We are seeking a Sr. Director, Academic Programs for the Center for Talented Youth.Founded in 1979, the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) is a center for innovation dedicated to advancing the field of gifted education through research on testing, programs, and other supports for advanced learners. On the premise that advanced learners come from every community and every demographic, we aim to understand and inform how these students need to be nurtured to achieve their full potential as learners and global citizens. CTY’s programming for bright young scholars cultivates a global community of advanced learners and connects students in and out of the classroom.

Overview

The Senior Director, Academic Programs provides strategic leadership and operational excellence for CTY’s core academic offerings: day, residential, asynchronous online, and hybrid virtual classrooms for advanced learners in grades 2-12. CTY programs deliver a three-part experience—academic rigor, novel context or approach, and a fun, engaging peer community—and the Senior Director is accountable for advancing that experience across modalities with fidelity to CTY’s mission in support of advanced young learners and its strategic plan.

Reporting to CTY’s Executive Director and serving on CTY’s senior leadership team, this role works at the intersection of academic vision and programmatic execution. We are seeking a strategic thinker who champions innovation and empowers team members but is comfortable being hands-on when needed. The successful candidate will balance long-term planning with the demands of an annual program cycle, drive programmatic innovation (including thoughtful incorporation of educational technologies and AI), and lead organizational change where appropriate to optimize impact and sustainability.

The person in this role will collaborate across Johns Hopkins and represents CTY externally as needed. They will manage approximately 4 direct reports and oversee a team of approximately 25 full-time employees. This role is ultimately responsible for several hundreds of casual/limited employees (including instructors) who work for CTY throughout the year.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

Academic Innovation

• Shape and execute a multi-year academic strategy for CTY that advances program quality, accessibility, and competitiveness across day, residential, asynchronous online, and hybrid virtual classroom modalities.
• Lead curriculum strategy and academic program design, ensuring clarity of learning outcomes, suitability to the unique needs of advanced K-12 students, alignment with CTY’s distinct learning experience, and adoption of evidence-based practices.
• Champion innovation and pedagogy and educational technology; evaluate and implement digital platforms, adaptive tools, and AI-enabled learning features with attention to learning efficacy, equity, and data privacy.
• Establish a program development pipeline that identifies high-potential new offerings, pilots, prototypes, scales successful models, and sunsets programs that no longer align with strategic or operational priorities.
• Partner with CTY’s Research and Evaluation team to define program-level metrics, oversee evaluation, and use data to inform continuous improvement and strategic decisions.
• Serve as one of CTY’s leading academic voices and thought leaders: present at conferences, represent CTY in cross-institutional academic forums, and cultivate collaborations with internal and external entities.

Operational Excellence and Compliance

• Own operational delivery of world-class programs across modalities, ensuring consistent student experience standards in academics, student life, staffing, facilities (for residential/day programming), and online operations.
• Partner with CTY’s divisional business officer (DBO) to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and licensing requirements, including child safety laws, labor laws, camp regulations, etc. This work requires particular attention to issues pertaining to working with minors and to operating programs in which both students and staff live on-site. Collaboration with other CTY and Johns Hopkins stakeholders as well as with site hosts around the country is critical.
• Lead annual program planning and budgeting in partnership with CTY’s Finance and Enrollment teams, collaborating on tuition and pricing strategy to sustain program excellence and access objectives.
• Ensure robust enrollment management coordination with the Senior Director of Enrollment Management to optimize program/site planning, recruitment, yield, and retention across channels and modalities.
• Oversee policy development for student and staff conduct; device and technology use; accommodations, health and safety protocols; and crisis response. Partner with relevant units for implementation and compliance. Manage any required policy/training updates on an annual basis. Ensure high standards for student services, including onsite healthcare provisions, social-emotional supports, and accommodations for students with disabilities.
• Drive continuous improvement processes and operational efficiencies, using evaluation data to prioritize investments and close gaps between design and delivery.
• Partner with CTY’s HR team to define respective roles of HR and program staff in the recruitment, hiring, credentialing, and training systems; oversee execution of program staff responsibilities.
• Maintain risk-aware program operations, including emergency preparedness and escalation protocols and regular compliance assessments.

Team Leadership

• Lead, develop, and structure the Academic Programs team to align organization, roles, and capacity with strategic priorities. Ensure clarity of responsibilities and accountability across staffing and program management, curriculum, student life, and operations.
• Build and sustain a high performing culture that values collaboration, equity, and professional growth. Model inclusive leadership and supervise direct reports with clear expectations and development plans.
• Partner with CTY and central university HR teams to implement proactive workforce planning for full-time and casual/limited (seasonal) staffing, ensuring appropriate recruitment pipelines, onboarding, training, and performance management practices for a high-volume, seasonal workforce.
• Lead access and equity initiatives within academic programs for both staff and students; embed goals into hiring curriculum design, and student-facing programming.
• Serve as executive sponsor for student conduct and other cross-functional committees and collaborate with senior leaders on donor stewardship and advocacy where academic programs intersect with external engagement.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Master’s Degree in education or related field.
• 10 years of progressively responsible experience in educational program leadership, with demonstrated team management experience and experience delivering programs.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and stakeholder-management skills; experience collaborating across academic and administrative functions and with external partners.
• 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.

• Experience with concepts and best practices related to working with advanced learners.
• Experience leading academic affairs or program operations in higher education, out-of-school programs, pre-college programs, or comparable K-12 enrichment organizations.
• Experience delivering K-12 or pre-college programs across multiple modalities.
• Demonstrated success in strategic program design, curriculum development, and implementing learning technologies, including AI-informed tools.
• Track record of leading organizational change.
• Strong financial and budget management skills; experience working with enrollment management and marketing teams.
• Experience managing high-volume seasonal staffing and operating residential programs is highly desirable.

Classified Title: Director Division of Academic Programs
Job Posting Title (Working Title): Sr. Director, Academic Programs (Center for Talented Youth)
Role/Level/Range: L/05/LG
Starting Salary Range: $111,800 - $195,900 Annually ($160,000-$170,000 targeted; commensurate w/exp)
Employee group: Full Time
Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Hybird/ Mount Washington Campus
Department name: CTY Academic Programs
Personnel area: Academic and Business Centers