Public Health Registrar

By working at Harvard University, you join a vibrant community that advances Harvard's world-changing mission in meaningful ways, inspires innovation and collaboration, and builds skills and expertise. Chan School of Public Health?

Chan School of Public Health is a world-renowned institution dedicated to advancing public health through cutting-edge research, education, and global collaboration. Our school is a special place to work because of its vibrant, mission-driven community, interdisciplinary approach, and commitment to addressing some of the most pressing health challenges worldwide. Learn more about the School’s mission, objectives, and core values, our Principles of Citizenship, and about the Dean’s AAA vision about our school’s ongoing strategic initiatives.

The Registrar provides strategic, operational, and service leadership for all registrar functions at the Harvard T.Chan School of Public Health. The Registrar oversees academic records, registration and enrollment, course and classroom scheduling, grading, degree certification, and compliance with University, School, and external regulations. Working within a decentralized academic environment, the Registrar serves as a key connector across academic departments, central University partners, and offices within the Student Services division.

Reporting to the Associate Dean for Student Services, the Registrar is a key member of the Student Services leadership team and a critical partner to faculty, departmental administrators, and colleagues across the School and University. This role is responsible for managing a skilled and experienced team, including direct supervision of two Senior Associate Registrars and seven total professional and administrative staff, through significant transition and change; leading the implementation and refinement of robust degree auditing infrastructures within My.and nurturing a student-centered service culture that prioritizes equity, clarity, and responsiveness at every point of contact. Guide the office through significant operational and technological change, including new system implementations and evolving service delivery methods, while maintaining team morale, clarity of purpose, and high performance. conduct regular performance planning, goal setting, and review. Build team capacity through cross-training and documentation, ensuring operational continuity and resilience.

Partnership with Departmental Academic Administrators

Build strong, trust-based partnerships with departmental and program-level academic administrators who manage program-specific academic oversight. Convene regular meetings or working groups with departmental partners to coordinate on registration, degree progress, course planning, and policy implementation. Ensure the Registrar's Office serves as a reliable, accessible, and consistent resource for students, faculty, and departmental administrators navigating registrar processes and policy questions. Participate in onboarding and ongoing training for departmental academic administrators, ensuring they have the knowledge and system access needed to serve students effectively within the decentralized model.

Enrollment Management and Data Analytics

Lead efforts to enhance the Registrar's Office contribution to enrollment management by developing and maintaining robust, accurate, and timely reporting on student enrollment, registration, retention, and degree progress. Build and maintain enrollment dashboards and standard reports that support decision-making by the Dean's Office, Student Services leadership, and departmental administrators. Partner with the Directors of Admissions and Financial Aid, and other Student Services colleagues to support enrollment planning, yield analysis, and early intervention for students showing signs of academic difficulty. Ensure that enrollment data submitted to external parties, accreditors, and federal and state agencies, is complete, accurate, and timely. Proactively identify opportunities to use data to improve student outcomes, streamline operations, and inform policy development.

Serve as an informed, empathetic resource for students navigating complex academic situations, including medical leaves, program transfers, academic standing concerns, and degree completion challenges. Standardize and continuously improve service practices, including communication protocols, response times, FAQs, self-service tools, and front-line staff training. Review and refine student-facing processes, including registration, grading, and records requests, to improve clarity and expand self-service options where appropriate. This includes continuous review and improvement on online content, forms, and resources. Collaborate on integrated student communications, orientations, and information sessions related to registration, academic progress, and graduation. Establish feedback mechanisms to regularly assess student satisfaction with registrar services and identify opportunities for improvement.

Strategic Planning and Cross-Office Collaboration

Collaborate closely with Student Services colleagues in Financial Aid, Student Affairs, Harvard International Office, and Harvard University Health Services, to coordinate processes and provide a seamless student experience during challenging enrollment transitions. Partner with the Dean's Office and Finance on matters relating to enrollment reporting and revenue, student fees, and academic calendar.

Academic Records, Registration, and Policy Administration

Oversee the integrity, accuracy, and security of student academic records in compliance with FERPA, University policy, and other applicable regulations. Direct all registration and enrollment processes (e.g., term setup, add/drop, withdrawals, leaves of absence, cross-registration), ensuring clear communication and high-quality service to students, faculty, and staff. Serve as the School's lead for implementing, maintaining, and optimizing a comprehensive degree audit infrastructure within My.Develop documentation, training, and communication strategies to support effective use. Manage all academic record functions, including grading, incomplete grades, leaves of absence, withdrawals, and transfer and waiver credit; coordinate calendarized reviews of satisfactory academic progress. Serve as the School's primary authority on academic policies related to registration, records, grading, academic standing, and degree requirements; ensure FERPA compliance and provide guidance and training to colleagues. Partner with Academic Affairs, the Dean's Office, and faculty committees to support the review, development, and communication of academic policy; manage academic calendar development in coordination with relevant University offices. Represent the Chan School in University-wide registrar communities of practice, including the Harvard Registrar Council and relevant my.Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required

Minimum of 8 years’ relevant work experience

Master’s degree in relevant field preferred

Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible experience in registrar or related academic administration roles, with at least 3 years in a supervisory capacity.

Working knowledge of student information systems; Harvard, PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, or a comparable enterprise system is strongly preferred.

Deep knowledge of FERPA and best practices in student records management and academic policy administration.

MS Excel, data visualization tools, such as Tableau, Oracle

PeopleSoft Campus Solutions

Anticipate emerging needs for the School, leading the team through ambiguity, competing priorities, and evolving expectations. Collaborative Partnership: Enthusiasm for working across organizational boundaries and building relationships grounded in trust, respect, and shared purpose.

Systems Thinking: Ability to understand how workflows, policies, processes, data, and people interact, and to design thoughtful solutions that serve students. Equity Lens: Consistent attention to whether policies and practices serve all students equitably, with willingness to examine and address barriers.

Harvard University is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position

Chan School of Public Health to support our mission of health research and education, and to be a part of the oldest institution of higher learning in the country!

--------------------Chan School of Public Health does not provide visa sponsorship, now or in the future, for staff positions.

Harvard University requires pre-employment reference checks and background screenings.

The health of our workforce is a priority for Harvard University. 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. 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. Please visit Harvard's Salary Ranges to view the corresponding salary range and related information.

Harvard offers a comprehensive benefits package that is designed to support a healthy work-life balance and your physical, mental and financial wellbeing. Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one

Retirement plans with university contributions

Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement

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.

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