Public Innovation Practitioner (Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation)

Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore (MD); Hybrid; USD 102,000 - 179,000; Full time

Job summary

Johns Hopkins University invites applications for a Public Innovation Practitioner. You will partner with i-teams to advance city-level projects, frame challenges, test solutions, and develop implementation roadmaps across diverse partners.

This hybrid role involves travel up to 25% and requires a Bachelor's Degree with at least seven years of civic innovation or public-sector problem-solving experience, including work with local government.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field or equivalent.
• Seven years of experience in civic innovation, design, or public-sector problem-solving.
• Experience working with local government and city teams.

Responsibilities

• Project Delivery Facilitation and Learning: frame challenges, unlock insights, design and test new solutions, and deliver measurable results for residents.
• Co-create and facilitate workshops, design sessions, and community engagements.
• Develop and document project artifacts such as presentations, prototypes, and roadmaps.
• Apply lessons learned to strengthen and scale practices across initiatives.
• Prepare reports and communications for leadership and external partners.

Skills

Seven years of civic innovation

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

Johns Hopkins, founded in 1876, is America's first researchuniversity and home to nine world-class academic divisions workingtogether as one university.

The Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns HopkinsUniversity (the Center) seeks a Public InnovationPractitioner to partner with Innovation Teams (i-teams) anddrive the field forward by helping advance breakthrough innovationsand scaling impact in cities. The first of its kind in the world,the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins aims toadvance the field of public sector innovation by marryingcutting-edge practice with world class research to transform theculture of government, deliver exceptional results for residents,and inspire trust in public service. The Center is housed withinthe new Johns Hopkins School of Government and Policy.

Reporting to a City Support Lead, Practitioners will travelapproximately 35% of time to partner with i-teams to achievecity-specific goals, realize ambitions of the partner cities,identify opportunities to advance program impact, strategicallysolve problems, and develop business cases and financingstrategies. The Practitioner will help city teams test and refinenew methods to improve residents’ lives, while coaching i-teamstaff on techniques to navigate complex political andorganizational realities. Practitioners bring professionalexperience as individual contributors and consultants, exceptionalcritical thinking skills, and extensive experience helping citiesor similar organizations solve problems to better serveresidents.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Project Delivery Facilitation and Learning
• Partner with i-teams to frame challenges, unlock insights,design and test new solutions, and deliver measurable results forresidents.
• Co-create and facilitate workshops, design sessions, andcommunity engagements that move the work forward.
• Develop and document project artifacts such as presentations,prototypes, and implementation roadmaps.
• Apply subject matter expertise and lessons learned fromindividual programs to strengthen and scale practices acrossinitiatives, supporting both city-level progress and continuousimprovement across the Center.
• Prepare reports, summaries, presentations, and other workproducts for dissemination to Center leadership and externalpartners.

Capacity-building Through Practice

• Work alongside i-teams on live projects to help cities turnideas into practical action.
• Support i-team staff by demonstrating how to structureproblems, test ideas, and refine solutions in real time.
• Demonstrate what strong data analysis, design, systemsthinking, and business case development look like through directproject support and clear examples from practice.
• Build short, practical learning moments into project work tostrengthen team capabilities while advancing results.
• Help i-teams anticipate risks, adjust plans as circumstanceschange, and keep projects moving in complex, uncertain, orpolitically sensitive environments.
• Model flexible and solutions-oriented leadership whennavigating organizational and political realities.

Representation

• Represent the Center with professionalism and expert confidencein interactions with mayors, city staff, residents, andpartners.

This position may require travel up to 25% of thetime.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree.
• Seven years of relevant experience in civic innovation, design,community engagement, or public-sector problem-solving includingwork alongside or within local government.
• Additional education may substitute for required experience,and additional related experience may substitute for requirededucation beyond a high school diploma/graduation equivalent, tothe extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong communication, visual storytelling, and synthesisskills.
• Strong emotional intelligence, diplomacy, and trust-buildingskills.
• Comfort with ambiguity and ability to stay focused on outcomesin the face of change.
• Skilled at turning insights into action and identifyingtrends.
• Curatorial savvy: the ability to assess a city’s need andactivate supplemental technical assistance.
• Ability to maintain trusted relationships while pushing teamsto maximize opportunities and achieve stated goals.
• Strong situational awareness and ability to navigate politicaland organizational dynamics.
• Excellent workshop facilitation, project documentation, andcommunication abilities.
• Flexible, creative, and resilient: able to pivot strategies andplans in real time.
• Empathy for public servants and communities, and commitment toequity-centered innovation.
• Ability to operationalize, communicate, or codify breakthroughsin ways that help shape the field in the years to come.

Classified Title: Public Innovator Practitioner
Role/Level/Range: ATP/04/PG
Starting Salary Range: $102,295 - $179,375 Annually (Commensuratew/exp.)
Employee group: Full Time
Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Hybrid/Homewood Campus
Department name: Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation
Personnel area: School of Government & Policy

The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to apre-employment background check.

If you are interested in applying for employment with The JohnsHopkins University and require special assistance or accommodationduring any part of the pre-employment process, please contact theHR Business Services Office at [e-mail]. For TTYusers, call via Maryland Relay or dial 711.

The following additional provisions may apply depending on whichcampus you will work. Your recruiter will adviseaccordingly.

During the Influenza ("the flu") season, as a condition ofemployment, The Johns Hopkins Institutions require all employeeswho provide ongoing services to patients or work in patient care orclinical care areas to have an annual influenza vaccination orpossess an approved medical or religious exception. Failure to meetthis requirement may result in termination of employment.

The pre-employment physical for positions in clinical areas,laboratories, working with research subjects, or involvingcommunity contact requires documentation of immune status againstRubella (German measles), Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Varicella(chickenpox), Hepatitis B and documentation of having received theTdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination. This may includedocumentation of having two (2) MMR vaccines; two (2) Varicellavaccines; or antibody status to these diseases from laboratorytesting. Blood tests for immunities to these diseases areordinarily included in the pre-employment physical exam except forthose employees who provide results of blood tests or immunizationdocumentation from their own health care providers. Anyvaccinations required for these diseases will be given at no costin our Occupational Health office.

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