At the Johns Hopkins University Center for Staff Life Design, we’re not just building careers; we help staff design purposeful professional and personal journeys. As a cornerstone of Johns Hopkins’ commitment to staff development and benefits, we're redefining what it means to grow within a world-class institution. Our vision is that every employee at Johns Hopkins University, regardless of seniority, job level, or job family, will live their life purpose through, with, or because of the Johns Hopkins community.
The Center for Staff Life Design supports Johns Hopkins University’s investment in staff development and retention, positioning Johns Hopkins as a national and global leader in higher education and university human resources. By leveraging a scalable life design thinking approach, we foster enduring relationships and design staff learning experiences that result in greater upward and internal professional mobility for Johns Hopkins University staff.
We are seeking an Associate Director Staff Life Design who will serve as the chief facilitator and curriculum officer of the Center for Staff Life Design. Responsible for the ideation, implementation, and overall management of Staff Life Design training and experiential learning opportunities, this individual will collaborate with the Center for Staff Life Design leadership and program teams to design and lead training programs and experiential learning initiatives that provide staff members with the resources needed to explore, prepare, experience, network, and ultimately be inspired to pursue their life purpose. The Associate Director will expertly integrate aspects of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) into their programming, training, delivery, and practices in ways that are appropriate to the mission and values of Johns Hopkins University, and aligned to the President’s Roadmap on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
The Associate Director serves as a conduit, connecting staff members to people, organizations, and opportunities, while also designing and teaching innovative curriculum aligned to key staff populations’ focus areas and developmental needs. As part of their duties, the Associate Director will be responsible for recruiting, training, and managing the team of Staff Life Design Consultants in the Center for Staff Life Design and deploying them in ways that are strategically aligned to staff populations’ physical locations, lifecycle and developmental needs, and job families. As a thought leader in Life Design and Adult Learning and Professional Development, the Associate Director will also collaborate with curriculum teams aligned to Johns Hopkins Integrative Learning and Life Design. It is expected that the Associate Director will actively travel between Johns Hopkins campuses and among departments to assure quality and engaging delivery of Staff Life Design programming both in person and virtually.
By fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth, the individual will play a pivotal role in strengthening Johns Hopkins’ position as a global leader in higher education and staff development.
Specific Duties & Responsibilities
- Assist the Director of the Center for Staff Life Design in goal setting, vision, communication, and evaluation and assessment strategies.
- Collaborate with the Director and Center for Staff Life Design team to define and strategize objectives, enhance communication strategies internal and external to JHU, and develop and implement effective assessment and evaluation tools for Staff Life Design programming.
- Recruit, hire, train, and motivate the team of Staff Life Design Consultants and inspire a culture of engaged, innovative, and energetic delivery of programming across social media, in-person, and virtual modalities.
- Lead the end-to-end delivery of the staff programming, overseeing programming, marketing, content, and logistics for staff participants.
- Develop Life-Design-focused experiential learning opportunities for staff.
- Infuse career education and skills-development curricula with modules centered on professional ethics, sustainability, DEI, and social responsibility values.
- Organize and co-lead career and identity-based events and conferences, creating platforms for networking, learning, and professional growth on all JHU campuses, including international campuses.
- Drive digital engagement strategies, leveraging online platforms to engage and inspire the JHU community.
- Represent JHU in thought leadership capacities across professional associations, academic journals, and higher education forums.
- Craft and share the university's story, emphasizing our commitment to pioneering career and learning solutions.
- Construct robust and comprehensive assessment frameworks tailored for life design and deliver content based on data-driven and evidence-based outcomes.
- Champion a culture of data collection and analysis and leverage collaborations with key stakeholders across the university to assess and develop staff professional development and life design opportunities.
- Ensure every career design initiative resonates with the broader diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and vision of both the Center for Staff Life Design and Johns Hopkins University.
- Transparently share program performance results and outcomes with key stakeholders, reinforcing accountability, and facilitating informed decision-making on future initiatives.
- Cross-collaborate effectively with the entire team to ensure the seamless integration of career curriculums and education initiatives within our organization.
- Actively collaborate in the development of university-wide initiatives, such as conferences, training series, award ceremonies, and more, contributing to the planning and execution of these programs to enhance staff career development opportunities.
