Baltimore, Maryland
Herndon
Allston, Massachusetts
New York, New York
San Diego, California
Charlotte, North Carolina
East Bay, California
Los Angeles, California
Posted: 25-Apr-26
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Internal Number: 120940-en_US 1
We are seeking an inaugural Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing to join the senior leadership team at Johns Hopkins University’s Data Science and AI Institute (DSAI), an interdisciplinary institute dedicated to advancing education, research, and the real-world translation of trustworthy AI and data-driven discovery. DSAI will include 110 new faculty who will join existing faculty and researchers across disciplines dedicated to the development, application, and understanding of the opportunities and challenges of data science and AI across a range of critical and emerging fields.
The Executive Director will play a pivotal role in shaping the public presence, positioning, and voice of DSAI establishing the institute as a place that shapes conversations in AI. They will build and lead DSAI’s communications, marketing, and branding team, and will work closely with DSAI’s leadership team, faculty, and staff along with senior leaders across the university. They will be responsible for creating and executing comprehensive external and internal communications and marketing strategies to advance DSAI's mission as defined by the university's Ten for One strategic plan: to create the leading academic hub for data science and artificial intelligence to drive research and teaching in every corner of the university and magnify its impact in every corner of the world.
This is a unique opportunity for a visionary strategic communications leader to help shape an entirely new interdisciplinary institute at Johns Hopkins University, America’s first research university. DSAI is currently located in its temporary home at the Johns Hopkins Mt. Washington campus (6225 Smith Ave., Baltimore, MD) and will relocate to the Homewood campus once its permanent home, now under construction, opens.
The role requires a strategic thinker with a deep and nuanced understanding of the challenges of building a respected brand within today’s complex and evolving data science and AI landscape, including consideration of the broader societal, ethical, policy, and public conversations surrounding these fields. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in managing multifaceted communications initiatives and growing and leading multidisciplinary teams.
Specific Duties & Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership and Planning
- Work with DSAI leadership, faculty, and other university communications teams to develop a strategic communications program that positions the university as the leading academic hub for data science and artificial intelligence.
- Craft and execute long- and short-term communications and marketing plans that leverage the university’s unique constellation of assets 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 institute and university leadership in navigating the communications opportunities and risks inherent in building an institute at the forefront of an emerging sector that presents both opportunities and challenges. Provide strategic and tactical guidance to anticipate challenges and protect and enhance the reputation of the university, institute, its people, and its work.
- Provide vision, input, and support on variety of public events for the institute that help to build DSAI’s brand, disseminate its core work, and elevate its research, educational, and translational missions.
Media Relations and Communications
- Hire and manage a team of specialists to help achieve the goals of the communications and marketing strategic plans.
- Lead DSAI’s media engagement and digital communications across multiple channels to promote the work of the institute and its associated centers and programs.
- Create an active, forward-looking media relations strategy to elevate institute leadership and faculty experts as thought leaders on key issues driving the public conversation around data science and AI.
- Develop and deploy a robust, owned-media strategy cross channels - social media, websites, video, podcasts, live events, AI platforms, complementing traditional media outreach and positioning the school as an innovative leader and an unparalleled platform for data science and AI discussions.
- Partner with counterparts in the university's Office of Communications to manage reputational issues and crisis communications for the institute, ensuring operational alignment, and effective coordination and execution for internal and external audiences.
- Serve as a spokesperson for the institute as needed and advise and prepare faculty and other leaders and experts for media and public appearances.
- Advance the Institute Director’s thought leadership goals and strategic positioning for internal and external audiences.
- Prepare standard materials such as talking points and Q&A’s for use by DSAI team members in presentations, meetings, and interactions with various groups
Marketing and Branding
- Lead efforts to market and promote the institute's academic programs, research, events, and activities through coordinated marketing campaigns. As needed, hire and manage external agencies to support this work.
- Develop marketing campaigns and strategies to raise awareness and enhance reputation of the institute for audiences such as prospective students, faculty, staff, and the broader community.
- Oversee the development of the institute’s brand and visual identity, in coordination with other university communications partners and key stakeholders, and manage the use of the brand and creation of branded material and other assets within the established university brand guidelines.
- Provide leadership with regular updates on trends in higher education and data science and AI research, its evolving 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 institute and university leadership to build, refine, and anticipate needs for internal messaging.
Team Building and Management
- In collaboration with the Institute leadership and university communications partners, develop, manage and oversee for the communications and marketing budget including the staffing plan.
- Recruit and hire communications and marketing team.
- Lead, coach, and supervise the long-term development of the communications and marketing team.
- 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, partner organizations, and other universities’ data science and AI schools to identify and leverage opportunities for collaboration.
- Represent the school in university committees and professional functions, fostering partnerships and enhancing reputation.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree.
- Ten years of managerial-level, progressively responsible experience in leading strategic communications and public affairs programs in related fields/industry.
- 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
- Experience developing and running comprehensive strategic communications programs that elevate institutional expertise in data science and AI, and effectively engage diverse public, academic, government, and industry audiences.
- 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.
- Understanding of the importance of media relations
- 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 related industry environments.
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 evolving data science and AI landscape, including the broader societal, ethical, and public facing conversations surrounding these fields, and the ability to assess and communicate their implications for a nonpartisan, research driven organization.
Please be aware that our employment offer is contingent upon the successful completion of our pre-employment process, including criminal background, education, employment, and reference checks. This will require you and your references to answer questions regarding substantiated findings of serious misconduct.
The expected base pay salary range for this position is $180,000-$230,000.
This salary range does not include all components of DSAI's compensation program. This position may be eligible for a discretionary bonus. Therefore, the actual compensation paid to the selected candidate may vary slightly from the salary range stated herein. For more information, please contact the hiring department.