Associate Director, Research Communications & Stewardship

The Associate Director will partner with leaders in Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) to build strategic and tactical stewardship and engagement programs and activities. The Associate Director is responsible for the execution of the vision and strategy for stewardship and volunteer engagement efforts that engage and retain donors and volunteers; strengthen relationships with grateful patients, constituents, and/or alumni; express gratitude; show the impact of gifts and volunteerism; and inspire future giving and enhanced engagement.

The Associate Director, Research Communications and Stewardship sits within the Office of Strategic Initiatives with a dotted-line relationship to the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, and is responsible for producing written materials that communicate the impact of philanthropic support for a major research initiative and significant faculty program to donors and university leadership, while managing the coordination and production of those materials across a complex network of internal partners.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

• Partner with DOFF leaders to manage a dynamic donor recognition program across donor audiences.
• Partner with DOFFs with volunteers, boards, and councils to foster rewarding volunteer experiences and maximize board effectiveness.
• Foster community among staff supporting leadership volunteers by convening regular meetings and discussions.
• Independently develop, design, and produce high-quality stewardship deliverables.
• Write and design personalized donor impact reports and create other special stewardship pieces for donors.
• Utilize different platforms and communication tools, such as videos, to convey impact to donors and enhance stewardship efforts.
• Utilize database (CRM) in daily work, including updating individual records, pulling reports, and interpreting dashboards and data.
• Remain updated about industry best practices and routinely suggest new ways to implement and push the field forward as appropriate.
• May partner with other DOFFs to align stewardship and engagement opportunities with broader messaging, brand and priorities.
• Support the development and execution of university-wide volunteer events.
• Manage the creation of biennial welcome letters from the chair of the University board of Trustees to new advisory board/council members.
• Oversee the Board Portal program.
• Maintain an online set of institutional guidelines, policies and procedures, and other resources to support DOFF partners.
• Serve on institutional working groups/committees and lead training as needed.
• May supervise staff.
• Other duties as assigned.
  
  

In addition to the duties described above, the Associate Director will:

• Translate complex scientific research into clear, compelling written materials for non-specialist audiences, including personalized donor impact reports, faculty research narratives, and stewardship content tied to a major research initiative and significant faculty program.
• Serve as the primary coordination point across multiple university offices—including research administration and the Provost’s Office—managing timelines and driving timely delivery of stewardship and communications deliverables.
• Cultivate a working knowledge of evolving research priorities and faculty activity within a major philanthropic initiative in order to surface timely, accurate, and meaningful updates for donor audiences.
• Contribute to stewardship communications planning and content strategy, identifying opportunities for proactive storytelling and donor engagement tied to institutional research priorities.
• Build and maintain productive working relationships with faculty, research administrators, and advancement colleagues across schools and divisions in a complex, highly collaborative institutional environment.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree.
• Three years related experience, with at least two years of professional experience.
• 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 ability to translate complex scientific research into clear and compelling narratives for non-specialist audiences
• Experience managing a team
• Experience in donor stewardship, advancement communications, or a related function in higher education or an academic research environment.
• Familiarity with life sciences research, academic research environments, or the research enterprise in a university or academic medical center setting.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, including experience coordinating across multiple teams and managing concurrent deadlines.
• High degree of professionalism, discretion, and sound judgment; comfort working with and in support of senior institutional leadership in a complex, fast-paced environment.
  
  

Technical Qualifications & Specialized Certifications

Technical Skills and Expected Level of Proficiency:

• Philanthropy CRM Tools: Developing
• Donor Relations and Stewardship: Advanced
• Philanthropy Event Planning: Advanced
• Philanthropy Financial Tracking and Reporting: Advanced
• Philanthropic Creative Development: Advanced
• Oral and Written Communication: Advanced
• Project Management: Intermediate
• Strategic Communication: Advanced
• Stakeholder and Volunteer Engagement: Advanced
• Ethical Standards and Compliance in Philanthropy: Advanced
  
  

The core technical skills listed are most essential; additional technical skills may be required based on specific division or department needs.

Classified Title: Donor Relations Officer

Job Posting Title (Working Title): Associate Director, Research Communications & Stewardship

Role/Level/Range: ATP/04/PD

Starting Salary Range: Minimum: $62,899 - Maximum: $110,100 (targeted salary: $80k-$86k; commensurate with experience)

Employee group: Full Time

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

FLSA Status: Exempt

Location: Johns Hopkins Medicine and University Institutions

Department name: 60009052-Office of Strategic Initiatives

Personnel area: University Administration