- Partner with Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), Human Resource Directors, Learning & Development, and Staff Advisory Council teams on events, initiatives, training series, etc., in order to enhance the staff learning offerings and experiences.
- Drive the development and implementation of innovative staff career exploration and skill-building curricula focused on Life Design and Design Thinking training, tailored to empower staff members across the entire university community.
- Design and facilitate interactive workshops and oversee a team of facilitators focused on helping staff participants develop skills needed to thrive in diverse Johns Hopkins roles and career paths as well as in life.
- Research and analyze career training initiatives at national and international peer institutions, encompassing benchmarking, literature review, stakeholder interviews, data analysis, and networking to identify and integrate best practices into our own program development.
- Devise evaluation strategies that assess impact and staff satisfaction with Life Design and career curriculum programming.
- Maintain a comprehensive stakeholder database and proactively nurture relationships at regular intervals.
- Build strategic partnerships with key university stakeholders to assess needs and successfully implement career and professional development services tailored for staff.
- Implement a scalable group coaching model for career advising, targeting JHU staff, featuring interactive sessions, collaborative learning, peer support, expert-led workshops, and digital tools to accommodate diverse needs and schedules.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree.
- Five years of relevant work experience or equivalent of a master’s degree by way of JHU work and education equivalency formula (approximately 7 years of work experience in HR or Education).
- Five years of experience in teaching or facilitating active-learning workshops or classes for university-aged and adult learners.
- One year of experience managing, evaluating, training, or mentoring facilitators and instructors.
- One year of experience in curriculum creation or design.
- Training or certification in DEI practices or 1 year of experience in the practice of DEI initiatives.
- Certification or 1 year of experience in human-centered design, life design, or user experience (UX) design and research methodologies.
- Additional education may substitute for experience to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.
Preferred Qualifications
- Masters, Terminal, or Doctoral Degree in leadership, organizational development, applied design, education, culture, communications, or similar field.
- Multicultural or multilingual background preferred or demonstrated ability to work between cultures with English as a second language.
- Experience with or training in trauma-informed teaching and/or workshop facilitation (SafeZone training, etc).
- Demonstrated knowledge of and curiosity to learn common higher education and design software, programs, and other tools relevant to programming such as Figma, Canva, Miro, SAP, Workday, Handshake, Eightfold, Mural, Canvas, Blackboard, Articulate, Panopto, Cornerstone, etc.
- Experience with social media strategy and digital storytelling methods.
- Commitment to teach in person and virtually as required.
- Commitment and ability to travel between JHU campuses (Baltimore, Washington DC, Florida, Italy, and China) as needed to deliver and supervise Staff Life Design programming.
- Commitment to innovation, iteration, and risk with a fail-forward and growth-oriented mentality.
- Commitment to and evidence of strong teaming and collaborative work practices.
Relevant work experience must include some combination of the following
- Experience in a higher education environment involving staff, students, employers, and faculty. Preferred experience in advising or mentoring career professionals.
- Collaborate seamlessly within a dynamic team environment to achieve common objectives, fostering a culture of mutual support and shared success.
- Demonstrated expertise in designing workshops and courses tailored for adult learners, ensuring engaging and effective learning experiences.
- Proven track record in teaching and leading workshops specifically designed for adult learners, fostering interactive and enriching educational sessions. Experience providing or facilitating professional and career development services, preferably to graduate and postgraduate trainees.
- Proficiency in event and program management, adeptly orchestrating impactful initiatives.
- Demonstrated background working with individuals of international backgrounds derived from extensive intercultural immersion experiences.
- Skilled in leveraging websites and social media platforms to enhance outreach and engagement, amplifying the reach and impact of programs. Experience developing and implementing effective assessment strategies and articulating strategic priorities.
- Successful track record in gaining buy-in and fostering collaboration from esteemed university staff, faculty, and academic administrators, in order to drive cohesive and productive partnerships.
Classified Title: Associate Director Staff Life Design
Role/Level/Range: ATP/04/PE
Starting Salary Range: $73,300 - $128,300 Annually (Targeted Salary: $100,000); Commensurate with experience)
Employee group: Full Time
Schedule: M-F/8:30-5:00
Exempt Status: Exempt
Location: Hybrid/Eastern High Campus
Department name: Center for Staff Life Design
Personnel area: University Administration