At Johns Hopkins University, we are driven by an ambitious goal: to empower our doctoral and postdoctoral scholars to navigate their careers with purpose and confidence. The Doctoral Life Design Studio embodies this vision as a dynamic, future-focused hub where scholars can explore diverse career possibilities, build clarity and confidence, develop lasting connections, and utilize innovative tools to thrive in academic and non-academic arenas.
Life Design at Hopkins goes beyond traditional career development. It is an integrative process that nurtures curiosity, fosters growth, and opens doors to new opportunities. The Doctoral Life Design Studio is part of the Department of Integrative Learning and Life Design (ILLD), a Johns Hopkins division that empowers every learner — from undergraduates to postdoctoral fellows — to purposefully design meaningful futures, bridging curricular and experiential learning with personal ambitions across the university’s nine schools.
We are seeking a Senior Director, Doctoral & Postdoctoral Life Design who will lead the entire portfolio of the Doctoral Life Design Studio, encompassing both Career Education and Experiential Learning, deepening the integration between these functions and expanding their collective impact for scholars. Your leadership will cultivate an environment that empowers scholars to actively design their futures with intention and impact.
In this role, reporting to the Associate Vice Provost for Integrative Learning and Life Design, you will lead the university-wide strategy for the Doctoral Life Design Studio, committed to transforming the career trajectories of all our doctoral and postdoctoral scholars. This position requires a blend of strategic vision and operational excellence to ensure that our Life Design offerings consistently meet and exceed the evolving needs of the academic community.
You will collaborate closely with university leadership, faculty, staff, and alumni to design and implement innovative programs, digital platforms, and impactful events that equip scholars with the clarity and confidence to navigate their professional futures. Your oversight will encompass the Studio’s full portfolio of career education and experiential learning services for doctoral and postdoctoral scholars, aligned with the university’s mission to prepare scholars for careers that create lasting, real-world impact within and beyond academia.
Specific Duties & Responsibilities Leadership & Team Mentorship
- Partner closely with the Associate Vice Provost (AVP) to shape and execute the strategic vision for career education, experiential learning, and Life Design initiatives.
- Translate divisional and institutional priorities into a multi-year strategy for the Studio, including team structure, program direction, operational planning, and phased implementation.
- Evaluate emerging needs, organizational opportunities, and capacity constraints to shape the future design, growth, and positioning of the Studio.
- Collaborate with deans, faculty, and university leadership across JHU, particularly within the Schools of Medicine, Public Health, Nursing, Engineering, and Arts & Sciences, to seamlessly integrate Life Design principles into academic programs and institutional planning.
- Serve as a key advisor to university and divisional leadership on matters related to doctoral and postdoctoral career development and scholar success, including during periods that acutely affect scholar outcomes such as shifts in the academic job market or other emerging challenges facing the scholarly community.
- Collaborate with leaders across ILLD, in particular Hire Hopkins, the Master’s Life Design Hub, and Life Design Lab to develop programming and experiences that draw on the unique strengths of each office and create seamless pathways for scholars at all levels.
- Serve on the ILLD Executive Committee, contributing to division-wide strategic planning, representing doctoral and postdoctoral scholars’ needs, and ensuring alignment of the Doctoral Life Design Studio with broader ILLD priorities and institutional goals.
- Lead a high-performing team spanning Career Education and Experiential Learning, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, excellence, and continuous learning.
- Directly supervise professional staff and, where applicable, support the development of managers or functional leads across the Studio.
- Lead hiring, onboarding, role clarity, performance management, promotions, and succession planning to ensure a strong and sustainable team structure.
- Build management capacity, accountability, and leadership effectiveness across the team, ensuring staff are supported and held to high standards.
- Address performance concerns, team conflict, and organizational challenges in a timely, thoughtful, and effective manner.
- Deepen connections between Career Education and Experiential Learning programming, identifying opportunities to create scholar experiences that draw on the strengths of both functions.
- Provide personalized coaching and support to team members, facilitating their professional growth and leadership development.
- Foster a healthy, accountable, and inclusive team culture that supports trust, strong communication, staff engagement, and long-term retention.
- Create clear expectations and shared norms for collaboration, decision-making, responsiveness, and service excellence across the Studio.
- Set clear, ambitious goals for the team, implement measurable performance metrics, and conduct regular progress assessments to drive accountability and excellence.
- Oversee the Studio’s operating model, including workflow design, service standards, staffing alignment, and process improvement across a complex portfolio of programs and services.
- Make strategic decisions about priorities, sequencing, and resource deployment across competing initiatives and institutional demands.
- Develop, manage, and steward the Studio’s budget and resource strategy, aligning investments in staffing, programming, technology, and external partnerships with strategic priorities and institutional goals.
- Ensure consistency in leadership practices and service delivery across the Studio’s full range of career education and experiential learning initiatives.
- Represent the Studio and Johns Hopkins University in high-level internal and external settings, including senior leadership conversations, cross-university initiatives, national conferences, and thought leadership forums, strengthening institutional visibility and influence in doctoral and postdoctoral career and life design.
