Senior Administrative Assistant, Laboratory for Translational Engineering

The Broad Institute seeks a Senior Administrative Assistant to provide complex, high-level administrative and operational support under minimal supervision to Professor Giovanni Traverso and the Laboratory for Translational Engineering at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, MA.

The Laboratory for Translational Engineering is a highly interdisciplinary biomedical research group that develops next-generation technologies at the interface of engineering, medicine, chemistry, materials science, biology, and data science. Research areas include advanced drug-delivery systems, ingestible and implantable devices, robotic capsules, bioresorbable materials, electroceuticals, diagnostics, sensors, closed-loop therapeutic systems, and computational approaches that support therapeutic discovery and translation. The laboratory collaborates extensively with MIT, Mass General Brigham, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, government and philanthropic sponsors, academic institutions, and industry partners.

This is a 40-hour-per-week, 100% in-person position based at the Broad Institute in Cambridge. Regular remote work is not anticipated. Consistent on-site presence is essential to support Professor Traverso, laboratory personnel, visitors, meetings, events, travel, purchasing, reimbursements, appointments, workspace coordination, and daily laboratory operations.

The role requires initiative, independence, discretion, sound judgment, responsiveness, and exceptional follow-through. The Senior Administrative Assistant will serve as a central administrative resource for the laboratory, coordinate across multiple institutions and stakeholders, anticipate needs, resolve complex administrative and logistical matters, and bring time-sensitive projects to completion.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Senior Faculty and Research Administrative Support

• Provide high-level, proactive administrative support to Professor Traverso, laboratory personnel, and collaborators, serving as a central point of contact for complex inquiries.
• Prepare, organize, proofread, and format correspondence, briefings, reports, announcements, meeting materials, and presentations from drafts, notes, or established content.
• Serve as a key administrative resource by anticipating needs, tracking deadlines, drafting responses, resolving administrative issues, and ensuring priorities are completed accurately and on time.
• Serve as a key administrative resource by anticipating needs, tracking deadlines, drafting responses, resolving administrative issues, and ensuring priorities are completed accurately and on time.
• Coordinate special projects, collect information across internal and external participants, and maintain laboratory web content, announcements, and collaborator distribution lists.

Calendar Management, Meetings, Travel, and Itineraries

• Manage complex calendars and schedule meetings involving Professor Traverso, laboratory members, Broad colleagues, cross-institutional collaborators, sponsors, and external partners.
• Accommodate multiple time zones, urgent requests, and travel constraints while protecting focus time for high-priority research and institutional responsibilities.
• Arrange domestic and international travel for Professor Traverso, laboratory members, and guests; prepare detailed itineraries, lodging, transportation, and meeting locations.
• Attend selected meetings as requested, draft and distribute action items, and maintain follow-up trackers to ensure timely execution.

Personnel, Appointments, Onboarding, Reviews, and Immigration Coordination

• Serve as the key administrative liaison with Broad Human Resources and partner offices on laboratory personnel, appointment, performance review, and compensation matters.
• Coordinate logistics for annual performance and development reviews, including timeline tracking, scheduling meetings, gathering materials, and routing required documentation.
• Maintain precise records of appointment terms, renewal deadlines, personnel rosters, emergency contact information, and onboarding/offboarding checklists.
• Prepare, submit, and track appointment, reappointment, onboarding, and offboarding materials in coordination with laboratory leadership and central offices.
• Coordinate immigration and visa administrative processes for international scholars, monitoring timelines and initiating renewals proactively.

Financial Transactions, Purchasing, and Budget Support

• Order supplies, equipment, office materials, and services within established budgets and Broad policies using institutional procurement systems.
• Process purchase orders, requisitions, invoices, payment requests, procurement-card transactions, journal adjustments, and travel/expense reimbursements.
• Identify vendors, obtain quotes, validate deliveries, reconcile invoices with packing records, and resolve missing or delayed items promptly.
• Partner with finance, procurement, and research administration teams to reconcile accounts, address discrepancies, maintain audit-ready documentation, and track budgets and expenditure projections.

Research Administration, Sponsors, Collaborators, and Events

• Support proposal preparation, routing, and submission, as well as progress reports, sponsor updates, letters of support, biosketches, and current-and-pending support documents.
• Maintain deadline trackers and version control while collecting required documents and approvals across internal, partner, and sponsor contacts.
• Plan and execute sponsor visits, program reviews, seminars, retreats, recruitment visits, and laboratory events, coordinating space, AV, catering, travel, and logistics.
• Act as an administrative liaison for cross-institutional collaborations spanning Broad, MIT, Mass General Brigham, Harvard, and industry partners.

