1. Healthcare

THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
BALTIMORE, MD
POSITION:
Director of Strategic Communications, Advisor to the President
INTRODUCTION:
The Institution
The Johns Hopkins University is one of the world’s leading research universities. The
University has an annual budget of over $4.0 billion, approximately 6,500 faculty, 6,200
undergraduate students and 17,600 graduate students arrayed across 230 degree programs
at the baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral levels. Johns Hopkins has ventured from
Baltimore to countries throughout the world including China, Singapore and Italy. 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 for Music are located in downtown Baltimore. The Paul H. Nitze
School of Advanced International Studies is located in Washington, D.C. The Applied
Physics Laboratory (APL) is a division of the University devoted entirely to research and
development for federal government agencies. APL, located in Laurel, Maryland,
operates on a 400-acre campus with specialized technical facilities for its government
R&D activities. It is noted for contributions to national security, space exploration, and
other civilian research and development, and also has developed more than 100
biomedical devices, many in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins medical institutions.
In recent years, Johns Hopkins has won more federal research and development funding
than any other university, including first ranking among universities in grant support
from the National Institutes of Health and the National Aeronautics and Space Agency.
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
THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY – DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS, ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT
PREPARED BY HEYMAN ASSOCIATES
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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/Washington 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.
The Johns Hopkins University website is www.jhu.edu.
REPORTS TO:
Vice President and Chief of Staff
SUMMARY:
In this newly created role, the Director of Strategic Communications will serve within the
Office of the President and on the senior communication leadership team. This person
will be responsible for conceiving and implementing an overarching communications
strategy for the President and his leadership team to advance the mission and message of
the University. The Director’s goal will be to reinforce existing communications
strengths and further establish an innovative, substantive and proactive stance.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY – DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS, ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT
PREPARED BY HEYMAN ASSOCIATES
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o Develop and execute a communications strategy to increase visibility and media
placement for University leadership based on core priorities and thought leadership.
o Prepare an annual communications plan for the Office of the President and University
initiatives, with measureable objectives and integrated messaging.
o Guide and support the President in his role as chief spokesperson for the University,
including strategy development, drafting various communications pieces, consultative
editing and briefing.
o Develop and implement system for daily monitoring and prioritizing breaking news
and key media mentions for the President and leadership team.
o Ensure preparedness for effective crisis communications, including development and
maintenance of internal procedures that facilitate efficient, effective and wellcoordinated responses to unexpected events.
o Collaborate with public affairs and communications resources across the University.
o Track and evaluate effectiveness and success of the strategic communications vehicles
on an ongoing basis.
o Coordinate and lead regular message meetings with Chief of Staff, Vice President of
Strategic Initiatives, President’s writers and government affairs team.
REQUIREMENTS:
o Bachelor’s degree in communication, marketing or related field.
o At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in developing and executing
multi-faceted communications efforts to position and elevate the reputation of an
institution and its leadership, with multiple audiences. Experience working in
government or higher education a plus.
o Demonstrated success record of strategic media placement, from creative conception
to execution. Relationships with key media outlets a plus.
o Development of crisis communications
communications in crisis situations.
plans
and
experience
managing
o Ability to write quickly and clearly for both general and academic audiences, across
the full range of communications products.
THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY – DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS, ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT
PREPARED BY HEYMAN ASSOCIATES
PAGE 4 OF 4
o Capacity to envision, develop and implement a successful and comprehensive
communications strategy in a fast-paced multi-stakeholder environment.
o Ability to nimbly manage competing and changing priorities, navigate complex
organizations and achieve collaboration in a decentralized environment.
o Demonstrated ability to proactively craft substantive and cohesive messages based on
an institution’s strategic goals, mission and history; communicate messages
successfully with key audiences; adapt and adjust messages as appropriate over time.
o Holistic understanding of all aspects of communications, positioning and messaging,
including industry best practices in both traditional and emerging media platforms and
experience using state-of-the-art communications technology.
o Collaborative and collegial orientation. Strong personal integrity and work ethic.
o Eagerness and ability to engage diverse constituencies, build professional
relationships and command the respect of colleagues and University leadership.
For more information, please contact Heyman Associates:
Virginia Noriega
Associate
212-784-2715
[email protected]