Program Oversight & Innovation
- Set the strategic direction and hold accountability for the full portfolio of career education and experiential learning programs, opportunities, and curricula tailored to the diverse needs of doctoral and postdoctoral scholars.
- Hold accountability for office-wide outcomes, including learner engagement, utilization, quality of service, stakeholder satisfaction, and career or experiential learning outcomes across the Studio’s portfolio.
- Ensure all programs maintain compliance with grant requirements and PhD program objectives while continuously evolving to reflect emerging needs in the scholarly and professional landscape.
- Integrate modules across all programs that enhance scholars’ essential skills and prepare them for diverse career paths.
- Develop and implement skills- and career-focused programs that result in tangible, application-ready deliverables and materials for learners.
- Ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion are woven into all program designs to foster a truly inclusive environment, ensuring that scholars from all backgrounds feel seen, heard, and valued.
- Lead the refinement and continuous improvement of existing experiential learning programs, including Career360 and Hopkins Doctoral Consulting Projects, ensuring ongoing relevance, scholar impact, and host satisfaction.
- Develop and launch innovative new experiential learning models, using new models as replicable templates scalable to other disciplines and populations.
- Design and oversee scholar capstone experiences that integrate with and amplify workshops, bridging scholar skill-building with professional visibility and connections.
- Lead the execution of career and identity-based conferences, such as Horizons by Hopkins and Black and Latinx events, fostering networking opportunities and professional growth.
- Seek, cultivate, and nurture partnerships with industry experts, thought leaders, alumni, and renowned research entities to strengthen networks and facilitate meaningful interactions, learning experiences, and career opportunities for scholars.
- Hold ultimate accountability for the quality, innovation, and impact of all signature programs across the Studio.
- Develop new, forward-thinking programs that address emerging needs in the job market and scholarly community, including identifying emerging population needs and adapting experiential programming models to ensure broad access to career exploration experiences across schools.
- Maintain and expand expertise in doctoral and postdoctoral professional and career development, particularly in engineering, humanities, life and biomedical sciences, public health, and nursing.
- Collaborate with faculty and academic leadership to integrate career education and experiential learning into the curriculum.
- Stay abreast of emerging trends in career development and the job market, incorporating this knowledge into program design and delivery.
- Explore and implement innovative program delivery methods, including AI-assisted learning, to enhance engagement and accessibility.
- Develop a suite of on-demand, self-paced learning resources to complement in-person programming and cater to diverse learning styles and schedules.
- Implement effective project management practices to ensure timely execution, meet deadlines, and optimize resource allocation across all initiatives.
Strategic Engagement & Relationship Building
- Lead through influence across a highly matrixed university environment, aligning faculty, academic leaders, central offices, and external partners around shared priorities for doctoral and postdoctoral scholar success.
- Navigate ambiguity, competing stakeholder interests, and shared ownership models while maintaining momentum on strategic initiatives and institutional commitments.
- Lead and manage the Career Champion Initiative, guiding the team to effectively implement and optimize the program, and enhancing relationships with diverse stakeholders across the university.
- Collaborate with Hire Hopkins to develop partnerships that enhance internship opportunities and career pathways for doctoral and postdoctoral scholars, ensuring alignment with industry needs and emerging career trends.
- Foster consistent, meaningful, and proactive interactions with faculty and the alumni community to harness their collective wisdom and provide invaluable mentorship opportunities for doctoral and postdoctoral scholars.
- Engage with thought leaders, innovators, and key stakeholders to position JHU as a leader in doctoral and postdoctoral life design.
Data Management & Strategic Insights
- Continuously refine and implement the Studio’s comprehensive data management and assessment strategy, ensuring accurate tracking of program participation, scholar engagement, and career outcomes.
- Utilize data-driven insights to continuously evaluate, refine, and enhance career and experiential learning programs, ensuring they meet the evolving needs of doctoral and postdoctoral scholars while aligning with institutional goals.
- Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), leveraging data-driven insights to inform decision-making and ensure strategic alignment.
- Use data to guide decision-making, optimize resource allocation, and identify emerging trends that inform future program development and services.
- Benchmark performance against peer institutions and national best practices, ensuring that Johns Hopkins remains at the forefront of doctoral and postdoctoral career development.
- Provide regular, actionable reports to the AVP and stakeholders, highlighting program impact, trends, and areas for growth, ensuring data transparency and accountability.
- Foster a culture of data-informed decision-making within the team, providing training and tools that empower staff to leverage data effectively in program planning and service delivery.
- Ensure compliance with institutional data governance and privacy standards, maintaining integrity and security in data collection, storage, and reporting.
Special Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities
- Demonstrated ability to lead and manage organizational change initiatives, fostering adaptability and resilience within teams while aligning programs with evolving institutional goals and market trends.
- Proven ability to design and scale innovative career programs, courses, and events tailored to the diverse needs of doctoral and postdoctoral scholars.
- Expertise in utilizing Learning Management Systems (LMS) and emerging technologies to enhance learning outcomes and accessibility, including multimedia and interactive content.
- Experience building, launching, or scaling experiential learning programs within a research university or comparable setting.
