About Harvard Student Agencies
HSA was founded in 1957 on the ideal of financing education through student employment. With Harvard's tuition on the rise, members of the Financial Aid Office were concerned that the increased cost of higher education would adversely affect the social and economic make-up of those applying to Harvard. At the same time, some ambitious students were running small-scale businesses out of their dorm rooms. By using Harvard's facilities to operate their businesses, these entrepreneurs jeopardized the college’s nonprofit tax exemption. John Munro '35, Dean of Financial Aid, assigned Dustin M. Burke '52, Director of Student Employment, to investigate student businesses as a possible source of financial aid and to begin developing the idea that would become Harvard Student Agencies.
Later that spring, a meeting with student managers revealed considerable interest in the idea of a corporation, and more concrete plans began to emerge. With an initial capital investment of $7,000 and the acquisition of the rights to provide the weekly linen service traditionally offered by the college, HSA was equipped to carry its corporate overhead. The remaining pieces quickly fell into place. In August 1957, the papers authorizing a new company were filed. On September 10, the new corporation's first meeting was held. On December 13, 1957, the charter was signed recognizing the six original incorporators: John Munro, Dustin Burke, Greg Stone, John Giannetti, Theodore Elliot, and Harold Rosenwald.
Since 1957, HSA has experienced astronomical growth. Today, HSA employs more than 60 student managers, 700 undergraduates as team members, runs nine agencies, and is having a record-breaking year with more than $10 million in revenue.
While the emphasis for the management team has shifted from an entrepreneurial experience to a more managerial mindset, new HSA programs are continually conceived and implemented to help foster the innovative and creative spirit so many Harvard students possess. HSA has remained dedicated to financing education through student employment while, at the same time, ensuring the quality of the jobs offered at HSA. Each of the nine agencies is run by a team of student managers who are responsible for the budgeting, sales, and everyday operation of their agencies. The permanent staff gives advice and assistance in managing the corporation.
HSA’s Mission is to educate, empower, and inspire Harvard College students with meaningful employment opportunities and hands-on business experience.
To learn more about Harvard Student Agencies, go to www.hsa.net.
The Opportunity
Harvard Student Agencies seeks a dynamic, dedicated, and driven Chief Executive Officer & General Manager to assume oversight for the continued success and growth of the 66-year-old organization. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the CEO/GM will be an experienced, visionary, compassionate, and entrepreneurial leader with extensive management experience and a commitment to the experiential learning mission of the organization.
The CEO/GM will be responsible for stewarding the mission of HSA and setting organizational direction along with student leaders, Board members, alumni, and colleagues at Harvard. The successful candidate will have a solid background in business and financial management, a true excitement and interest in working with college students, and a desire to help educate Harvard students about the business world and business careers. HSA has 100% student turnover each year so the CEO/GM must be a leader who thrives on change and is highly skilled in building relationships.
The CEO/GM has responsibility for all legal entities that make up HSA and leads the ongoing assessment of the financial health and market viability of HSA agencies and new entrepreneurial ventures. The CEO/GM’s primary role is to build and maintain the infrastructure to sustain the organization and agencies, ensuring the quality of services and the student experience, overseeing the fiscal and legal integrity of HSA. The CEO/GM supervises a full-time professional staff of 7 with responsibility for elevating their performance. The CEO/GM plays a vital role mentoring the student team at HSA, serving as trainer and coach for both staff and students, guiding them in how to carry out their responsibilities with a high degree of professionalism, and educating them on business skills to support the agencies.
The CEO/GM serves as the liaison between HSA and the college, working closely with the Office of the Dean, Dean for Student Life, Office of Career Services, Admissions and Financial Aid and with the Alumni and Development Offices. The CEO/GM serves as primary external ambassador of the organization ensuring strategic collaboration with Harvard colleagues, community partners, donors, and HSA Alumni.
Candidate Profile
Management and Mentorship
- Coach and support student managers who should have the primary role in managing all aspects of their businesses.
- Oversee efforts to recruit, retain, develop, and engage staff and student talent which will result in a stable, motivated, positive, and collaborative team.
- High-energy, charismatic leader who will serve as a support and coach to student leaders.
