Assistant Director, Scholars & Fellows

The Scholars & Fellows Programs (SFP) team seeks a creative, team-oriented Assistant Director, Scholars & Fellows with excellent interpersonal skills to support scholar development and nationally competitive fellowships advising within a complex office focused on academic and intellectual engagement for Johns Hopkins students. The Assistant Director, Scholars & Fellows will contribute to the SFP mission of empowering students by conducting outreach to and advising students in the cohort-based programs and fellowships programs (e.g, Fulbright, UK Scholarships, Truman, Goldwater, et al) The ideal candidate will have a strong background in understanding the lived experiences of first-generation and limited-income (FLI) college students.

The Assistant Director serves as the Program Director for the Kessler Scholars. This role is expected to be visible within the SFP team and highly visible among Kessler Scholars. It demonstrates an investment in knowing students directly and inviting them into conversation about their experiences, strengths, and aspirations. Directing the Kessler program also entails ensuring Scholars’ continued engagement with the Kessler community on campus and via the national Kessler Collaborative throughout their undergraduate experience.

The core work of SFP is to provide students with opportunities for self-reflection and to develop a strong understanding of their strengths, the multiple pathways and opportunities to realize their ambitious goals, and the value of a liberal arts education. Within the SFP team, advising focuses on students’ intellectual wayfinding and, in the context of fellowships advising, intense and iterative feedback is meant to push applicants to high levels of reflection and expressive competence. All students in the Kessler Scholars Program are also part of the advising/coaching program at JHU, which provides scholars with a steady resource throughout the undergraduate experience – that is, proactive academic planning and year-round proactive holistic guidance. The establishment of the SFP team and its interconnection to the advising/coaching program belong to broad, ambitious initiatives to support highly talented and motivated FLI students at Johns Hopkins University.

The Assistant Director reports to the Senior Director for Scholars & Fellows Programs within the Center for Student Success (CSS).

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

Kessler Scholars Program (80%)

Program Leadership

• As Program Director of the Kessler Scholars Program, develop the overall program design in consultation with the SFP Sr. Director, CSS central leadership, faculty partners, and Kessler Collaborative leadership.
• Collaborate with the SFP senior director and Admissions in recruiting and yielding potential Kessler Scholars; design and implement early outreach to and onboarding for incoming students.
• With the support of the SFP team and in coordination with the FLI Network and Kessler Collaborative, develop, implement, and assess signature events each year for the Kessler Scholars.
• In consultation with the SFP Sr. Director and Kessler Collaborative, develop, implement, and advise on policies related to the Kessler Scholars program.
• Attend and contribute to Kessler Collaborative meetings, programs, and annual convenings.
• Serve as a prominent voice on issues related to scholar development in various forums (social media, conferences, academic journals, etc.).

Advising & Supervising

• Develop an ongoing discussion with each scholar about their scholarly experience and their academic, personal, and professional aspirations. Ensure that each scholar can participate fully in at least three high-impact experiences at Hopkins (e.g., internship, research, study abroad).
• Advise the Kessler Scholars student advisory board.
• Develop peer and alumni mentorship programs.
• Hire, train, and guide Graduate Assistants and undergraduate interns in implementing Kessler programming and events.

Program Administration

• In consultation with the SFP Sr. Director, develop a budget for Kessler programming and signature experiences that aligns fiscal resources with program objectives.
• Provide updates and reports about the Kessler Scholars program to SFP, CSS central leadership, and the Kessler Collaborative as needed.
• Maintain social media accounts, newsletters, Hopkins Groups pages, and OneHop mentoring groups and pathways relevant to the cohort.
• Collaborate on developing and implementing assessment strategies to collect, manage, and report program-related data for internal and external audiences.

Collaborative Partnerships

• Establish strong relationships with CSS collea