Associate Dean of Strategic Communications & Marketing

We are seeking an inaugural Associate Dean of Strategic Communications and Marketing to join the senior leadership team building Johns Hopkins University's new school of government and policy in the heart of our nation's capital. The Associate Dean will play a pivotal role in shaping the public presence, positioning, and voice of the new school in advance of its opening in 2027. They will build and run the school's communications and marketing teams and will be responsible for creating and executing comprehensive external and internal communications and marketing strategies to advance the school's mission of scholarship for the public good.

This is a unique opportunity for a visionary strategic communications leader to help launch an entirely new school of public policy and government at Johns Hopkins University, America's first research university. Located in the Hopkins Bloomberg Center on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, the new school will leverage the University's nearly 150-year history of leadership in research and discovery to educate the next generation of public servants, develop data-driven approaches to government innovation, and meet the challenges facing today's policymakers.

The Associate Dean will work closely with the Dean, the dean's leadership team, faculty, and senior university leaders to develop a strategic communications program and position the school as the leading destination for research and expertise aimed at developing innovative, data-driven solutions for contemporary policy challenges and effective government. The role requires a strategic thinker with a deep and nuanced understanding of the challenges of building a respected brand within complex political and public policy landscapes. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in managing multifaceted communications initiatives, growing and leading multidisciplinary teams, and overseeing brand awareness, enrollment and recruitment marketing, as well as influencer and stakeholder campaigns.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Planning

• Work with the Dean, the school's leadership team and university leadership to develop an overall strategic communications program that positions the new school as a respected voice in the national public policy discourse, a leader in scholarship of government and policy, and a prestigious academic destination for faculty and students.
• Craft and execute long- and short-term communications and marketing plans that leverage the school's unique assets (including the location in Washington and the relationship with Johns Hopkins' other schools and centers) to advance strategic priorities.
• Establish clear objectives for the communications and marketing program. Develop and track metrics to continually monitor progress towards goals, measure digital and media success, benchmark against peers, and respond to opportunities for improvement. Provide reports to leadership and stakeholders to demonstrate impact.
• Support school and university leadership in navigating the communications opportunities and risks inherent in participating in political and policy conversations with a view to including a broad set of perspectives aimed at deepening intellectual pluralism. Provide strategic and tactical guidance to anticipate challenges and protect and enhance the reputation of the school, its people, and its work.

Media Relations and Communications

• Lead the school's media engagement and digital communications to promote the work of the school and its associated centers and programs across multiple channels to reach our target audiences.
• Drive an active, forward-looking media relations strategy to elevate school leaders and faculty experts as thought leaders on key issues driving the media and public conversation.
• Develop and deploy a robust, owned-media strategy to leverage social media, websites, video, podcasts, live events, and other channels to complement traditional media outreach and position the school as an innovative leader and an unparalleled platform for policy discussions.
• Oversee crisis communication for the school, ensuring preparedness and effective response strategies and execution for internal and external audiences.
• Serve as a spokesperson for the school as needed and advise and prepare faculty and other experts for media and public appearances.

Marketing and Branding

• Lead efforts to market and promote the school's academic programs, scholarship, events, and activities through coordinated marketing campaigns. As needed, hire and manage external agencies to support this work.
• Develop marketing campaigns and strategies to enhance awareness, reputation and position the school with prospective students, faculty, staff, and the broader public policy community.
• Oversee the development of the school's brand and visual identity, in coordination with University Communications and key stakeholders, and manage the use of the brand and creation of branded materials within the established university brand guidelines.
• Monitor and provide Dean and Dean's leadership team with regular updates on trends in higher education and the government and policy research, education and practice landscape, including regular benchmarking to support strategy and decision-making.

Internal Communications

• Develop and execute internal communication plans to engage faculty, staff, and students, utilizing appropriate tools and channels, ensuring consistent messaging, and alignment with strategic goals.
• Partner with school and university leadership to build, refine, and anticipate needs for internal messaging.

Team Building and Management

• In collaboration with the Dean and other leadership, develop the staffing plan and budget for the communications and marketing department.
• Recruit and hire the inaugural team.
• Lead, coach, develop, and supervise the long-term development of the team.
• Develop, manage, and oversee communications budget, ensuring optimal allocation of resources for maximum impact.
• Hire and manage any outside contractors or vendors needed to support the communications and marketing program.
• Develop and implement strategies for continuous improvement and adaptation to new communication technologies and practices.

Collaboration and Partnerships

• Serve as the liaison to the communications offices at the University, other divisions, Johns Hopkins Medicine, governmental organizations, and other universities' government schools to identify and leverage opportunities for collaboration.
• Represent the school in university committees and professional functions, fostering partnerships and enhancing reputation.

Special Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Superior writing and editing skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to influence and build trusted relationships with senior-level internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to prioritize well and manage multiple complex projects simultaneously and produce results under pressure.
• Strong and sophisticated understanding of the current public policy and political discourse and its implications for nonpartisan organizations.

• Bachelor's Degree.

• At least 10 years of managerial-level, progressively responsible experience in leading strategic communications programs in the national public policy and political space.
• Additional education may substitute for required experience and additional related experience may substitute for required education beyond HS Diploma/Graduation Equivalent, to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.

• Experience developing and running comprehensive strategic communications programs that engage with national public policy and political media.
• Comfort achieving results in a highly collaborative environment incorporating stakeholders and decision-makers across multiple teams and departments.
• Ability to build trust and influence at the executive level; experience providing advice and counsel to senior leaders and executives.
• Strong media relations experience, comfort speaking on the record and working with reporters, and the ability to seek and build new relationships with high-level media contacts as needed.
• Comfort and familiarity with a wide range of media relations and marketing tools and tactics, and a track record of evaluating and incorporating new tools as they become available.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage a diverse team, oversee multiple projects, and work in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong leadership skills with a track record of leading high-performing communications and marketing teams.
• Experience hiring staff, developing teams, crafting and overseeing budgets, and managing contract resources or agencies for discrete projects.
• Previous professional experience in and/or content expertise in academic or government environments.
• Advanced degree in a relevant field.

Classified Title: Associate Dean-MGM
Job Posting Title (Working Title):Associate Dean of Strategic Communications & Marketing
Role/Level/Range: ADMOFF/01/EX
Starting Salary Range: $175,000 - $240,000 Annually (Commensurate with experience)
Employee group: Full Time
Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm
FLSA Status:Exempt
Location:District of Columbia
Department name: Office of the Dean
Personnel area: School of Government & Policy