Executive Specialist

Johns Hopkins, founded in 1876, is America's first research university and home to nine world-class academic divisions working together as one university.

The Executive Specialist provides independent coordination and executive support to the Vice President of Capital and Construction across the University’s capital planning, design, and construction portfolio. The role supports effective governance and decision making by facilitating cross functional alignment, coordinating information and inputs from multiple teams, and helping ensure capital initiatives progress in a consistent, well-informed, and coordinated manner.

The Executive Specialist will provide high-level dedicated support to the executive. This role will collaborate with members of the office, prioritize multiple tasks, and take a proactive approach to work on various assignments.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities:

• Assume full responsibility and accountability for carrying out and completing special projects and assignments.
• Manage special projects.
• Represent the executive in appropriate circumstances within the scope of the position’s responsibility.
• Prepare meeting materials (i.e., draft agenda, collect relevant information) and staff high level meetings. Record and draft minutes. Monitor and follow-up on action items.
• May possess the highest level of authority and overall responsibility over office administrative matters in the executive’s office, including budget administration, office systems administration and operation.
• Anticipate and problem solve issues and concerns.
• Develop institutional relationships and collaborate/liaise extensively with a variety of individuals inside and outside the office on matters central to the area(s) of responsibility.
• Exercise discretion and independent judgment over their work.
• Other duties as assigned.

In Addition to the Duties Listed Above:

• Act as an extension of the Vice President of Capital and Construction, independently advancing priorities and ensuring continuity across the capital program.
• Independently manage cross-functional initiatives and special projects on behalf of the Vice President, coordinating with campus partners across capital planning, design, construction, real estate, finance, and government affairs.
• Support integrated capital planning and execution by coordinating with capital leadership and project teams to track progress and risks; exercise sound judgment under ambiguity to anticipate, assess, and resolve issues, escalating matters requiring executive attention as appropriate.
• Manage competing priorities and complex workflows by setting priorities, sequencing work, and coordinating inputs from multiple stakeholders; sustain momentum and accountability across initiatives by influencing and aligning senior leaders and project teams, often without direct authority.
• Prepare high-level briefing materials, presentations, and written analyses for senior leadership, University governance bodies, and Trustees related to capital planning, projects, and program performance.
• Serve as a core member of the Vice President’s leadership team, partnering with directors, senior leaders, and the Senior Vice President’s office to ensure alignment and effective execution of capital priorities.
• Represent the Vice President of Capital and Construction in meetings, committees, and working groups, serving as a delegated representative and exercising judgment consistent with the scope of the role.
• Cultivate trust, credibility, and effective working relationships across all levels of the organization; manage up, across, and down with discretion and diplomacy, and reinforce confidence in the Vice President’s office through professional conduct, clear communication, and attention to institutional context and expectations.
• Identify, recommend, and implement improvements to administrative, reporting, and operational processes to enhance effectiveness, transparency, and consistency.
• Maintain institutional continuity and manage highly sensitive and confidential matters with discretion, tracking key decisions, approvals, and commitments to support alignment over time.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Five years of experience providing support for academic, business, research and/or development activities and operations, including providing administrative oversight.
• 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.

Technical Qualifications & Specialized Certifications:

• Highly proficient with Microsoft Office programs including Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Technical Skills & Expected Level of Proficiency:

• Confidentiality and Discretion: Advanced
• Interpersonal Skills: Advanced
• Meeting Coordination: Advanced
• Office Procedures-Authority
• Operational Oversight: Advanced
• Oral and Written Communications: Advanced
• Organizational Skills: Advanced
• Project Management: Advanced
• Resource Management: Advanced
• Workflow Management: Authority