Staff Assistant, Public Affairs

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States; hybrid work schedule determined by the department. Hybrid employees working outside Harvard locations must work in a Harvard-registered state, and the role requires travel to Greater Boston-based external events.

Salary: Salary grade 053; the posting does not provide an exact salary range.

Company

hirify.global advances teaching, learning, and research through a diverse academic community; Harvard Public Affairs and Communications manages relationships with the public, media, government, and neighboring communities.

What you will do

• Coordinate complex calendars, appointments, meetings, rooms, equipment, and travel arrangements for Public Affairs leadership.
• Support virtual and in-person events in Cambridge and Boston, including Zoom hosting, facilities, catering, audiovisual arrangements, setup, and cleanup.
• Prepare agendas, meeting reports, briefings, presentations, correspondence, and talking points.
• Maintain stakeholder contact lists, mailing lists, databases, records, and event contribution data.
• Monitor shared email and voicemail accounts, triage requests, and support outreach to residents, community organizations, and other constituents.
• Coordinate department initiatives and independently manage small special projects as assigned.

Requirements

• At least 2 years of progressively responsible experience with increasing independence.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to handle complex and confidential information with discretion and reprioritize work in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong customer service, writing, problem-solving, organizational, and collaboration skills.
• Availability for occasional early morning, evening, and weekend hours, plus travel to Greater Boston external events.
• Harvard is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.

Nice to have

• BA degree.
• Experience with audiovisual and web-based communication systems such as Teams, Zoom, or Skype.
• Experience in higher education or nonprofit communications.

Culture & Benefits

• 35-hour standard work week and a 3-month orientation and review period.
• Paid time off, including parental leave.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance starting on day one.
• Retirement plans with university contributions, wellbeing resources, and family support.
• Professional development opportunities, tuition assistance, commuter benefits, discounts, and campus perks.