Assistant Director, Operations, MBA Admissions & Financial Aid

Job Summary: The Assistant Director, Operations for Admissions and Financial Aid serves as the technical and systems lead for the MBA Admissions and Financial Aid teams. Reporting to the Director, Operations and partnering closely with the Director, Financial Aid, this position oversees the systems, applications, data flows, and operational processes that support recruitment, application review, interview and evaluation activities, financial aid administration, and student-facing programs.  The role combines advanced Slate administration, application and workflow design, systems integration, data security, project leadership, and cross-functional consultation. The Assistant Director translates business and program needs into secure, sustainable technical solutions; serves as a trusted thought partner to senior leaders; and coordinates work across Admissions, Financial Aid, MBA IT, Technolutions, and other MBA and Harvard partners. The position routinely handles highly confidential Level 4 data and exercises independent judgment in protecting information, managing access, and resolving complex operational and technical issues.  Job-Specific Responsibilities: Strategic Operations and Systems Leadership  • Lead technical and systems strategy across MBA Admissions and Financial Aid, aligning platform capabilities with program priorities and annual operating cycles.  • Serve as the primary technology lead and main point of contact for HBS IT and Technolutions on upgrades, system requests, issue resolution, and longer-term improvements.  • Translate operational requirements into scalable workflows, forms, portals, reports, and processes across Admissions Slate, Financial Aid Slate, PowerFaids, the student information system, and related platforms.  • Lead cross-team planning for projects involving Outreach, Evaluation, Yield, Financial Aid, Joint Programs, Career and Professional Development, External Relations, and other MBA departments.  • Evaluate emerging technologies and serve as a resource on responsible use of automation and AI-enabled tools in Admissions operations.  Admissions Application and Evaluation Operations  • Lead all phases of the MBA and 2+2 application lifecycle, including annual design, creation, testing, updates, release, decision notification, and ongoing maintenance.  • Oversee application processing and the supporting workflows for applicants, Admissions Board readers, interviewers, and observers.  • Manage the technical and operational components of the interview and observer process, including forms, schedules, pairing, communications, Zoom observer logistics, system troubleshooting, training, and report tracking.  • Manage Slate rules and conduct the annual review of rules, workflows, permissions, portals, and related configuration to ensure that they remain accurate and effective.  • Oversee application fee waiver requests, testing and English-language score processing, transcript and employment verification queries, fraud-report workflows, and related application operations.  Financial Aid Technology and Operations  • Oversee the technical and data infrastructure supporting MBA Financial Aid, including the Financial Aid application, Certification of Finances, Scholarship Calculator, Complementary Fellowships, Career Support, and related forms and portals.  • Partner with the Director, Financial Aid and the Director, Operations to identify and implement solutions that improve the student and staff experience while maintaining operational and data integrity.  • Coordinate with MBA IT on the design, testing, and launch of major Financial Aid applications and annual cycle preparation activities.  • Manage integrations and data exchanges among Financial Aid Slate, Admissions Slate, PowerFaids, th