Director, Dean's Office Operations & Strategic Initiatives (School of Government & Policy)

Affiliated Office Address

Washington, DC, United States

Requisition ID

122347

Date Created

August 27, 2026

Job Function

Program Management

Exempt Status

Exempt

Shift Type

Full Time

Schedule

Monday-Friday, 8:30AM - 5:00PM

Worksite

01-DC:District of Columbia

Work Modality

On-site: 90-100% of hours worked on-site

The Johns Hopkins University School of Government and Policy (SGP) seeks a Director, Dean's Office Operations & Strategic Initiatives to provide strategic leadership over the office's operations and its highest-discretion initiatives. Reporting to the Chief of Staff and Senior Associate Dean of Strategy, the Director will work in close collaboration with the school leadership, faculty, and key internal and external partners. The Director also manages a small team responsible for executing the office's administrative and strategic-initiative portfolio and architects the operational infrastructure that gives School leadership visibility into the status of key initiatives School-wide. The role requires a mature, discreet, strategic thinker with demonstrated experience managing sensitive relationships, exercising independent judgment under ambiguity, and developing junior staff — paired with genuine excellence in executive administrative operations.

Johns Hopkins’ first new academic division since 2007, the School of Government and Policy is anchored at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center in the nation’s capital. It draws on the university’s 150-year research tradition to develop innovative, evidence-based solutions and prepare the next generation of policy and public sector leaders to advance evidence-based solutions for the policy and governance challenges that matter most.

The person filling this position will be working in a start-up environment – creating processes and procedures, navigating unexpected obstacles, and adapting to change frequently. An agile mindset and flexible approach to daily responsibilities is needed as we define new ways of working within a well-established university. We are seeking a solution-focused person with a demonstrated ability to create new paths to achieve results.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Office & Executive Operations Leadership

• Provide oversight and management of daily administrative functioning of the Dean's Office and Strategy team, including scheduling standards, correspondence quality, and materials turnaround and record keeping.
• Oversee the development and delivery of quality and professional materials, briefings, and talking points prepared for the Dean and senior leadership— ensuring materials reflect the right narrative, audience, and level of polish before they reach senior leadership.
• Coordinate agenda-setting and preparation for leadership team meetings, all-staff meetings, and the annual leadership retreat.
• Prepare the Chief of Staff/Senior Associate Dean (and, as directed, the Dean) for key meetings — researching issues, drafting agendas, conducting follow-up, and briefing on critical points and sensitivities.

Partnership Strategy & Senior Stakeholder Relationship Management

• Facilitate the design and build-out of the School's partnership strategy, working closely with the Senior Associate Dean of Strategy and Chief of Staff, faculty and School leadership — identifying who the School's key partnerships should be with, and why.
• Design and facilitate senior-level engagements with key external and university stakeholders to shape and advance strategic initiatives and convenings.
• Serve as a senior relationship owner for internal and external senior-stakeholder engagements and reports, exercising discretion in ambiguous or sensitive matters; advise the Chief of Staff/Senior Associate Dean on resolution of sensitive issues as they arise.

Strategic & Institutional Planning, Pilot Incubation & Tracking Infrastructure

• Draft institutional strategic planning workstreams at the direction of the Chief of Staff/Senior Associate Dean of Strategy.
• Lead cross-functional planning efforts to shape, launch, and scale new School-wide initiatives.
• Identify, scope, and manage the incubation of new pilot initiatives in partnership with the Sr. Strategic Project Manager and Chief of Staff and Senior Associate Dean of Strategy — assessing viability and sustainability before recommending scale-up, continuation, or sunset.
• Own and maintain the School-wide tracking and check-in infrastructure.

Team Leadership & Development

• Directly manage project support staff, overseeing execution of both administrative and strategic-initiative work, including appropriate-level support on active pilot initiatives.
• Actively liaise with counterparts in other divisions across JHU and within SGP.

