Associate Director, Financial Aid Communications (Student Financial Support)

The Associate Director is responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive financial aid communications strategy with a strong emphasis on access and affordability. This role plays a critical role in ensuring that financial aid messaging is clear, consistent, cohesive, and aligned with the mission of Student Financial Support across all digital channels, including websites, social media, email, and chatbot platforms. The Associate Director collaborates closely with Undergraduate Admissions Communications and University Communications to develop coordinated, institutionally aligned messaging that supports enrollment, access, and affordability goals. In addition, the role provides leadership and oversight for Student Financial Support's Federal Work Study student employees.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

Strategic Communications & Messaging

• Develop and implement a comprehensive, multi-channel financial aid communications strategy that enhances user engagement, improves access to resources, and effectively communicates Johns Hopkins' commitment to access and affordability to key audiences, including students, families, and high school counselors.
• Ensure all SFS messaging is clear, consistent, cohesive, audience-appropriate, and aligned with institutional priorities and branding standards.
• Provide strategic guidance on how financial aid policies, processes, and initiatives should be positioned across communications for prospective, incoming, and continuing students.
• Maintain current knowledge of federal, state, and institutional financial aid regulations, policies, and best practices to ensure communications are accurate, timely, and compliant.

Content Development & Platform Management

• Oversee financial aid content management across key platforms, including the Homewood Financial Aid website, Net Partner Portal, Slate Portal, and Student Information System Portal.
• Lead recommendations and edits related to financial aid award letters and cost of attendance content within applicant and student portals.
• Develop clear, student-centered informational resources, including guides, infographics, videos, and presentations, to increase understanding of financial aid topics and processes.
• Produce high-quality, branded communications and marketing materials such as messaging toolkits, social media strategies, webinars, video content, and advocacy communications, ensuring compliance with university and divisional guidelines.

Planning, Coordination & Collaboration

• Manage the overall SFS communications and editorial calendar, collaborating with campus partners to plan, coordinate, and execute high-quality communications deliverables.
• Lead university-wide financial aid communications initiatives, ensuring alignment with institutional goals, enrollment strategies, and branding standards.
• Serve as the primary communications liaison to University Communications and Undergraduate Admissions, ensuring financial aid content is aligned with university branding and integrated across platforms.
• Partner closely with Undergraduate Admissions Communications and University Communications to co-develop messaging, campaigns, and content related to financial aid, affordability, and access.
• Serve as the primary SFS point of contact for cross-functional communications initiatives that span multiple divisions or audiences, ensuring coordination and consistency across admissions, central university platforms, and school-based communications.
• Collaborate with key stakeholder offices to identify communications opportunities as new initiatives are conceived, developed, and launched.
• Lead the SFS Financial Aid Messaging and Presentation Working Group to coordinate messaging priorities and ensure consistency across audiences and channels.

Assessment & Analytics

• Leverage data from student interactions, including in-person visits, email and phone inquiries, surveys, workshops, events, and campaigns, to inform communications strategy and continuous improvement.
• Create and maintain a financial aid communications dashboard and reporting framework to regularly assess the reach, effectiveness, and outcomes of communications and marketing efforts.

Student Employee Supervision & Training

• Hire, supervise, train, and evaluate Student Financial Support's Federal Work Study (FWS) student employees, including establishing expectations, assigning work, and ensuring appropriate coverage aligned with office priorities.
• Develop and maintain onboarding and training materials for student employees to ensure consistency, accuracy, and compliance with federal and institutional requirements.

Special Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to think critically and develop strategic messaging, including experience developing media strategies.
• Familiarity with online communications platforms and content management systems such as WordPress, and other tools for editing and publishing web content.
• Knowledge of best practices for analytics, content strategy, search engine optimization, and usability/user experience; solid understanding of WCAG 2.0 guidelines to ensure accessibility of web content.
• Familiarity with a variety of social media tools and the metrics that drive success within those tools
• Sophisticated understanding of today's digital landscape, including new and emerging technologies and platforms as well as usage trends among undergraduate and graduate students.
• Flexibility in dealing with a very diverse culture, and commitment to diversity and to serving the needs of a diverse population.
• Knowledge of HTML/CSS.
• Experience using Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.) a plus
• Experience working in higher education (college/university) admissions and or financial aid.

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field.
• Four years of related experience.
• 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.

• Master's Degree or equivalent experience preferred.
• Five years of professional communications experience.
• Professional experience in traditional and digital communications, including social media, website, and digital platforms.

• Experience working in higher education (college/university) admissions and or financial aid.

Classified Title: Communications Associate
Job Posting Title (Working Title):Associate Director, Financial Aid Communications (Student Financial Support)
Role/Level/Range: ATP/04/PD
Starting Salary Range: $62,900 - $110,100 Annually ($80,000 targeted; Commensurate w/exp.)
Employee group: Full Time
Schedule: Mon - Fri / 08:30am - 05:00pm
FLSA Status:Exempt
Location: Hybrid/Homewood Campus
Department name: Student Financial Services
Personnel area: University Student Services