Office Operations, Space Coordination, and Process Improvement

• Maintain an organized, welcoming administrative presence; greet visitors, manage incoming mail/deliveries, and handle general laboratory operations inquiries.
• Coordinate desk/workspace assignments, room access credentials, equipment, facilities requests, and office supplies in partnership with Broad teams.
• Establish and maintain efficient records management systems, documentation templates, and shared file structures.
• Continuously improve local administrative workflows and guide students, interns, or temporary staff on laboratory procedures and institutional systems.
• Provide flexible backup support during team absences, peak periods, or deadline-driven cycles.

Core Values and Expectations

• Confidentiality & Discretion: Maintain high standards of confidentiality, tact, and sound judgment when handling sensitive personnel, financial, research, sponsor, and clinical information.
• Professional Growth & Excellence: Proactively maintain proficiency with institutional systems, policies, and procedures, seeking continuous learning opportunities to enhance laboratory operations.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• High school diploma or equivalent required; bachelor's degree or more advanced education preferred.
• At least four years of progressively responsible administrative, office, academic, research, healthcare, biotechnology, or related experience required.
• Experience in a research institute, university, hospital, biotechnology company, or similarly complex organization strongly preferred; prior Broad Institute experience is desirable.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Ability to work 100% in person at the Broad Institute and provide a consistent on-site administrative presence each workday.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment, exercise sound judgment, and bring projects to closure.
• Excellent organizational, customer-service, interpersonal, written-communication, editing, and document-preparation skills.
• Ability to work effectively and professionally with faculty, trainees, staff, clinicians, researchers, sponsors, executives, visitors, vendors, and external collaborators.
• High degree of discretion, tact, diplomacy, and judgment in handling confidential or sensitive matters.
• Strong attention to detail, accuracy, deadlines, documentation, and follow-through.
• Experience managing complex calendars and arranging domestic and international travel.
• Experience processing invoices, purchases, expense reports, reimbursements, and supporting account reconciliation and budget tracking.
• Experience supporting personnel processes, appointment and renewal tracking, onboarding and offboarding, and confidential records.
• Ability to track time-sensitive deadlines related to appointments, immigration, reviews, reimbursements, reports, proposals, and sponsor activities.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint, along with experience using collaborative file-sharing, videoconferencing, and web-based administrative platforms.
• Ability to learn and use new software, Broad systems, and institutional procedures quickly and accurately.
• Willingness to work occasional extended hours, evenings, or weekends during major events, sponsor reviews, proposal deadlines, travel disruptions, or other peak periods.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting a principal investigator, physician-scientist, senior academic leader, research group, or complex laboratory.
• Familiarity with Broad Institute policies and systems related to human resources, finance, purchasing, expense reporting, research administration, facilities, access, and information technology.
• Experience supporting sponsored research, grant submissions, progress reports, sponsor meetings, advisory meetings, or multi-institutional programs.
• Experience coordinating staff, postdoctoral, student, intern, visiting-scientist, or affiliate appointments and tracking immigration-related deadlines.
• Experience coordinating high-profile visitors, seminars, workshops, retreats, sponsor reviews, recruitment activities, or scientific meetings.
• Experience maintaining websites through WordPress or another content-management system.
• Comfort working in an interdisciplinary environment spanning engineering, medicine, biology, chemistry, drug delivery, materials science, robotics, diagnostics, data science, and translational research.
• Demonstrated ability to improve administrative processes and train or guide others on systems and procedures.

The Broad Institute will not offer visa sponsorship for this job opportunity.

The expected base pay range for this position as listed above is based on a 40 hour per week schedule. Broad provides pay ranges representing its reasonable and good faith estimate of what the organization reasonably expects to pay for a position at the time of posting. Actual compensation will vary based on factors including but not limited to, relevant skills, experience, education, qualifications, and other factors permissible by law.

At Broad, your base pay is just one part of a comprehensive total rewards package. From day one, this role offers a competitive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance; a 401(k) retirement plan; flexible spending and health savings accounts; at least 13 paid holidays; winter closure; paid time off; parental and family care leave; and an employee assistance program, among other Broad benefits.

The Broad Institute is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

Should you need a reasonable accommodation to complete the application or interview process, please contact [email protected] for assistance.