Senior Human Resources Consultant

Position Description

Harvard University's Central Administration is a 5,000+ employee organization that supports the university's overall excellence by understanding and serving the needs of its schools, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and surrounding communities. Through dynamic and collaborative partnerships, Central Administration provides high-quality and efficient services to the schools to help them achieve their goals. The Senior Human Resources Consultant will join a dynamic HR team supporting Harvard Alumni Affairs and Development (AA&D). AA&D is a dedicated team of 400 staff members who foster relationships with alumni, parents, and friends of Harvard through roles involving fundraising, alumni and volunteer engagement, technology, events, and communications, as well as many other areas.


Reporting to the Senior Director of Human Resources and Talent Planning, this role serves as an HR consultant to their primary client, Alumni Affairs and Development and may also support various HR needs for Harvard Public Affairs and Communications.

• Provide technical guidance, consulting, and problem resolution for human resources related issues.
• Consult with department leaders, managers, and employees on employee relation issues.
• Coach department leaders and managers in performance management, employee relations, retention, career development and compensation.
• Advise, interpret, communicate, and participate in the development of HR policies, practices, and processes.
• Manage salary administration for new hires, reclassifications, reorganizations, and special projects.
• Manage compensation activities including conducting equity reviews of all staff; ensure that any contractual increases are implemented accurately and on time.
• Partners with AA&D Talent Management Team on various initiatives related to employee engagement, onboarding, learning, development, and mobility.
• Manage and implement the annual merit increase and bonus process.
• Provide specialized research, data analytics, and reporting to inform decision-making.
• Function as subject matter expert or project lead on various AA&D and HPAC programs.
• May collaborate with a centralized HR function to provide service.
• Ensure compliance with University Human Resources policies, procedures, and requirements and applicable legal regulations
• Collaborate with department leaders and managers to actively diagnose, develop, and lead organizational development strategies and drive them to results.
• Support managers in forecasting and planning their talent pipeline requirements in line with their department strategy.
• Acts as a Resource Coordinator for Title IX issues and a Local Resource Coordinator for Non-Discrimination and Bullying issues, which includes staying updated on all factors of the laws and Harvard's procedures.
• Maintain current knowledge of progressive HR practices and key trends.
• Effectively implement the delivery of HR programs initiated by HHR
• Understand all HR Services being developed and brokers those services as appropriate
• Participates in all team meetings and other projects as assigned.

Key Competencies

• Solid business acumen; understands the business that they are working within
• Ability to initiate strategies that serve the long-term need of the organization; think strategically/

  About Harvard University Administration

  Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders in many disciplines who make a difference globally. The University, which is based in Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts, has an enrollment of over 20,000 degree candidates, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Harvard has more than 360,000 alumni around the world. The University has twelve degree-granting Schools in addition to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, offering a truly global education. Established in 1636, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States.

  Connections working at Harvard University Administration