I-20s for continuing international students and international students returning from leaves.
• Sets up the OPT (Optional Practical Training) and CPT (Curricular Practical Training) workshops with the Harvard International Office (HIO).
• Reports leave of absence data to the HIO on the first day of classes each semester.
• Provides graduating international student data to the HIO for each graduation term.

Additional Responsibilities

• Provides support for various Student Affairs events including Commencement, Registration, and Orientation.
• Serves as content manager for the Registrar website. Rethinks how our information is provided to students and executes improvements to ensure that students can find information quickly.
• Acts as primary contact with the Harvard University Archives Office.
• Manages the Enterprise Content Management System (ECM) product embedded within my.harvard.
• Pays bills in Buy2Pay system and processes credit vouchers and travel expenses via Concur for registrar account.
• Produces ad hoc statistics and data for GSD and University administrators via Query Manager.
• Maintains an up-to-date, accurate manual for this position.
• Produces ad hoc documents in Microsoft Office suite.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supervises student and temporary employees as needed

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Applicants must be able to perform typical office tasks, including sitting for extended periods, performing near-vision tasks such as reading and computer use for extended periods, using standard office equipment, and occasionally lifting up to 20 pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• This position requires frequent in-person work at the GSD throughout the academic year. Applications are accepted and encouraged from candidates not based in the Boston-Cambridge area, so long as they are able to commute to campus regularly and reside in one of our approved payroll states. Harvard registered payroll states currently include Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Washington, and California (CA for exempt positions only).
• Candidates must have employment authorization to work in the US, and we regret that we cannot sponsor a VISA.
• Candidates who do not live within commuting distance of our Cambridge, Massachusetts campus should indicate on their resumes whether they are “willing to relocate,” as this position requires a regular on-campus presence.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience
• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in a registrar’s office, enrollment services, or closely related higher education environment
• Experience with relational databases, including hands-on use of SQL for querying and reporting
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel (or similar office productivity tools)

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• Advanced knowledge of registrar functions, academic policies, and student records management
• Experience working with a Student Information System (SIS) and related academic technology; understanding of how SQL is applied within an SIS environment
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and complete work in a timely manner in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills, with the ability to work effectively and professionally with a diverse population of students, faculty, and staff
• Proven ability to exercise sound judgement, handle confidential information with discretion and work both independently and as part of a team

SALARY INFORMATION: 

•  The expected annualized hiring range for this position will be $80,000 - $90,000.
• Salary ranges within each pay grade are based on qualifications, skills, experience, equity in comparison to similar positions, and external market values. Salary ranges allow for differences among positions within the same grade as well as increasing levels of responsibility and performance within the same job. For more information regarding salary ranges at Harvard, please see: https://hr.harvard.edu/salary-ranges

• Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position
• Pre-Employment Screening: Identity. 

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.