We are delighted to be conducting the search for the Director at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

Johns Hopkins University, one of the world’s premier research universities, is seeking nominations for the position of the Director of Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), LLC, a division of Johns Hopkins University.

Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins University created the model for the American research university with the scholarly ambitions, norms, and cultures that still define the academy in the United States. APL provides solutions to national security and scientific challenges with systems engineering and integration, research and development, and analysis. Since their founding in 1942 to aid a country at war, they have focused on practical applications of their research in a wide range of scientific and technological fields. Today, their four main sponsored areas of work include air and missile defense, asymmetric operations, force projection, and space science. Additionally, they continue to honor their enduring commitment to work with and inspire future generations of scientists, engineers, and researchers.

The Director is the chief executive officer of APL, and reports to (and is a member of) the APL’s Board of Managers through its Chair, and, as a subsidiary and consolidated entity, is also accountable to the University, through its President and ultimately its Board of Trustees. 

The Director works closely with other University leaders and trustees with respect to budgetary and capital approvals, risk management and auditing. The Director leads more than 9,500 staff members and oversees hundreds of specialized research and test facilities. The Director will build upon and expand APL's strong partnership with the University’s academic divisions and research organizations, including through joint academic appointments and shared research initiatives.

The role will be based in Laurel, Maryland.

Organizational Structure

APL’s organizational structure breaks down into four sectors, two technical departments, and five enterprise service departments. The sectors—Air and Missile Defense, Asymmetric Operations, Force Projection, and Space Exploration—are devoted to critical work sponsored by government agencies. Eleven of APL’s 13 mission areas reside in these sectors.

APL’s two technical departments—National Security Analysis and Research and Exploratory Development—focus on work that brings together multidisciplinary teams of talented researchers. Each technical department has one mission area.

The five enterprise service departments—Business, Construction, and Facilities; Communications; Information Technology Services; Security Services; and Talent Services—provide the infrastructure and expertise to support the Laboratory’s staff.

Mission Areas

Johns Hopkins APL’s 13 mission areas are organized and equipped to meet unique sponsor and mission needs, providing them with dedicated, on-call engineering, scientific, and analytical expertise.

The highly skilled and technically diverse teams of scientists and engineers apply their expertise and operational knowledge in world-class facilities, enabling us to deliver innovative solutions to the nation’s most complex challenges.

• Civil Space Flight
• Cyber Operations
• Global Health
• Homeland Defense
• National Security Analysis 
• National Security Space
• Precision Strike
• Research and Exploratory Development
• Sea Control
• Space Formulation
• Special Operations
• Strategic Deterrence
• Theater Defense

Duties & Responsibilities

Results:

• Delivers contributions of critical national importance.
• Leads bold visionary approaches in groundbreaking innovation and adoption.
• Communicates APL's capabilities and influences national planning and policy.

Strategic Leadership:

• Formulates a shared vision, establishes strategic objectives and ensures alignment with enterprise perspectives and goals.
• Maintains an understanding and knowledge of external environments (sponsors, government organizations, competitors, industry) plan and operate and the implications for APL.
• Ability to strategically anticipate, interpret, and shape changes in national, customer, sponsor environments and requirements.
• Develops and leads effective business strategies and optimizes them within public sector policies and budget processes.
• Ability to work collaboratively with academic leadership as a member of the University’s Council of Deans.

Management and Execution: 

• Operates with integrity and ethics in all relationships and in carrying out all responsibilities.
• Delivers a healthy balance between a "bottom line" business performance perspective, a wide range of current and potential sponsors, and the university community, while always maintaining a patriotic sense of service to the nation.
• Ability to communicate effectively to stakeholders, sponsors, and staff at all levels in a variety of settings.
• Will establish shared vision, focus on mission, and continue to position APL as an employer of choice for the best and brightest engineering and scientific talent at a time when many attractive opportunities abound for such talent and thus ensures the future success of APL and the nation.

Key Relationships: 

• Builds strategic relationships with stakeholders, sponsors, and customers by understanding their needs, making customer satisfaction a top priority.
• Fosters expansion of relationships across the Johns Hopkins community as JHU continues to emphasize a “One University” approach to cross-university initiatives and lowering the barriers to collaboration.
• Models behaviors expected from others and reflects Laboratory culture and values.
• Inspires individuals and team members to respect differences in other's culture, race, gender, age, background, experience, etc.
• Conveys presence that commands attention, respect and confidence and achieves influence and impact.
• The Director will, as appropriate, seek opportunities for technology translation for the benefit of APL sponsors.

Staff Development: 

• Fosters the development of leadership, technical talent, and strategic perspective within APL, with special attention to the creation and nurturing of a cadre of rising leaders able to step into top leadership roles at the lab.
• Promotes a transparent, accountable, and inclusive community that is committed to diversity and equity and inclusion throughout all aspects of APL.

Qualifications

Domain Expertise:

• Demonstrated achievement and competence in one or more technical areas relevant to APL, with strength in systems engineering.
• Ability to connect APL's government sponsors with the commercial sector and the APL's leadership to effectively develop technologies.
• Ability to understand key sponsor missions, needs, challenges, constraints, and partnership opportunities, as well as risks.
• Demonstrated track record of collaboration as a foundation to work with JHU colleagues and organizations, as well as third parties, in addressing new and different sponsor needs and requirements.

Other Requirements:

• Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory advances science and engineering-based invention and innovation in multiple fields. As an advanced engineering systems organization within a premier research university comprising many thousands of engineers and scientists, including thousands of doctoral-holding staff members, it is expected that the successful candidates will themselves be doctoral- holding. Exceptional candidates who do not hold a doctoral degree but who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership and accomplishment in engineering or scientific organizations may be considered.
• Familiarity with the Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community and/or NASA, along with demonstrated success in developing and maintaining key customer and community relationships are crucial. The ideal candidate would have extensive experience and success directly dealing with relevant federal agencies.
• A demonstrable record of unimpeachable integrity.
• The Director must be a U. S. citizen, having or capable of promptly obtaining a TS/SCI security clearance and other specialized security clearances. Johns Hopkins University is committed to recruiting, supporting, and fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students.

Johns Hopkins does not discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or other legally protected characteristic in any student program or activity

In order to allow necessary time to consider materials and candidacy, we request that cover letters, resumes and other documents be submitted by December 1, 2024.