Community Engagement Specialist - Harvard Innovation Labs

Job Description

Job Summary:

The Community Specialist owns the relationship with our students in the Harvard Innovation Labs ecosystem. The Community Specialist acts as a community communications strategist, creating systems and campaigns that engage members, build community, and create responsive and customized experiences for students. The role is responsible for cultivating a strong sense of engagement and participation among all Harvard Innovation Labs (HIL) members and offers support by performing a variety of complex administrative and support duties to enhance the HIL programs and resources. This includes building and managing the day-to-day experience of participants using i-lab resources, coordinating communications across different channels, and developing and executing community-related programming.  The role reports to  the Assistant Director, Programming and Member Experience. 

Please see innovationlabs.harvard.edu for more information about the Harvard Innovation Labs. 

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

Student Community & Program Management:  

• Responsible for the development and management of the student I-lab community and its 3000+ active members, including application cycle promotion, a weekly newsletter, i-lab member Slack workspaces, events planning, and customer service for program participants in collaboration with Operations and front desk teams.  

• Ensures that student members are connected, supports collaboration across Harvard Schools, and develops programming and systems to ensure that participants can communicate and collaborate with each other.  

• Manages inquiry processes from prospective student members, develops communications to convert applicants into members, and guides students through the application/membership funnel.  

• Fosters a positive and collaborative community through daily engagement with students. Monitors news, happenings, feedback, struggles, and wins. Oversees development and synthesizes data from customer surveys, feedback, focus groups, and other data sources to provide insights, support decision-making, and inform program improvements and strategy. Designs and executes regular “pulse checks” of the community (e.g., short surveys, quick interviews) and translates qualitative and quantitative data into clear, actionable recommendations for the team. Constantly seeks opportunities to serve students better and streamline administrative operations. 

• Plans and executes community-related programming such as welcome events, end of term events, sub-community sessions, lunches, dinners, and other programming that brings the community together. In total, supports ~30-40 events throughout the academic year in close collaboration with the Events and Operations teams, who lead event production and logistics. 

• Designs, launches, and manages student-facing initiatives that bridge the gap between HIL and the broader student community, such as a Student Ambassador program. Recruits, onboards, and supports student ambassadors and other student leaders to extend the reach of i-lab programs across campus. 

• Manages and supports the administration and execution of new programs/ community engagement opportunities: cross-university innovation mixers, collaborations with Harvard stakeholders (student clubs), and external partners (AWS NextGen). 

• Manages and oversees the Ingenuity Award program as part of the President’s Innovation Challenge, including timeline, application process, venture evaluation process, and supporting programming such as pitch practice. 

Marketing, Communication, and Operations for Student Membership Community:  

• Develops and executes strategy to effectively communicate opportunities, events, resources, and applications to students while managing the overall editorial calendar for Student i-lab Member communications (in partnership with HIL marketing + communications team). Gathers useful information and resources for students, synthesizes and writes clear outputs that drive information and attendance, such as newsletters, event promotions, engagement tracking and RSVPs.  

• Serves as the primary liaison for the student track of the President’s Innovation Challenge (PIC) and Ingenuity Award finalists. Manages direct communications with the student finalist teams to gather promotional materials and share detailed workshops and schedules. Plans Ingenuity Award-specific programming (pitch sessions, orientation, finalist announcement, etc.). 

• Tracks engagement in student workshops and events: event registrations, attendance, and student surveys.  

• Supports the creation and execution of marketing collateral from the student perspective and makes recommendations for content based on student feedback (handouts, guides, videos, decks and presentations) 

Other: 

• Represents HIL at internal and external events; leads or moderates founder panels, club meetings, attends ecosystem gathering across Harvard and Boston as a representative of the student i-lab. 

• Builds and nurtures close collaborations with teams across HIL, including Advising, Network Engagement, Marketing + Creative, Technology, Operations, and ensures that community initiatives are aligned and coordinated on objectives. Implement repeatable processes that work well for all involved. Supports additional HIL projects, operations, and events as needed. 

• May manage and prioritize the workload, performance management, and professional development of interns. 

• Build trust and collaboration by being present on-site and engaging directly with colleagues and various constituents.

• Other duties as assigned. 

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• High School Diploma, GED, or equivalent is required.
• 5+ years of experience in administrative support role(s) is required.
• Education beyond high school may count toward experience.
• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) experience is a must.

Additional Qualifications and Skills:

• Community engagement, student support, program management, or related experience. 

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.

• Demonstrated customer service skills.

• An individual who is naturally outgoing and has a positive attitude. Someone who can work well with others and build relationships across teams. 

• Good with people’s names, stories and, making connections. 

• Must possess superior communication skills with high creativity, energy, integrity, thoughtful judgement. 

• The position requires a high level of organization and proactivity, paired with strong problem-solving skills. The role requires you to work independently but have the judgement to know when to ask for help or clarification. 

• An individual who can learn various technology systems quickly and thinks carefully about how to best use the tools to get the job done. Someone comfortable learning university software and systems such as Salesforce, MIDAS, SurveyMonkey Apply. 

• Ability to perform in a fast-paced and demanding workplace, with a high standard of excellence and keen attention to detail. 

• Experience designing and executing community or membership communications (e.g., newsletters, campaigns, or multi-channel outreach) preferred  

• Comfort analyzing basic data and trends (e.g., surveys, participation data, dashboards) to inform decisions and improve programs. 

Working Conditions:

• Ability to work occasional extra hours as well as a flexible schedule, to meet deadlines and oversee and/or attend evening events. 

Additional Information

• Standard Hours/Schedule: 40 hours per week, overtime eligible position
• Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position
• Pre-Employment Screening: Identity
• Other Information:
  • This is a hybrid position which we consider to be a combination of remote and onsite work at our Boston, MA based campus. HBS expects all staff to be onsite a minimum of 3 days per week and departments provide onsite coverage Monday – Friday. Specific hours and days onsite will be determined by business needs and are subject to change with appropriate advanced notice.
  • We may conduct candidate interviews virtually (phone and/or via Zoom) and/or in person for this role.
  • A cover letter is required to be considered for this opportunity.

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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 055. 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.

Salary Grade: 055