Hiring Eastside Youth Opportunity Center Program Director in Baltimore

Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED) is the lead city agency connecting Baltimore residents to living-wage careers, and has operated the city’s Youth Opportunity (YO) Center network for 12 years, serving more than 4,000 out-of-school and unemployed youth aged 18-24 across Baltimore. The Eastside YO Center, launching in January 2025, is a new network site designed to address the 24% out-of-school youth unemployment rate in Baltimore’s eastside zip codes, with targeted support for young people facing barriers including limited formal education, minimal work experience, and unstable housing.

We are hiring a dedicated, community-rooted Program Director to lead full operations of the Eastside YO Center, serving as the primary point of accountability for all center activities, participant outcomes, and partnership delivery for a cohort of 150+ youth annually. This is not a generic program management role: you will have end-to-end ownership of the center’s strategy, budget, staff, and community impact, with direct reporting to MOED’s Youth Services Division Director.

Key responsibilities for this role include:
1. Overseeing full center operations, including scheduling of in-person services, resource allocation, and compliance with all city, state, and federal workforce development regulations, ensuring 100% adherence to reporting deadlines and $1.2M annual grant requirements.
2. Designing and delivering tailored service pathways for 150+ annual participants, including individualized career planning, GED/High School Equivalency support referrals, vocational training enrollment, and job placement support, targeting a 75% job placement or post-secondary enrollment rate within 6 months of program completion.
3. Building and maintaining partnerships with 20+ local stakeholders, including Baltimore City Public Schools, community colleges, local employers in healthcare, construction, and technology, and social service providers, to expand service access and create 50+ paid apprenticeship and entry-level job opportunities for participants annually.
4. Managing a team of 8 full-time staff, including case managers, job coaches, and administrative support, providing weekly one-on-one check-ins, performance feedback, and professional development opportunities to maintain a 90% annual staff retention rate.
5. Tracking and reporting all participant progress, service delivery metrics, and budget expenditures using MOED’s designated case management system (Salesforce Service Cloud) and financial tracking tools (QuickBooks Nonprofit), submitting bi-weekly and monthly reports to MOED leadership with 99% data accuracy.
6. Leading monthly community advisory board meetings with local residents, youth participants, and partner organizations to gather feedback and adjust center programming to meet evolving community needs, documenting all feedback and action items in shared project management tools (Asana).
7. Developing and managing the center’s annual operating budget, including procurement of supplies, staff payroll oversight, and allocation of funds for participant stipends and support services (transportation, childcare, work attire) to ensure 100% of allocated funds are used in alignment with grant guidelines.
8. Coordinating outreach and recruitment efforts across eastside Baltimore neighborhoods, including hosting 12+ annual community events, partnering with local barbershops, churches, and community centers, and running targeted social media campaigns via Meta Business Suite and TikTok for Business to reach 500+ eligible youth annually, with a 30% conversion rate from outreach contact to program enrollment.

The work environment for this role is hybrid, with 3 days per week spent at the center’s renovated, accessible community space in eastside Baltimore, and 2 days per week available for remote administrative work, with flexibility to adjust scheduling during peak outreach periods. Our team culture is collaborative and participant-centered: we prioritize the lived experience of the youth we serve, encourage staff to bring their full identities and expertise to work, and hold regular team check-ins and professional development sessions to support staff growth. You will work closely with MOED’s central leadership team, as well as a 10-member community advisory board made up of eastside residents, youth participants, and local employer partners.

Ideal candidates for this role will have 5+ years of professional experience in youth workforce development, program management, or community services, with at least 2 years of experience managing a team and a budget of $500,000 or more. A bachelor’s degree in social work, public administration, education, or a related field is required, or equivalent professional experience will be considered. Candidates must have proven experience working with low-income youth and communities of color in Baltimore City, and proficiency in Salesforce Service Cloud, QuickBooks Nonprofit, Asana, and Microsoft 365. A valid driver’s license and reliable transportation are required for occasional travel to partner sites and community events, and all hires must pass a standard Baltimore City background check and drug screening.

This role offers a compensation range of $72,000 to $88,000 annually, commensurate with experience, plus a comprehensive benefits package including city-sponsored health, dental, and vision insurance (90% of employee premiums covered by the city, 50% of dependent premiums covered), 12 days of paid time off annually plus 10 paid city holidays, 5 paid sick days, access to a $2,000 annual professional development stipend for conferences, certifications, or continuing education, eligibility for the Baltimore City pension plan after 1 year of service, and flexible scheduling during non-peak program periods. Beyond compensation, this role offers the chance to lead a high-impact, city-funded initiative that directly shapes economic opportunity for hundreds of Baltimore youth, with clear pathways for career advancement.

After 2 years of successful performance, you will be eligible for promotion to MOED’s Youth Services Division Manager role, overseeing multiple YO centers across the city, or opportunities to lead special youth workforce development policy initiatives. You will also gain access to MOED’s leadership development program, networking opportunities with city officials, local employer partners, and federal workforce stakeholders, and may be selected to present your center’s outcomes at national workforce development conferences, with travel costs covered by MOED.

The hiring process for this role is as follows: applications will be accepted until October 15, 2024, with initial screening of all submissions completed by October 18. Selected candidates will be invited to a 30-minute virtual preliminary interview with the MOED Youth Services hiring team between October 21 and October 25. Finalists will be invited to a 2-hour in-person panel interview with MOED leadership, community advisory board members, and current youth participants on November 4 or 5, including a 15-minute presentation of your vision for the Eastside YO Center. Reference checks will be conducted for all finalists, with a target start date of December 2, 2024, to allow for onboarding and pre-launch planning before the center opens to participants in January 2025.

To apply, submit your full resume, a 1-page narrative outlining your relevant experience leading youth workforce programs in Baltimore, and contact information for 2 professional references to [email protected], with the subject line formatted as Eastside YO Center Program Director Application – [Your Full Name]. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled, with priority given to submissions received by the October 15 deadline.