i-team Director

The Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University (the Center) seeks an i-team Director, Newport News, VA to lead the Newport Innovation Team ("i-team").

Innovation Teams unlock creativity from within city governments and the communities they serve. These teams take partners and stakeholders through an evidence-based process to tackle the big problems in their cities no one has yet been able to solve, generate more ambitious responses, and test and adapt interventions until they produce impact. They also work closely with the Mayor, the City's leadership team, and City departments to change the culture of city government.

The Director is charged with leading an i-team focused on building cleaner, more resilient, and economically thriving communities. The Director works closely with the mayor and their leadership team, as well as departmental staff, external experts, community organizations, and residents to ensure the i-team is delivering impactful solutions. The Director is an employee of Johns Hopkins University and based in Newport News City Hall. They report to a senior government official.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead an equity-centered, design-based innovation approach to problem-solving that focuses on identifying root causes of civic challenges in partnership with residents, community organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Collaborate with city government colleagues and community organizations to co-create and manage bold, innovative solutions to solve complex problems.
• Effectively manage the diverse skill sets of the i-team and leverage available technical expertise to maximize creativity and impact.
• Maintain strong relationships and foster collaboration among a broad set of stakeholders, including senior government officials and private sector and nonprofit leaders in the community.
• Strengthen the capacity of city government colleagues, community-based organizations and other stakeholders to work together to co-create and implement transformative solutions.
• Inspire the i-team to challenge the status quo and encourage creative ways to overcome roadblocks.
• Ensure that there are clear and appropriate implementation plans for delivery on all major initiatives.
• Oversee the development of targets and regular measurement of progress.
• Achieve defined targets by monitoring performance and correcting course when needed.
• Participate in a national network of civic-sector innovation experts to advance the field and make visible your city's work.
• Communicate progress to stakeholders, including regular reporting to the mayor.
• Oversee the timely development and submission of high-quality grant deliverables.
• Share the team's strategic framework and best practices for innovation throughout city government.
• Actively collaborate with the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University, a set of program partners, i-teams in your cohort, and other i-team grantee.

Special Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Experience leading large-scale transformations that involve multiple stakeholders and constituencies.
• Experience developing and managing a high-performing team.
• Experience working effectively and collaboratively with senior government, community, and/or private sector leaders.
• Strong interpersonal skills with an ability to build good relationships with peers and to interact with various stakeholders.
• A track record of delivering significant innovation results and impact in the public, nonprofit, or private sector.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
• Aptitude for moving people outside their comfort zones to embrace new approaches, mindsets, and solutions.
• Experience with design-based innovation, data, and/or other innovation methods and tools.
• Experience project-managing complex initiatives from design to their completion.
• Understanding of municipal governance and public sector innovation.