Managing Director, Life Sciences Research Initiative (Office of the Vice Provost for Research)

Affiliated Office Address

Baltimore, MD, United States

Requisition ID

121598

Date Created

June 18, 2026

Job Function

Program Management

Exempt Status

Exempt

Shift Type

Full Time

Schedule

Monday - Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm

Worksite

01-MD:Homewood Campus

Work Modality

Hybrid: On-site 60-89% of hours worked (Ex: 3-4 out of 5 days/week)

As announced in 2024, a new Life Sciences Building is rising on Johns Hopkins’ East Baltimore medical campus, creating space for more than 1,200 lab benches and 920 scientists pursuing foundational biomedical research. This building will anchor a major new life sciences effort centered on rapidly developing technologies in imaging, artificial intelligence, and genetics—fields where scientists are making discoveries at a record-breaking pace. It expands on Johns Hopkins’ extraordinary leadership across the life sciences: 29 Nobel Prize-winning affiliates (including 16 in Physiology or Medicine), decades as the nation’s leading recipient of NIH funding, and a deeply embedded culture of translating discovery into advances that shape clinical care and advance public health worldwide.

To sustain strategic investments in infrastructure, training, and cross-divisional collaboration, Johns Hopkins is establishing a Life Sciences Research Initiative to accelerate discovery across the full continuum of life sciences, from basic science to clinical application and translation. These efforts will unite life sciences research across all Johns Hopkins’ academic divisions. By launching innovative funding programs, they will invest extensively over multiple years in strategically chosen research areas and also provide smaller, high-impact awards to fund bold, investigator-driven projects.

The Opportunity

Johns Hopkins University seeks an accomplished executive to serve as the inauguralManaging Director, Life Sciences Research Initiative. This is a rare opportunity to launch a new initiative in support of one of the world’s leading universities in life sciences.

Reporting directly to the Director, the Managing Director will serve as the senior operational and administrative leader, translating scientific vision into organizational reality. The Managing Director assumes broad responsibility across these initiatives, including day-to-day operations, strategic planning and execution, institutional relationships, budget stewardship, and staff leadership—enabling the Director to provide scientific leadership, advance strategic vision, and build a high-impact research enterprise. They will serve as a critical liaison between the life sciences and its university partners, governing bodies, and external stakeholders.

The ideal candidate is an experienced organizational leader with a track record of building and running complex, mission-driven enterprises. They will bring sound administrative judgment, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to work effectively across a large, decentralized university with multiple stakeholders. Familiarity with academic research environments, life sciences, or related sectors is highly valued.

Specific Duties \& Responsibilities

Strategic Planning and Organizational Leadership

• Partner with the Director to develop, update, and operationalize strategic plans, including mission, vision, goals, programs, organizational structures, and budgets.
• Oversee execution of strategy across all programmatic and operational areas, translating goals into actionable initiatives.
• Establish and maintain robust systems for tracking key performance indicators, timelines, and outcomes; prepare regular reports for the Director, governance committees, advisory boards, and university leadership.
• Identify emerging organizational needs and recommend adaptive strategies to ensure responsiveness, innovation, and long-term impact.
• Cultivate an organizational culture of excellence, collaboration, and accountability across all Institute operations.

Institutional Leadership and Administration

• Advise the Director on organizational priorities, resource allocation, governance, and stakeholder engagement; represent the Institute in key internal and external meetings.
• Lead internal governance processes, including oversight committees, advisory boards, and related charters, agendas, and reporting.
• Direct recruitment, onboarding, professional development, and performance management for the core operations team, fostering a high-performing, mission-aligned workforce.
• Develop and maintain initiative-wide policies, procedures, and administrative practices to ensure effective and compliant operations.
• Oversee budget strategy, financial management, and communications strategy in coordination with central university offices as Institute capacity develops.
• Coordinate with Facilities and Real Estate on planning, construction, and occupancy of the Life Sciences Building, serving as a point of contact for relevant committees and decisions.

Programs, Events, and Academic Initiatives

• Oversee planning and execution of programming, including symposia, workshops, conferences, seminar series, and public events for faculty, fellows, students, and external leaders.
• Manage operational administration of research funding programs, including award processes, reporting, and alignment with strategic priorities.
• Facilitate integration of programming and resources across divisions, departments, and research centers to activate cross-disciplinary collaboration.