- Advise student leaders on their overall well-being and educational requirements, providing support and mentorship to students in their roles as student leaders.
- Manage the development and direct the implementation of administrative and programmatic goals, key objectives, activities, and policies; lead and be responsible for ongoing planning processes; and execute and monitor implementation.
- Manage HSA’s performance including direct and/or indirect supervision of staff and student leaders including hiring, training, staff development and performance.
- Build trust with staff and students, establish clarity on roles, responsibilities, and targeted outcomes.
- Oversee efforts to ensure effective communication and information sharing with team members at all levels.
- Plan for the next generation of student leaders including the development of succession plans for essential roles.
Strategy, Vision, & Entrepreneurial Leadership
- Provide visionary and strategic leadership; oversee a strategic planning and implementation process; align the HSA team and student leaders to strategic priorities that contribute to operational objectives.
- Work in close partnership with HSA Board, subcommittees, and student leadership to advance the organization’s mission.
- Working with the HSA staff and student leadership to implement strategies to assess and meet short- and long-term needs of the agencies and evaluate the progress of those strategies.
- Work with student leaders to develop and maintain strong relations with the HSA staff team and create exceptional learning opportunities for all HSA students.
- Collaborate with college leadership supporting the work of HSA and continued success with each agency.
- Inspire the staff and student leaders to push the organization forward in a collaborative manner.
- An innovative leader, the CEO/GM will offer creative ideas to adapt and diversify HSA’s offerings and programs to address the changing needs of students.
- Results-oriented leader with a record of achieving and exceeding goals for organizational growth with the drive and passion to remain at the forefront of the sector and continue to develop new and unique opportunities to serve the agencies.
- Embody entrepreneurial ambition and have demonstrated experience leading a services business during a period of expansion.
Operations, Finance, Administration
- Develop and establish an annual budget for HSA and for individual agencies, monitor performance against HSA’s operating plan. Align budgets with an annual plan that includes the core activities HSA will undertake and how they will be financed.
- Oversee the agencies and services and evaluate their effectiveness to ensure desired outcomes; develop milestones and metrics for agency evaluation and student leadership.
- Approve and monitor expenditures; analyze budget performance reports to track internal progress and forecast expenses for remaining periods, providing financial guidance; interpret and assess trends and formulate plans to balance expenditures.
- Manage and administer contracts and continuously monitor and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery methods and procedures; assess and monitor their workload, administrative and support systems, and internal reporting relationships; identify opportunities for quality improvement and identify and direct the implementation of needed change.
- Understand HSA’s finances, interpret them for student leaders, and, together with the Board, staff, and students, communicate HSA's financial accountability to the overall community.
Partnerships and Collaboration
- The CEO/GM will be effective at managing and building partnerships and collaboration across the college including with Harvard Dean’s, Admissions, Alumni Office, and Finance.
- Partner closely with the committed HSA leadership, including the Board, sub-committees, HSA Alumni, community leaders, as well as with other external partners.
- Maintain, strengthen, and build strategic public, private, philanthropic, and community partnerships to maximize the work of HSA.
- Develop and maintain relationships with community partners, college leaders, and other stakeholders to advance the mission and work of HSA.
- Serve as a key representative for internal and external contacts, promoting the mission and role of HSA in the community; represent HSA on committees.
- Proven background in building upon an existing business plan and encouraging others to envision where the organization is heading.
Passion for the Mission
- Passion and commitment for Harvard Student Agencies unique mission, history, and its work and draw inspiration from the Harvard community.
- Ability to clearly envision how their role contributes to the greater agencies mission of cultivating and sustaining a positive experience for students, staff, and fellow leaders in the college’s administration.
- Reflecting HSA’s values, the CEO/GM will embody unquestioned integrity and ethics and inspire others to lead with respect and empathy. In alignment with the HSA’s mission, this leader will bring a demonstrated record of supporting and driving initiatives to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and a sense of belonging to continue enhancing the experience of every member of this community.
Qualifications and Preferred Experience
The successful candidate will bring many of the following qualifications and attributes:
- Demonstrated capacity to lead and implement strategic business plans, to manage organizational change, and to seize opportunities for growth.
- This position requires candidates to possess a minimum of 8 years’ management experience within a complex enterprise.
