Job Description

The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) School of Government and Policy (SGP) seeks a Program and Operations Manager responsible for convening cross-functional stakeholders to ideate and refine opportunities to ensure the comprehensive and ongoing integration of the school’s academic centers into the school’s academic programming, including curriculum and instruction, student programming, and research, and active engagement with faculty, staff, and students across the school and university. The incumbent is also responsible for anticipating, identifying, and leading the management of sensitive issues and challenges that impact the structure, funding, and work of the centers.

The incumbent reports to the Senior Associate Dean for Centers and Programs and works in close collaboration with members of the SGP leadership team, school faculty, leadership teams from each center, university stakeholders, and donor representatives. The role requires a highly experienced, mature, strategic thinker with deep experience in organizational operations, grant-funded operating environments, strategic planning, stakeholder facilitation, issues management, and program development and evaluation.

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

Centers-SGP Integration Planning and Leadership (35%)

• Identify, prioritize, and execute on specific, well-defined opportunities to embed center expertise, data, programming, and networks into SGP academic and research activities.
• Serve as the primary operational driver for faculty-center collaborations, working with school and center leadership to convert strategic alignment into active joint initiatives, courses, research projects, and program.
• Track and manage a portfolio of active and pipeline integration initiatives, ensuring accountability, momentum, and visibility across stakeholders.
• Coordinate with center Executive Directors and SGP faculty to identify structural or procedural barriers to integration and develop concrete solutions.

Management and Resolution of Priority Issues (30%)

• Provide oversight and management of complex, high-priority matters involving the school centers requiring deliberation and decision-making by school and center leadership, university leadership, and donors.
• Serve as a senior delegate for coordination of new and renewal center grant negotiations and processes, strategy setting, facilitation of key decisions, and ensuring alignment with institutional goals and donor expectations.
• Function as a trusted advisor to the Senior Associate Dean and center leadership to facilitate navigation of ambiguity and mitigating risk while driving timely, thoughtful, and effective resolutions.

Organizational Performance & Impact Management (20%)

• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous refinement of organizational performance management frameworks for the centers, ensuring alignment with donor expectations and school-wide priorities.
• Facilitate the design of research and evaluation engagements with faculty and others focused on impact evaluation of center initiatives and programs.

Executive Reporting, Financial Oversight & Operations (15%)

• Oversee the development and delivery of high-quality, executive level reports and briefings for school and university leadership, external stakeholders, and donors.
• Formulate strategies and protocols to manage internal budget and financial resources under the responsibility of the Senior Associate Dean for Centers and Programs, aligning resource allocation with strategic priorities.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree.
• Seven years of related progressively responsible experience in strategic planning, project management, organizational operations and/or consulting.
• 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.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced Degree (MPA, MBA, MPP, or related field).
• Experience in operations, administration, and planning within non-profit, government or higher education institutional environments.
• Experience with management and implementation of donor-funded programs and initiatives.

Classified Title: Program and Operations Manager
Role/Level/Range: ATP/04/PG
Starting Salary Range: $99,800 - $175,000 Annually (commensurate w/exp.)
Employee group: Full Time
Schedule: 8:30am-5pm M-F
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Hybird/ Homewood Campus
Department name:Staff
Personnel area: School of Government & Policy