External Relationships and Resource Development

• Develop and maintain a robust network of external relationships with peer institutions, federal agencies, foundations, industry partners, and philanthropic organizations to advance collaboration and mission.
• Support philanthropic, translational, and industry engagement activities in coordination with the Director, University Development and Alumni Relations, Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures, and other relevant university partners.
• Ensure alignment and coordination with related initiatives, institutes/centers, and university leadership offices to maximize complementary impact and avoid duplication.
• In partnership with the Director, maintain regular engagement with key university leadership offices—including the President’s Office, Provost’s Office, relevant Deans, Human Resources, General Counsel, Information Technology, Government Affairs, and Central Finance and Administration—to align Institute activities with institutional priorities and policies.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Advanced Degree required; an MBA, MPA, MPH, or doctoral degree in a relevant field strongly preferred.
• Fifteen plus years of progressively responsible experience in organizational leadership, strategy, and administration.
• Demonstrated success managing complex, multi-stakeholder organizations or initiatives with significant budgets.
• Experience in higher education, academic research, life sciences, or a closely related sector.
• Proven track record in communications strategy, planning, and execution.
• Experience supporting or leading fundraising, development, and external partnership efforts.
• 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

• Demonstrated success managing complex, multi-stakeholder organizations or initiatives with significant budgets.
• Experience in higher education, academic research, life sciences, or a closely related sector.
• Proven track record in communications strategy, planning, and execution.
• Experience supporting or leading fundraising, development, and external partnership efforts.
• Prior experience serving in a senior operational role within a research institute, academic center, or comparable enterprise.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategic plans in dynamic, mission-driven environments.
• Experience with budgeting, financial planning, and resource stewardship at an organizational level.
• Familiarity with research administration, including grants, contracts, and compliance in academic or government-funded settings.
• Experience with translational research, technology transfer, or industry-academic partnerships.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills; comfortable engaging at executive and public-facing levels.
• Experience engaging with diverse constituencies, including university leadership, faculty, government officials, industry partners, foundations, and donors.
• Proven skill in staff management, team development, and fostering collegial, high-performance cultures.
• Ability to navigate and succeed within large, complex, decentralized organizations with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Entrepreneurial orientation with capacity to identify opportunities, build programs from the ground up, and drive results in fast-paced environments.

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 $ $250,000 - $325,000\.

Total Rewards

The referenced base salary range represents the low and high end of Johns Hopkins University’s salary range for this position. Not all candidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range. Exact salary will ultimately depend on multiple factors, which may include the successful candidate's geographic location, skills, work experience, market conditions, education/training and other qualifications. Johns Hopkins offers a total rewards package that supports our employees' health, life, career and retirement. More information can be found here: https://hr.jhu.edu/benefits-worklife/.

Education and Experience Equivalency

Please refer to the job description above to see which forms of equivalency are permitted for this position. If permitted, equivalencies will follow these guidelines: JHU Equivalency Formula: 30 undergraduate degree credits (semester hours) or 18 graduate degree credits may substitute for one year of experience. Additional related experience may substitute for required education on the same basis. For jobs where equivalency is permitted, up to two years of non-related college course work may be applied towards the total minimum education/experience required for the respective job.

Applicants Completing Studies

Applicants who do not meet the posted requirements but are completing their final academic semester/quarter will be considered eligible for employment and may be asked to provide additional information confirming their academic completion date.

Background Checks

The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check. Johns Hopkins is committed to hiring individuals with a justice-involved background, consistent with applicable policies and current practice. A prior criminal history does not automatically preclude candidates from employment at Johns Hopkins University. In accordance with applicable law, the university will review, on an individual basis, the date of a candidate's conviction, the nature of the conviction and how the conviction relates to an essential job-related qualification or function.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Johns Hopkins University values diversity, equity and inclusion and advances these through our key strategic framework, the JHU Roadmap on Diversity and Inclusion.

Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

EEO is the Law

https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6\.12ScreenRdr.pdf

Accommodation Information

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 Talent Acquisition Office at [email protected]. For TTY users, call via Maryland Relay or dial 711\. For more information about workplace accommodations or accessibility at Johns Hopkins University, please visit: https://accessibility.jhu.edu/.

Vaccine Requirements

Johns Hopkins University requires all faculty, staff, and students to receive the seasonal flu vaccine. Exceptions to the flu vaccine requirements may be provided to individuals for religious beliefs or medical reasons. Requests for an exception must be submitted to the JHU vaccination registry.

The following additional provisions may apply, depending upon campus. Your recruiter will advise accordingly.

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.