- An undergraduate degree is required.
- A proven track record in providing effective leadership within a large, complex organization with sophisticated business processes, an understanding of governance and reporting guidelines.
- An executive with a track record of leading transformational change within diversified, multi-market, multi-business organizations and financial functions, as well as within a rapidly shifting marketplace.
- A poised and confident persona with exceptional and highly developed communication skills. This individual must bring the savvy, poise and gravitas that will instantly evoke confidence and allow effective interactions with students, leadership, college leaders, and other senior stakeholders.
- Proven success in a non-hierarchical organization, which has an educational dimension to its activities.
- Experience building and scaling new businesses in a variety of industries. This should include ventures in e-commerce, with specific emphasis on customer service and new product development.
- Demonstrated ability to be a successful mentor as well as an understanding of what makes mentoring programs successful.
- Direct experience working with an actively engaged board of a results-oriented organization.
- Relevant experience as an advocate for an organization, addressing relevant audiences and interacting effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.
- Demonstrated moral and ethical leadership coupled with a deep commitment to education and the values of the Harvard community.
- The personal stature, credibility, and maturity to earn the trust and confidence of students, board, staff, and key constituencies in the Dean’s office and across the college.
- A flexible generalist who is collaborative and results-oriented, respecting the capabilities and independence of staff members while holding them accountable to the highest standards.
- An excellent listener and facilitator who can also act decisively and with a sense of urgency when strong action is called for, exercising sound judgment, and performing well under pressure.
- Energy, personal integrity, resilience, and stamina for the task at hand; personal grace and good humor in leading the day-to-day work of the organization; and a steady temperament in dealing with a broad spectrum of personalities.
- The successful candidate will have the capacity to harness the energies and potential of an established organization and provide the direction to lead it to a new level of success.
Compensation & Benefits
COMPENSATION AND INCOME PROTECTION
Harvard offers competitive base pay and several forms of income protection while you are working and when you retire, including a best-in-class University-funded retirement plan. Salary for the role is currently anticipated to range from $180,000 - $195,000 commensurate with qualifications and experience.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
The University offers comprehensive medical and dental coverage for you and your family, and much more. Our highly subsidized health and welfare benefits reflect an approach built around people, with a deep respect for their differences and needs. For instance, Harvard offers benefits to part-time staff and graduated health insurance premiums based on income.
GROWTH, LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT
A career at Harvard can be linear or less traditional. While everyone who comes to work at Harvard has their own motivations, most would tell you it has to do with the opportunity to grow and excel. Harvard today is focused on helping its employees become “future-ready”–technologically literate, open to a global perspective and ready to support and advance the University’s evolving mission. Harvard encourages lifelong learning, and our Tuition Assistance and Tuition Reimbursement Programs can help finance courses at Harvard as well as job-related courses at other institutions. Our Center for Workplace Development offers abundant employer-paid professional development opportunities, both in-person and online.
QUALITY OF LIFE
Harvard provides resources to help you balance work and life, including generous time off, an Employee Assistance Program and access to Harvard’s athletic facilities and recreation programs. The University’s beautiful, historic campus offers a vibrant and exciting work environment. Your Harvard ID provides access to our world-renowned libraries and museums, as well as discounts at recreational and cultural activities in the Cambridge/Boston area.
Harvard’s people are united by a culture dedicated to excellence, and are more diverse in age, race, ethnicity, nationality, experience, and outlook than you would find almost anywhere else. It is the connection with these people–our faculty, staff, and students–that makes working at Harvard richly satisfying.
Harvard Student Agencies is deeply committed to being a diverse, inclusive, and equitable place to work. We encourage people with a wide range of backgrounds, experience, and perspective to apply.
Contact
Harvard Student Agencies has exclusively retained Koya Partners to conduct this search. Liz Lombard, Managing Director, and Angie Sessoms, Senior Search Associate are leading the search efforts. All confidential inquiries, applications, and nominations should be submitted here or emailed to Angie directly at asessoms@koyapartners.com. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.
Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
Harvard Student Agencies is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.
About Koya Partners
Koya Partners, a part of Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy—The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.
For more information about Koya Partners, visit https://diversifiedsearchgroup.com/koya-partners.