Position profile

Institution Background and culture

Johns Hopkins University is one of the world’s leading research universities, with an annual budget that exceeds $4 billion.  The university was established in 1876 by Johns Hopkins, Baltimore’s greatest philanthropist who willed his $7 million estate to fund the creation of the university and the Johns Hopkins Hospital.  Today the institution is comprised of approximately 6,500 faculty, 6,200 undergraduate students and 17,600 graduate students across 230 degree programs at the baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral levels.  The mission of the university is to educate its students and cultivate their capacity for lifelong learning, to foster independent and original research, and to bring the benefits of discovery to the world.   

The university has nine academic divisions. The Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, the Whiting School of Engineering and the School of Education are based at the Homewood campus in northern Baltimore. The School of Medicine, the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the School of Nursing are located in East Baltimore, sharing a campus with The Johns Hopkins Hospital. The Carey Business School and the Peabody Institute are located in downtown Baltimore. The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies is located in Washington, D.C.

The johns Hopkins hospital

Simultaneous with Mr. Johns Hopkins’ bequest in 1876 to begin a university, he also endowed the establishment of a hospital in Baltimore. The hospital is a not-for-profit corporation and a member of the Health System. The hospital is a 977-bed tertiary hospital that provides a complete range of inpatient and outpatient services and serves as the principal teaching hospital for the School of Medicine. In 2012, Johns Hopkins Hospital commissioned and occupied a new $1.2 billion, 1.6 million square foot inpatient clinical facility for children and adults. The Hospital draws patients not only from metropolitan Baltimore and the surrounding counties, but also significantly from a five-state radius as well as the rest of the United States and over 100 other countries. It is consistently ranked among the top hospitals in the country.

The johns Hopkins health system

The Johns Hopkins Health System was incorporated in 1986 to serve as the parent entity of an academically-based health system with the hospital at its core. The Health System offers a range of health services, including acute care, rehabilitation, chronic care and skilled nursing care, home health care services, and specialty inpatient programs. In addition to Johns Hopkins Hospital, which is the flagship institution, the health system has grown to include several hospitals across the greater Baltimore / D.C. region as well as All-Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Health System’s annual operating budget is $4.7 billion.

The johns Hopkins Institutions   

The Johns Hopkins Institutions (“JHI”), including the university and the Johns Hopkins Health System, together constitute the state’s largest private employer, with approximately 46,000 employees. The Johns Hopkins Institutions are devoted to improving the quality of life in Maryland and the broader region JHI now serves through education, healthcare, research, community outreach and cultural endeavors. In 2010, spending by the university, the health system and their affiliates generated an estimated $10 billion of economic activity in the State of Maryland.

position summary

Reports To:  Vice President for Communications

The Assistant Vice President, Integrated Marketing and Brand Management “AVP” must be a visionary leader who will play a critical role in building a world-class, digital-first marketing and communications operation that promotes Johns Hopkins University and its mission of teaching, discovery and patient care. Reporting to the vice president for communications, who reports directly to the president, the role is an essential component of an effort to strengthen and enhance brand awareness and understanding of one of the world’s elite universities and an anchor of the Baltimore community.

In this role, the AVP will have direct responsibility for the creation, execution and management of a comprehensive digital marketing and branding program that effectively communicates Johns Hopkins’ unique advantages and its position as a global leader in higher education and medicine. Additionally, they will lead the effort to ensure a united brand front by facilitating consistency in messaging and visual identity across all university entities, including its divisions, institutes, centers and programs. Operating in a highly decentralized environment, this individual will need to work collegially and effectively across the various divisions, while also strengthening centralized capabilities.

The AVP will oversee the primary digital experience for the university and be responsible for all proactive marketing, digital and social properties managed centrally, as well as for the central listening/monitoring and analytics program.

The AVP will also supervise the content and creative services department – consisting of writers, editors, photographers, videographers, artists and others – that is charged with the creation and syndication of rich content.

The AVP will work closely with the vice president, fellow AVPs, and others in the Office of Communications and across the university’s campuses and divisions to create a unified, results- oriented organization that serves the university’s interests and those of its students, faculty and staff.

Key Responsibilities:

• Under the guidance of the Vice President for Communications, lead the creation and implementation of a branding program aligned with the goals of the university. The AVP will uphold brand standards and ensure that messages are communicated in a consistent manner across the university.

• Drive the development of a digital strategy that provides a good user experience for key audiences, with a special emphasis on building our social media community.

• Directly supervise the digital team.

• Establish effective market research mechanisms and strengthen the division’s use of analytical tools to better track the success and value of the university’s marketing efforts.

• General oversight of the division’s creative team and technical team, serving as the direct supervisor for the division’s creative director. Analyze the team’s structure and workflow. Help lead the effort to better prioritize the team’s work to reduce duplication and ensure more time is spent on high value projects.

• Supervise the editorial staff, including writers and editors, and the development of content that effectively tells engaging stories about Johns Hopkins, its people and their achievements, with an emphasis on digital capabilities.

• Assist the vice president with the creation of the annual budget for the division.

• Serve as a key member of the Office of Communications senior team and assist the vice president in the development of a strategic plan for the organization.

• Represent the office and the vice president as necessary for university initiatives and at events.

Experience and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing or related field.

• At least 10 years of marketing and related fields experience, preferably in higher education and/or other mission-driven organizations.

• Proven effective experience in digital marketing and brand development.

• Experience in social media marketing.

• Adept at managing creative professionals as well as the financial aspects of a marketing/ branding operation.

• Mastery of the analytical tools used to determine the effectiveness of marketing programs and the ability to communicate the ROI of such work to leadership is essential.

• Success at designing/ leading effective creative services organizations in a higher education setting.

• Strong, passionate leadership style with an emphasis on staff development.

• Collaborative skills and the ability to navigate a decentralized organization.

• Appreciation of the unique responsibilities and challenges of working at an elite university.

• A level of experience and confidence to build credibility and collaborate with the most senior university leadership.

• Outstanding communications and interpersonal skills.

• Excellent project management skills.

• Firm grasp of budgeting and financial modeling within a creative organization.

• Ability and willingness to keep abreast of the latest in marketing and communications technology.

• Demonstrated success as a manager and leader.

This position specification is a general statement of required major duties and responsibilities that will be performed on a regular and continuous basis.  It does not exclude other duties as assigned.

Johns Hopkins University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on

the basis of gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, other legally protected characteristics or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. The University promotes Affirmative Action for minorities, women, individuals who are disabled, and veterans. Johns Hopkins University is a drug-free, smoke-free workplace.