Success Depends, At a Minimum, Depends On

• Demonstrated excellence in high-level administrative operations and executive support, including materials preparation and meeting management at the executive level.
• The ability to build and manage relationships with senior stakeholders with discretion, tact, and sound judgment.
• Demonstrated experience translating ambiguous, relationship-heavy work into concrete institutional strategy.
• The ability to design and maintain tracking systems that give senior leadership real visibility without requiring their day-to-day involvement.
• The ability to coach and develop junior staff, particularly around relationship-management skills that go beyond process-following.
• Comfort operating in a founding-phase institution without an established playbook.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree required.
• Five years of progressively responsible relevant experience required.
• Additional education may substitute for required experience, and additional related experience may substitute for required education beyond a high school diploma/graduation equivalent, to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.

Classified Title: Director of Special Projects

Job Posting Title (Working Title): Director, Dean's Office Operations & Strategic Initiatives (School of Government & Policy)

Role/Level/Range: ATP/04/PG

Starting Salary Range: $102,295 - $179,375 Annually ($135,000 Targeted; Commensurate w/exp.)

Employee group: Full Time

Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:30AM - 5:00PM

FLSA Status: Exempt

Location: District of Columbia

Department name: Staff

Personnel area: School of Government & Policy

Total Rewards

The referenced base salary range represents the low and high end of Johns Hopkins University’s salary range for this position. Not all candidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range. Exact salary will ultimately depend on multiple factors, which may include the successful candidate's geographic location, skills, work experience, market conditions, education/training and other qualifications. Johns Hopkins offers a total rewards package that supports our employees' health, life, career and retirement. More information can be found here: https://hr.jhu.edu/benefits-worklife/.

Education and Experience Equivalency

Please refer to the job description above to see which forms of equivalency are permitted for this position. If permitted, equivalencies will follow these guidelines: JHU Equivalency Formula: 30 undergraduate degree credits (semester hours) or 18 graduate degree credits may substitute for one year of experience. Additional related experience may substitute for required education on the same basis. For jobs where equivalency is permitted, up to two years of non-related college course work may be applied towards the total minimum education/experience required for the respective job.

Applicants Completing Studies

Applicants who do not meet the posted requirements but are completing their final academic semester/quarter will be considered eligible for employment and may be asked to provide additional information confirming their academic completion date.

Background Checks

The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check. Johns Hopkins is committed to hiring individuals with a justice-involved background, consistent with applicable policies and current practice. A prior criminal history does not automatically preclude candidates from employment at Johns Hopkins University. In accordance with applicable law, the university will review, on an individual basis, the date of a candidate's conviction, the nature of the conviction and how the conviction relates to an essential job-related qualification or function.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Johns Hopkins University values diversity, equity and inclusion and advances these through our key strategic framework, the JHU Roadmap on Diversity and Inclusion.

Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

EEO is the Law

https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12ScreenRdr.pdf

Accommodation Information

If you are interested in applying for employment with The Johns Hopkins University and require special assistance or accommodation during any part of the pre-employment process, please contact the Talent Acquisition Office at jhurecruitment@jhu.edu. For TTY users, call via Maryland Relay or dial 711. For more information about workplace accommodations or accessibility at Johns Hopkins University, please visit: https://accessibility.jhu.edu/.

Vaccine Requirements

Johns Hopkins University requires all faculty, staff, and students to receive the seasonal flu vaccine. Exceptions to the flu vaccine requirements may be provided to individuals for religious beliefs or medical reasons. Requests for an exception must be submitted to the JHU vaccination registry.

The following additional provisions may apply, depending upon campus. Your recruiter will advise accordingly.

The pre-employment physical for positions in clinical areas, laboratories, working with research subjects, or involving community contact requires documentation of immune status against Rubella (German measles), Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Varicella (chickenpox), Hepatitis B and documentation of having received the Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination. This may include documentation of having two (2) MMR vaccines; two (2) Varicella vaccines; or antibody status to these diseases from laboratory testing. Blood tests for immunities to these diseases are ordinarily included in the pre-employment physical exam except for those employees who provide results of blood tests or immunization documentation from their own health care providers. Any vaccinations required for these diseases will be given at no cost in our Occupational Health office.