Development Assistant, Priorities and Initiatives

Reporting to the Senior Director of Priorities and Initiatives, this full-time non-exempt position in the University Development Office supports the work of the Senior Director and Senior Associate Director. The Development Assistant serves as principal administrative contact and liaison for external and internal constituencies including donors, alumni, faculty, senior academic leaders, and Harvard University colleagues.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

• Provide general administrative support, efficiently responding to phone and email inquiries. Assist managers with managing projects, tasks and workflow.

• Schedule meetings and update managers on all schedule changes and progress frequently. Anticipate and resolve scheduling conflicts and proactively review calendars with managers to ensure key deadlines can be met. Anticipate agenda needs and initiate their development and distribution.

• Draft a high volume of correspondence, contact reports, meeting agendas, and memos. Manage correspondence, memos, and reports using Harvard’s donor database, Advance. Provide general internet research and data gathering. 

• Create and format reports from database utilizing Microsoft excel. Take notes and capture action items in meetings.

• Support managers with frontline duties as needed by scheduling meetings and appointments, drafting external correspondence, briefing preparation, and managing next steps. 

• Create system for managing tasks and confirm their priority and status with manager regularly. 

• Make travel arrangements for managers or others as needed, including booking travel and accommodations, managing trip itineraries and scheduling appointments, confirming meetings and locations, assisting with briefing preparation and troubleshooting during days of travel or with appointments as needed. Prepare detailed expense reports and ensure trip/prospect meeting follow up is completed, including preparing debriefs and updating the Advance database. 

• Process and book complex, high-level gifts through proper channels. Inform fundraisers of completed gifts and communicate with colleagues to ensure accurate stewardship.

• Manage and maintain team information, resources and materials in centrally, staff-accessible locations such as Harvard’s intranet the Source and Microsoft SharePoint. 

• Cultivate favorable relationships and work closely throughout the year with other AA&D departments, including Events, Research, and others, as well as senior leaders and faculty, and partners across the university.

• Contribute to team effort by accomplishing related tasks and special projects as needed.

• May be asked to provide additional support for the broader University Development team during times of peak activity or staff transition. Works closely with other members of the support team to advance the goals of the department.

• The above covers the most significant responsibilities of the position. It does not, however, exclude other duties, the inclusion of which would be in conformity with the level of the position.