Senior Advisor, Health Care and Life Sciences, Harvard Innovation Labs

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. We are dedicated to creating a diverse and welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.

Why join Harvard Business School?

Harvard Business School, located on a 40-acre campus in Boston, was founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University. It is among the world's most trusted sources of management education and thought leadership. For more than a century, the School's faculty has combined a passion for teaching with rigorous research conducted alongside practitioners at world-leading organizations to educate leaders who make a difference in the world. Through a dynamic ecosystem of research, learning, and entrepreneurship that includes MBA, Doctoral, Executive Education, and Online programs, as well as numerous initiatives, centers, institutes, and labs, Harvard Business School fosters bold new ideas and collaborative learning networks that shape the future of business.

Founded in 2011, the Harvard Innovation Labs (HIL) is an ecosystem designed to foster entrepreneurship and innovation across the Harvard University community. HIL consists of three entities:  

• The Student i-lab supports degree-seeking students from all 13 Harvard schools looking to explore innovation and build and scale ventures. The i-lab provides the physical and intellectual resources needed to develop and grow startups, including advising, workshops, expert office hours, community events and networking, funding opportunities, co-working space, and the President’s Innovation Challenge (PIC), an annual venture competition.  

• Alumni Launch Lab offers Launch Lab X (LLX) a six-month accelerator for Harvard alumni ventures and supports alumni entrepreneurship. Applications are accepted from all over the world and open to alumni from all schools.  

• The Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab is a shared laboratory space for high-potential life sciences and biotech startups founded by Harvard faculty, alumni, students, and postdoctoral scholars. 

Job Summary:

The Senior Advisor, Health Care and Life Sciences at the Harvard Innovation Labs (HIL) is responsible for supporting and mentoring Harvard students, alumni, and affiliated founders in the health care & life sciences space. This role oversees advising and programming (e.g., workshops; roundtables) to inform the HIL community about the opportunities and challenges in tackling problems and building new ventures. The ideal candidate has led or been part of the leadership team of one or more health care & life sciences startup(s), has a strong network in health care and life sciences entrepreneurship, and has experience as a mentor to startups and students.

Job Specific Responsibilities:

• Advising and Mentoring HIL founders and teams: Serves as the primary point person for all health care & life sciences teams in the HIL ecosystem. Meets with students, alumni, and teams and provides direction and insight to teams to build and grow their ventures. Makes introductions to entrepreneurs, co-founders, investors, and other stakeholders to support teams. 

• Development and delivery of programming and content: Initiates activities and programs that build the Harvard Innovation Labs as a community / home for Harvard entrepreneurs and innovators pursuing health care & life sciences ideas and ventures. Creates workshops—delivered internally as well as by external guest speakers—as part of HIL’s program offerings available to Student i-lab, Alumni Launch Lab, and Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab teams. Codifies program offerings to align with HIL’s mission in order to best serve HIL founders and teams. Regularly incorporates feedback from current and previous teams. Works with colleagues on HIL’s Programs and Engagement team to integrate health care & life sciences offerings into overall HIL portfolio of offerings.  

• Management and oversight of HIL offerings in the Health Care & Life Sciences domain: Reviews student membership applications, supports funding opportunities (e.g., Social Impact Fellowship Fund; Spark Grants), and oversees the relevant track(s) in the President’s Innovation Challenge. Designs, develops, and implements new initiatives that further the Student i-lab, Alumni Launch Lab, and Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab. 

• Innovation ecosystem-building within the Harvard health care and life sciences community: Serves as a point of contact for students, postdocs, faculty, researchers, and others across Harvard who are interested in partnering with HIL. Fosters strong relationships and collaborations among Harvard schools and affiliated hospitals and research institutes (including, but not limited to, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Business School, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston Children’s Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Wyss Institute). Helps foster the HIL brand and messaging among those in the Harvard health care and life sciences community.  

• Networking and relationship-building with external stakeholders (local, national, and global): Builds and nurtures a network of strategic relationships and amplifies HIL’s visibility within the broader health care and life sciences community. Develops robust networks in order to provide HIL teams with access to best-in-class mentors, advisors, investors, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders. Actively participates in the broader innovation community in Boston and beyond. Builds and maintains an understanding of, and relationships with, the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Boston and other key national hubs (e.g., New York, San Francisco).  

• Supporting Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab and Blavatnik Harvard Life Lab Longwood: Works with stakeholders across Harvard to support teams and activities at Harvard’s two wet laboratories for biotech and life sciences ventures. 

• This role is responsible for other duties as assigned. 

Basic Qualifications:

• BA/BS degree required 

• Over 8 years of experience including 5+ years of experience leading or growing a health care and/or biotech company required 

• Deep experience and network in health care and life sciences required 

• Significant experience in the venture space required 

• Experience as a mentor to startups and students 

Additional Qualifications and Skills:

• Advanced degree with relevance to healthcare and life sciences venture creation (e.g., MBA, PhD, MD) 

• Higher education experience 

• Standard Hours/Schedule: 40 hours per week
• Compensation Range/Rate: $130,000 - $140,000, commensurate with experience
• Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position
• Pre-Employment Screening: Identity, Education
• Other Information: This role is a hybrid position which we consider to be a combination of remote and onsite work at our Boston, MA-based campus. HBS expects all staff to be onsite at least three days per week and for departments to provide onsite coverage Monday – Friday. Specific hours and days onsite will be determined by business needs and are subject to change with appropriate advanced notice.  
  
  We may conduct candidate interviews virtually (phone and/or via Zoom) and/or in-person for this role.
  
  Harvard Business School will not offer visa sponsorship for this opportunity.
  
  Culture of Inclusion: The work and well-being of HBS is profoundly strengthened by the diversity of our network and our differences in background, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and life experiences. Explore more about HBS work culture here: https://www.hbs.edu/employment

Work Format Details

This is a position that is based at a Harvard campus location with some remote work options available. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process. All remote work must be performed within one of the Harvard Registered Payroll States, which currently includes Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Washington, and California (CA for exempt positions only). Certain visa types and funding sources may limit work location. Individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment. 

Salary Grade and Ranges

This position is salary grade level 058. Please visit  Harvard's Salary Ranges  to view the corresponding salary range and related information. 

Benefits

Harvard offers a comprehensive benefits package that is designed to support a healthy work-life balance and your physical, mental and financial wellbeing. Because here, you are what matters. Our benefits include, but are not limited to: 

• Generous paid time off including parental leave 
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one 
• Retirement plans with university contributions 
• Wellbeing and mental health resources 
• Support for families and caregivers 
• Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement 
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks 

Learn more about these and additional benefits on our Benefits & Wellbeing Page. 

EEO/Non-Discrimination Commitment Statement

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, sex, ethnicity, color, national origin, 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.