- Strong track record of leading interdisciplinary collaborations, aligning academic and career programs with institutional goals and scholarly success.
- Skilled in conducting needs assessments and staying current with industry trends to ensure program relevance in a rapidly evolving job market.
- Demonstrated ability to manage and develop high-performing teams, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Proficiency in navigating complex interpersonal dynamics, resolving conflicts, and building a cohesive, innovative team environment.
- Experience in establishing and maintaining high standards of accountability, with the ability to set clear expectations and drive performance.
- Proven success in cultivating strategic partnerships with faculty, university leaders, alumni, and industry partners to create career opportunities for scholars, including partnerships that support experiential learning models.
- Strong analytical skills to evaluate complex situations and translate insights into actionable strategies.
- Experience conducting program evaluations and impact assessments to measure program effectiveness and inform future development.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence senior leadership, faculty, and external partners.
- Creative and strategic approach to using digital platforms and social media to enhance engagement and institutional visibility.
- Demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of program development and delivery, ensuring equitable access for all scholars.
- Adept at managing multiple projects and priorities, optimizing workflows, and delivering impactful results under pressure.
- Ability to think creatively and propose innovative solutions to challenges in career education and development.
- Experience in personnel development, building partnerships with employers and alumni, or leading recruiting efforts for employers is highly desirable.
- Demonstrated experience supervising professional staff, managing performance, and leading teams through growth, change, or organizational complexity.
- Demonstrated success in strategic planning, cross-functional collaboration, and translating institutional priorities into executable programs and services.
- Experience managing budgets, resources, and operational priorities in a complex organizational setting.
- Experience serving diverse populations of doctoral and postdoctoral trainees, including international trainees, underrepresented minority students and trainees, and people with disabilities.
- Demonstrated understanding of nationally recognized practices, trends, and procedures for university career and life design, especially the unique needs of doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows.
- Demonstrated success in developing institutionally effective and strategic partnerships and engaging effectively with multiple tiers of stakeholders.
- Expertise in doctoral and postdoctoral career development, particularly in engineering, life and biomedical sciences, or public health.
- Experience conducting needs assessments and market research to inform innovative program development.
- Experience designing and scaling experiential learning programs across multiple disciplines or populations within a university setting.
- Demonstrated ability to develop replicable program models and adapt them to diverse scholar communities and institutional contexts.
- Proficiency in advanced data management and comprehensive assessment strategies.
- Experience representing institutions at national conferences and thought leadership forums.
- Proven ability to collaborate with faculty and academic leadership to integrate career development into academic programs.
The Ideal Candidate Profile
Our ideal candidate is a strategic leader with the vision and execution skills to guide the Doctoral Life Design Studio through its next phase of growth and impact. They bring a rare combination of innovation, adaptability, sound judgment, and organizational leadership, with the ability to strengthen teams, advance institutional priorities, and create meaningful opportunities for doctoral and postdoctoral scholars.
In addition, the ideal candidate possesses
- A mature and effective people leader who can make difficult decisions, address performance concerns directly, build trust, develop talent, and balance empathy with accountability.
- A strategic and forward-looking leader who can anticipate needs, assess opportunities, and translate complexity into clear direction and action.
- Sound judgment, adaptability, and the ability to lead effectively through change, ambiguity, and evolving institutional priorities.
- A clear commitment to continuous improvement, with the ability to strengthen systems, refine services, and scale what works.
- The ability to build and sustain strong relationships across faculty, academic leadership, doctoral and postdoctoral scholars, alumni, and external partners.
- A deep understanding of stakeholder needs and the ability to align diverse interests around shared goals.
- Comfort using technology and digital tools to support strategy, communication, service delivery, and team effectiveness.
- The ability to work effectively across institutional boundaries, building alignment and momentum in a complex, matrixed environment.
- A results-oriented approach that balances innovation with execution, operational discipline, and long-term impact.
- The ability to align team priorities and initiatives with broader university goals while keeping scholar success at the center.
- A commitment to inclusive leadership and to creating environments where scholars and staff from all backgrounds can thrive.
- A unifying leader capable of drawing on the complementary strengths of Career Education and Experiential Learning to build a deeply integrated Studio that advances scholar success across all dimensions of professional development.
Minimum Qualifications
- Master’s Degree required.
- Seven (7) years of recent direct experience within a higher education, government, non-profit, or corporate setting. Proven leadership skills, expertise in recruiting and/or university-employer relations, experience in employer and alumni relations, knowledge of labor market trends, and familiarity with highly selective college or university settings.
- 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
- PhD or equivalent terminal degree.
- Five to ten years of senior leadership experience in career services, experiential learning, or professional development within higher education.
Classified Title: Director Life Design
Job Posting Title (Working Title): Senior Director, Doctoral & Postdoctoral Life Design (Doctoral Life Design Studio)
Role/Level/Range: L/05/LG
Starting Salary Range: $114,595 - $200,795 Annually (Commensurate w/exp.)
Employee group: Full Time
Schedule: Mon - Fri / 08:30am - 05:00pm
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Hybrid/School of Medicine Campus
Department name: Doctoral Life Design Studio
Personnel area: University Student Services
