Director of Program Operations, Data, & Systems, MBA Program

Job Summary:
The Director of Program Operations, Data, & Systems provides leadership for an integrated portfolio of academic program operations, data and analytics, and business systems supporting the Harvard Business School MBA Program. Reporting to the Managing Director, Registrar, this role leads through senior functional managers and is responsible for translating MBA Program and Registrar's Office priorities into coordinated plans, aligning resources and work across teams, and ensuring strong execution and operational performance.
The Director is a systems-oriented leader who connects people, processes, data, and technology to improve delivery of the MBA academic program and the student and faculty experience. The role provides senior business-side leadership for systems transformation and serves as a key representative of MBA academic program priorities in partnership with HBS IT and School leadership. The Director leads continuous improvement and transformation across the portfolio and develops the organizational and analytical capabilities required to support increasingly data-informed operations and decision-making.
As a member of the Registrar's Office leadership team, the Director builds and develops a high-performing, collaborative organization capable of delivering reliable core operations while adapting to changing program needs and advancing strategic priorities.
Job-Specific Responsibilities:
Team Leadership & Execution
Lead and develop the Program Operations, Data, and Systems team through two senior functional leaders, establishing clear priorities, accountability, and expectations for performance while strengthening leadership and organizational capability.
Translate MBA Program and Registrar's Office strategy into coordinated priorities, work plans, and resource decisions; align work across teams and actively manage dependencies, competing priorities, and execution risks.
Foster a culture of strong execution, collaboration, continuous improvement, and accountability; exercise judgment and provide leadership on complex issues, ensuring timely decision-making, escalation, and resolution.
Academic Program Operations & Continuous Improvement
Provide leadership and oversight for core academic program and course operations, ensuring reliable, efficient, and student- and faculty-centered delivery of critical MBA services and processes.
Lead ongoing evaluation and redesign of business processes, workflows, service models, and organizational practices to improve quality, efficiency, scalability, and stakeholder experience.
Apply a systems perspective to identify connections and opportunities across operations, policy, data, technology, and organizational processes, leading improvements from problem definition through implementation and assessment.
Business Systems & Transformation
Provide senior business-side leadership for major systems and digitally enabled transformation initiatives affecting the MBA academic program, translating program strategy and priorities into future-state capabilities, business requirements, and implementation priorities.
Represent Registrar's Office and MBA academic program priorities in senior-level technology and transformation planning, partnering with HBS IT to evaluate opportunities and tradeoffs, shape priorities and recommendations, and ensure alignment among MBA needs, user experience, and broader HBS technology direction.
Lead the business transformation required to realize the value of technology investments, integrating systems implementation with process and operating-model redesign, organizational readiness, change management, adoption, and measures of success.
Data, Analytics & Decision Support
Provide strategic direction and leadership for the academic data and analytics function, ensuring the team delivers high-quality, accessible, and actionable information to support program operations, curricular and faculty planning, academic policy, and strategic decision-making.
Establish priorities and expectations for data quality, stewardship, reporting, analytics, and access; develop the team's capabilities and ensure effective partnership with functional stakeholders and HBS technology and data partners.
Enable the team to advance real-time data, analytics, automation, and emerging capabilities that improve operational management, identify trends and opportunities, support timely interventions, and strengthen data-informed planning and decision-making.
Strategic Partnership & Integrated Planning
Serve as a member of the Registrar's Office leadership team, contributing to organizational strategy, resource planning, priority setting, and development of capabilities required to support the evolving MBA Program.
Build strong partnerships across MBA and HBS to anticipate needs, coordinate initiatives, resolve cross-functional issues, and align program operations, data, and systems priorities.
Represent the Registrar's Office in appropriate cross-functional planning and transformation efforts and maintain effective partnerships with HBS IT, University colleagues, and other stakeholders.
Build trust and collaboration by being present on-site and engaging directly with colleagues and various constituents.
Other duties as assigned.
Basic Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required
Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in complex program operations, data and analytics, business systems, or a related environment, including significant management experience.
Demonstrated experience leading managers and multidisciplinary teams and delivering results in a complex, highly collaborative organization.
Additional Qualifications and Skills:
Exceptional people leader with demonstrated success developing managers and teams, establishing clear accountability, managing competing priorities, and creating a high-performing and collaborative culture.
Strong systems thinker and problem solver, with demonstrated ability to understand and improve relationships among organizational strategy, operations, processes, data, technology, and stakeholder experience.
Significant experience using data and analytics to improve operations, evaluate performance, identify opportunities, and support strategic decision-making.
Demonstrated success leading complex process, systems, or organizational transformation and associated change management.
Ability to translate business and program needs into capabilities and requirements and to partner effectively with technology, data, and functional experts; direct technical development experience is not required.
Strong judgment and demonstrated ability to make decisions, resolve complex issues, manage risk, and appropriately escalate matters with broader organizational implications.
Exceptional communication, collaboration, and stakeholder-management skills, including the ability to influence and lead effectively across organizational boundaries.
Experience in higher education or another complex, mission-driven organization preferred.

Employment type
Full-time

Work arrangement
Hybrid