Johns Hopkins, founded in 1876, is America's first research university and home to nine world-class academic divisions working together as one university.
We are seeking an Associate Director, Design & Construction who will provid strategic leadership for a portfolio of capital projects and programs across the university, overseeing planning, design, construction, commissioning, and occupancy of complex academic, research, administrative, and student-focused facilities. The position leads a team of Project Managers, Senior Project Managers, and Assistant Director while serving as a trusted advisor to university leadership, faculty, researchers, and stakeholders.
The Associate Director is responsible for delivering projects safely, on schedule, within budget, and aligned with institutional priorities while fostering exceptional customer service, operational excellence, and a collaborative culture. This role serves as a senior leader within Design & Construction and frequently represents the department in interactions with university leadership, consultants, contractors, regulatory agencies, and external partners.
Specific Duties & Responsibilities
Client Leadership & Relationship Management
- Serve as the senior relationship manager for assigned schools, divisions, departments, and stakeholders, acting as the primary point of contact for capital planning and project delivery services.
- Develop a deep understanding of client business objectives, academic priorities, research initiatives, operational requirements, and long-range strategic plans.
- Build trusted partnerships with deans, department directors, faculty, principal investigators, researchers, and administrative leaders.
- Function as a strategic advisor by translating programmatic, operational, and research needs into successful capital and facility solutions.
- Lead portfolio reviews with clients to establish priorities, align resources, manage expectations, and ensure project portfolios support institutional goals.
- Foster a service-oriented culture where Design & Construction is viewed as a valued strategic partner rather than a transactional project delivery organization.
- Monitor client satisfaction and implement continuous improvement initiatives to enhance service delivery and stakeholder engagement.
- Partner closely with Planning & Architecture leadership to ensure integrated planning, programming, design, and project execution strategies that support client goals and institutional priorities.
Leadership & Organizational Development
- Build, lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of Project Managers, Senior Project Managers, and Assistant Directors.
- Partner with Planning & Architecture leadership to establish shared priorities, standards, processes, and service delivery expectations across the project lifecycle.
- Establish performance expectations, provide coaching and professional development opportunities, and conduct performance reviews.
- Promote accountability, collaboration, innovation, and a customer-focused culture.
- Assist in developing departmental goals, performance metrics, standards, policies, and best practices.
- Support succession planning and organizational development initiatives.
Project & Portfolio Management
- Lead a portfolio of capital, renovation, and strategic projects from planning through occupancy.
- Oversee project programming, planning, design, procurement, construction, commissioning, activation, and closeout activities.
- Direct the development and management of project budgets, schedules, cash flow forecasts, risk assessments, and project reporting.
- Ensure projects meet established objectives for scope, quality, budget, schedule, safety, sustainability, and operational readiness.
- Evaluate project delivery methods and provide recommendations regarding procurement and implementation strategies.
- Lead consultant, contractor, and specialty service procurements, negotiations, and contract administration activities.
Strategic Planning & University Engagement
- Partner with university leadership to support long-term capital planning and strategic initiatives.
- Partner with divisional leadership to deeply understand needs, goals, etc – essentially setting up the what they will need to do with KSAS for in depth understanding of the division.
- Collaborate with Planning & Architecture, Facilities Operations, Real Estate, Finance, Procurement and other stakeholders to ensure successful project outcomes.
- Represent the university in interactions with architects, engineers, contractors, regulatory agencies, community stakeholders, and industry organizations.
- Support sustainability, resilience, operational excellence, and stewardship objectives throughout the project lifecycle.
Preferred Research & Laboratory Experience
- Demonstrated experience planning, designing, and delivering complex academic, healthcare, and research facilities.
- Experience partnering with faculty, principal investigators, research leadership, and academic stakeholders to support research and teaching missions.
- Proven success leading projects involving both wet laboratory and dry laboratory environments, including new construction, renovations, and occupied-facility projects.
- Experience with life sciences, biomedical, translational research, chemistry, biology, engineering, computational science, AI, robotics, and technology-focused facilities.
- Demonstrated experience delivering complex wet and dry laboratory facilities, with the ability to anticipate research, operational, and infrastructure challenges; ask critical questions early in the project lifecycle; identify risks; and proactively develop solutions that support successful project delivery and long-term facility performance.
- Experience supporting sponsored research growth initiatives and the delivery of mission-critical research environments.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in construction management, Architecture, Engineering, or a related discipline.
- Fifteen years of progressively responsible experience managing institutional design and construction projects.
- Demonstrated experience managing multiple concurrent projects and programs with diverse scopes, budgets, and stakeholder groups.
- Proven track record of delivering exceptional client service and building collaborative partnerships.
- Strong communication, negotiation, leadership, and organizational skills.
- 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
- Advanced Degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, Business Administration, or related field.
- Professional licensure or certification such as RA, PE, CCM, PMP, or equivalent.
- Experience within higher education, healthcare, research, or other complex institutional environments.
- Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and managing large capital project portfolios.
Classified Title: D&C Associate Director
Job Posting Title (Working Title): Associate Director, D&C (Johns Hopkins Facilities & Real Estate)
Role/Level/Range: L/04/LG
Starting Salary Range: $114,595 - $200,795 Annually (Commensurate w/exp.)
Employee group: Full Time
Schedule: Monday - Friday
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Hybrid/JH at Keswick
Department name: 10001606-Design & Construction
Personnel area: University Administration
The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check.
If you are interested in applying for employment with The Johns Hopkins University and require special assistance or accommodation during any part of the pre-employment process, please contact the HR Business Services Office at jhurecruitment@jhu.edu. For TTY users, call via Maryland Relay or dial 711.
The following additional provisions may apply depending on which campus you will work. Your recruiter will advise accordingly.
During the Influenza ("the flu") season, as a condition of employment, The Johns Hopkins Institutions require all employees who provide ongoing services to patients or work in patient care or clinical care areas to have an annual influenza vaccination or possess an approved medical or religious exception. Failure to meet this requirement may result in termination of employment.
The pre-employment physical for positions in clinical areas, laboratories, working with research subjects, or involving community contact requires documentation of immune status against Rubella (German measles), Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Varicella (chickenpox), Hepatitis B and documentation of having received the Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination. This may include documentation of having two (2) MMR vaccines; two (2) Varicella vaccines; or antibody status to these diseases from laboratory testing. Blood tests for immunities to these diseases are ordinarily included in the pre-employment physical exam except for those employees who provide results of blood tests or immunization documentation from their own health care providers. Any vaccinations required for these diseases will be given at no cost in our Occupational Health office.
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