Job Information
Johns Hopkins University Assistant Director of Public Programming in Baltimore, Maryland
We are seeking an Assistant Director of Public Programming at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University will lead and oversee all public programs and events under the dialogue function of the SNF Agora Institute. Through these programs, SNF Agora carries out its scholarship and approach to university students, faculty, and staff, and to the wider public in the United States and across the globe.
About SNF Agora Institute
The SNF Agora Institute, founded in 2017, is a multi-disciplinary academic and public forum dedicated to strengthening global democracy by improving and expanding civic engagement and informed, inclusive dialogue, and by supporting inquiry that leads to real-world change. By building integrated partnerships with scholars, practitioners, students, and the public, we use research to identify and sharpen strategic choices that members of the public and civic and political stakeholders around the world can make to realize the promise of democracy.
SNF Agora organizes its work around three functions: discovery, design, and dialogue. Discovery is the work its scholars do catalyzing transformative, multi-disciplinary inquiry, to understand pluralism, democracy, difference and domination around the world, and to identify possible interventions. Design encompasses its efforts to collaborate with practitioners to translate academic research into usable knowledge for the world and ensure that knowledge created in communities of practice feeds back to shape scholarly inquiry. And Dialogue is its modeling and sharing of its mission with the public through teaching, training, writing, and convening, in order to strengthen citizens’ capacity for productive participation and leadership in democracy.
Under the Dialogue umbrella, SNF Agora hosts a number of recurring signature events, such as the University Debate Initiative, Democracy Day, the Elijah E. Cummings Democracy and Freedom Festival, and an annual international convening to name a few. It also hosts and co-hosts a number of individual public events throughout the academic year with institute faculty, senior and visiting fellows, students, and external partners: examples include symposia, webinars, workshops, book talks and film screenings.
Specific Duties & Responsibilities
Reporting directly to the SNF Agora Managing Director, the SNF Agora Assistant Director of Public Programming will lead and oversee the University Debate Initiative and be the staff lead on all the institute’s other public programs – co-developing and otherwise coordinating their content, design, and implementation with relevant institute faculty, fellows, and staff, student and faculty partners around the university, and external partners. Among their duties, the Assistant Director of Public Programming will:
Directly supervise the SNF Agora Events Planner and a student research assistant(s).
Design, develop, and implement all programs under the university debate initiative – including two marquee public debates per year, several smaller-scale debates – represent the Institute with key partners on major debates hosted in partnership with other organizations.
Identify and develop best practices for the execution of the debates, including through the use of emergent technologies and systems.
Moderate marquee debates, bringing a high-level of expertise that allows for mutual conversation and evokes interesting dialogue.
Co-design and co-lead implementation of all other signature public events of the institute, in partnership with the institute Director, Managing Director, and relevant staff/faculty/student partners, currently including Democracy Day, The Elijah E. Cummings Democracy and Freedom Festival, An annual international convening.
Co-design and coordinate implementation of the institute’s faculty- and fellow-led public programs – at the Baltimore campus, DC campus, and off-site venues.
Collaborate with key university stakeholders and across various departments within the University on all of the above, working in close partnership with the Office of the President, Homewood Student Affairs and University Special Events, Office of Student Affairs, and student organizations; facilitate relationships with university leadership and key stakeholders to brainstorm and conceptualize new programs.
Co-design and coordinate implementation of public programs that are hosted by external partners and co-hosted or co-sponsored by the institute; serve as the main point of contact for external event partners generally as the senior representative for the Institute.
For all of the above, the Assistant Director may be expected to
Determine the content and format, ensuring relevance to SNF Agora’s mission and strategic goals, research speaker/performer options, draft and send invitations and event memos for speakers and other stakeholders, draft event copy, draft talking points or scripts for principals like the institute Director, lead planning meetings and prep calls with speakers and other stakeholders, work with the Assistant Director of Finance on any associated costs, work with institute leadership on partnership agreements where necessary, be the main decisionmaker on public event logistics generally, and then supervise the SNF Agora Events Planner in implementation of those logistics (venue set-up, travel logistics, production, coordination with vendors, etc.).
Oversee the institute’s overall arc of public programming to ensure the best cadence, quality, alignment with mission, and potential for impact.
Field requests and invitations to host, co-host, or co-sponsor public programs, ensuring they align with SNF Agora’s mission and strategic goals and are feasible to carry out.
Exercise independent judgement and work with limited supervision/direction.
Serve as a resource to students and faculty across the university interested in promoting dialogue and debate in their own courses and elsewhere on campus.
Perform other duties as assigned in furtherance of the Institute’s mission.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree in related field.
Five years of related experience in a university or business development setting.
Advanced degree may substitute for required experience, to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.
Preferred Qualifications
Applicants from a variety of backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Master’s Degree.
Seven plus years of experience in policy debate, public speaking, media, or another related field.
Experience in debate and dialogue, including knowledge of best practices in the design and implementation of debates.
Classified Title: Program Manager-Agora
Job Posting Title (Working Title): Assistant Director of Public Programming
Role/Level/Range: ATP/04/PE
Starting Salary Range: $72,600 - $99,800 - $127,000 Annually (Commensurate with experience)
Employee group: Full Time
Schedule: M-F, 8:30-5:00
Exempt Status: Exempt
Location: Hybrid/Homewood Campus
Department name: 60007752-SNF Agora Institute
Personnel area: School of Arts & Sciences
Equal Opportunity Employer:
Johns Hopkins University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. The university promotes affirmative action for minorities, women, disabled persons, and veterans.