GAIT Director (School of Government and Policy)

Governing the AI Transition (GAIT) is a new initiative housed in the School of Government and Policy (SGP) that aims to establish Johns Hopkins as the world leader for cross-disciplinary research, training, and practice on the challenges of governing the societal-scale transition that powerful AI will precipitate. GAIT's focus is on the frontier of AI research, and transformative capabilities that are on the horizon, including the prospect of AI systems that meet or exceed median human performance across a broad set of cognitive functions, often described as Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). GAIT will develop foundational and applied research leading to concrete, implementable, and politically viable approaches to the governance of, with, and in response to AI, and will train people to put those approaches into practice across industry, government, civil society, and academia. The initiative is organized around three core activities: research (AI alignment and governance scholarship, fellowships, and field-building infrastructure such as conferences and journals); training (AI governance coursework, a planned Master’s degree, and executive education); and outreach (translating research into practice through convening stakeholders, public-interest deployment of AI agents, and third-party evaluation of frontier AI models). GAIT is building a Washington, D.C.-based community of researchers and practitioners working at the center of frontier AI policy, with close ties to frontier AI labs, government, and civil society.Position OverviewWe are seeking a GAIT Director who will lead operations for the GAIT initiative, in support of Faculty leadership. This position will advance policy and outcomes through stakeholder engagement, capacity building, and program development. The candidate will oversee multi-year, multi-million-dollar initiatives, supporting interdisciplinary research teams and managing operations staff, contributing to grant and gift acquisition and program design to implementation and dissemination of findings.Johns Hopkins’ first new academic division since 2007, the School of Government and Policy is anchored at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center in the nation’s capital. It draws on the university’s 150-year research tradition to develop innovative, evidence-based solutions and prepare the next generation of policy and public sector leaders to advance evidence-based solutions for the policy and governance challenges that matter most.The person filling this position will be working in a start-up environment – creating processes and procedures, navigating unexpected obstacles, and adapting to change frequently. An agile mindset and flexible approach to daily responsibilities is needed as we define new ways of working within a well-established university. We are seeking a solution-focused person with a demonstrated ability to create new paths to achieve results.Specific Duties & ResponsibilitiesProgram Leadership and Management Support faculty strategic leadership of GAIT by executing large-scale projects in alignment with the School’s strategic goals. Ensure initiatives meet sponsor deliverables, compliance requirements, budgets, and deadlines.PolicyWork across teams to support translation of complex policy issues into clear, actionable strategies. Monitor legislative developments. Foster relationships with stakeholders and align advocacy efforts. Program ImplementationSupport faculty strategic leadership in executing data-driven initiatives to implement programs and deliver outcomes in partnership with and to external stakeholder organizations. Team ManagementSupervise multidisciplinary teams of engineers, analysts, and support staff. Provide guidance and mentorship to junior staff.Stakeholder EngagementBuild and maintain partnerships with federal, state, and local government agencies; community-based organizations; and policymakers, to translate complex program outcomes into actionable policy.Grant Management Identify grant funding opportunities, write grant proposals, and manage budgets to ensure project sustainability. Manage relationships with funding agencies. FundraisingIdentify potential donors, build healthy donor relationships, and generate revenue from donor gifts in partnership with the School’s development officer.Policy TranslationSupport GAIT faculty in realizing program outcomes through policy recommendations to academic, governmental, and public forums.Reporting and DisseminationSupport faculty dissemination of research through a communications strategy encompassing reports and policy briefs, and dissemination of findings through media, and other platforms.Technical AssistanceMay provide expert guidance and technical support to government agencies and community-based organizations to improve practices and policies. Develop and implement evaluation frameworks to assess the effectiveness of the provided technical-assistance.Minimum QualificationsA master’s degree in a related discipline.Ten years of experience in project/program management or organization leadership, in a related field.Record of securing and managing large, complex federal and foundation grants.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 QualificationsClose understanding of and familiarity with frontier AI systems, ecosystems, and policy proposals, ideally including experience with AI companies and AI safety and policy organizations.Leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.Ability to manage diverse teams and multiple initiatives simultaneously.Analytical, writing, and presentation skills.Understanding of program-development and evaluation methods.Ability to work alongside and support world-class researchersClassified Title: SGP Program Director Job Posting Title (Working Title): GAIT Director (School of Government and Policy) Role/Level/Range: ATP/04/PH Starting Salary Range: $119,515 - $210,000 Annually (Commensurate w/exp.) Employee group: Full Time Schedule: 8:30am-5pm M-F FLSA Status: Exempt Location: District of Columbia Department name: Staff Personnel area: School of Government & Policy Department:Finance & Business