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Harvard Summer School Student Activities Office Program Assistant

Harvard University - Faculty of Arts and Sciences
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Information for 2025 Harvard Summer School SAO Program Assistant Applicants

Harvard Summer School (HSS) seeks multiple Program Assistants for the Student Activities Office for the summer session in 2025. Serving a diverse population of students, the Student Activities Office (SAO) provides engaging opportunities across specialty areas, such as: film nights, health and wellness, off-campus trips, publicity, special events, athletics, college readiness workshops, virtual college admissions programming, and virtual volunteering.   

Harvard Summer School is a rigorous and enriching summer experience with course offerings across several Programs. The SAO plans an extensive series of events and activities for HSS students in the following Programs:  

  • The General Program (GP) enrolls adult and college students in credit-bearing courses of 3 weeks, 4 weeks, or 7 weeks in duration. GP students come to the Summer School for many different reasons; they may be pursuing a degree, exploring a new area of interest, or advancing their careers.  
  • The Pre-College Program (Pre-College) offers 3 sessions of non-credit, two-week, college-level courses for high school students. It provides students an introduction to life in college through a structure of daily class meetings, college readiness skill-building workshops, academic exploration lectures, and community-building activities and social events. 
  • The Secondary School Program (SSP) enrolls high school students in credit-bearing courses of 4 weeks or 7 weeks in duration. The SSP offers students an introduction to the autonomy that characterizes the first year of college, with variable class meeting schedules and the freedom to choose how to allocate time to studying, skill-building, socializing, and more.  

Position Description

Reporting to the Assistant Director of Student Engagement and Residential Life, the SAO Program Assistants coordinate the smooth execution of in-person and virtual SAO Programming, staff SAO events, and develop engaging publicity materials for HSS activities. Program Assistants work closely as a team to manage logistics and implementation of SAO programming, maintain a safe and inclusive environment, and support the HSS and SAO operations. Through valuable project management experience, SAO Program Assistants oversee a critical part of Harvard Summer School operations.

Responsibilities

  1. Manage logistics and implementation of SAO Programming
  • Serve as the primary coordinator and point of contact for 1 or more specialty areas, such as: athletics, college admissions programming, college readiness programming, film series, health and wellness activities, off-campus excursions, publicity, special events, virtual visits with local museums, public service and virtual volunteer opportunities, and others
  • Manage Blackthorn (program management tool) event site details and upkeep
  • Coordinate event logistics to deliver a seamless student and facilitator experience. Logistics include registration, speaker preparation, participant communications, event/Zoom setup, hosting, post-event surveys, and other tasks
  • Organize and execute original weekly programming 
  • Provide staff support for SAO activities
  • Manage Proctor staff assigned to SAO events
  1. Maintain a Safe and Inclusive Environment
  • Foster a welcoming, respectful, and supportive community among all participants
  • Report incidents that occur during activities, events, or check-in, to your supervisor
  • Contribute as part of a team to a vibrant and productive office culture that thrives in the fast-paced HSS environment
  1. Support Harvard Summer School and SAO Program Administration 
  • Conduct trainings tailored to your specialty area for event chaperones 
  • Attend and participate in weekly staff meetings 
  • Develop and distribute activities assessment tools 
  • Other responsibilities as assigned

Commitment

  • Hours: Full-time position (~40 hours/week) with certain weekends and evenings required. Half-time applicants may be considered.
  • All Staff Orientation: Please mark your calendars for this mandatory pre-summer orientation taking place on Friday, June 6, 2025, from 11:30am-1:00pm.
  • Virtual Training: Mandatory training starting Thursday June 12 and Friday, June 13. Time TBD 
  • Dates in Residence: Noon Monday, June 16 through 2:00pm on Saturday, August 9
  • In-person Training: Full-day in-person training beginning Monday, June 16 – Friday, June 20
  • Outside Commitments: Pending approval from the Assistant Director of Student Engagement and Residential Life, SAO staff may be permitted to hold another significant commitment (i.e. part-time job, course) outside of their SAO duties. Enrollment in no more than one 4-credit HSS course is permitted.

Qualifications

We invite applications from undergraduate students and recent graduates with a demonstrated interest in student engagement. Incumbents may be enrolled in no more than one 4-credit course at Harvard Summer School. We seek candidates with interpersonal and communication skills, flexibility, organization and time management, a good sense of humor, and technical skills relevant to the role.

Note: As a condition of employment, all SAO staff must provide immunization records and complete Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) and Sex Offender Registry Information (SORI) background checks in order to complete the hiring process. Program Assistants must also complete several online training modules prior to assuming duties, including modules on Title IX policy, the safety and protection of minors, mental health, non-discrimination and anti-bullying policy, and more.

Compensation

  • Room and board for the full summer term (Monday, June 16 – Saturday, August 9)
  • Payment: $4,000 (2024); Amount for 2025 to be determined.

Application

  • Priority Application Deadline: Submit an application online via the Harvard Summer School SAO Jobs Application Form by Monday, February 3, 2025. Applications received after the priority deadline may be considered on an as-needed basis.
  • Position: Applicants apply for one SAO position but can also indicate an interest in an alternate position in the Student Activities Office. 
  • Materials: Prepare a brief resume and cover letter that describe relevant education and experience.
  • Interviews: Interviews and final selection will be carried out in February and March. For more information, see the Summer School Opportunities website (opportunities.summer.harvard.edu) or contact Kim Calnan (serl@summer.harvard.edu).