Hiring Eastside Youth Opportunity Center Program Manager in Baltimore

The Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED) is the lead municipal agency tasked with connecting Baltimore residents to living-wage careers, reducing intergenerational poverty, and addressing systemic barriers to employment across the city. As part of our 2024-2027 Youth Opportunity (YO) Center expansion, we are hiring a dedicated Program Manager to lead the operations of the newly launched Eastside Youth Opportunity Center, a $1.2M annual initiative serving out-of-school, unemployed youth ages 18-24 in East Baltimore zip codes with historically high rates of youth disconnection from school and work. This role uses evidence-based programming models proven effective in youth opportunity centers across the U.S., UK, and Sub-Saharan Africa, aligned with global best practices for supporting disconnected youth into stable career pathways.

In this role, you will own the full lifecycle of the Eastside YO Center’s programming, from participant recruitment and case management to employer partnership development and compliance reporting. You will report directly to the MOED Director of Youth Programs and work closely with a cross-functional team of case managers, job coaches, outreach staff, and city agency partners to deliver tailored support that helps young people access education, paid work experience, and long-term career pathways. This is not a desk-only role: you will spend 30% of your time in the field, meeting with participants at community sites, visiting employer partners, and attending neighborhood events to build trust with the East Baltimore community.

Your core responsibilities will include:
1. Oversee end-to-end operations of the Eastside YO Center, serving 150+ out-of-school, unemployed youth (18-24) annually, ensuring 90% of enrolled participants complete at least one workforce readiness training or work experience placement per program year.
2. Develop and administer a $1.2M annual operating budget for the center, tracking expenditures to align with city grant requirements and maintaining a 95% budget adherence rate to avoid funding clawbacks from municipal and federal funders.
3. Lead a team of 8 full-time and 4 part-time staff, including case managers, job coaches, and outreach coordinators, conducting weekly performance check-ins and monthly professional development sessions to reduce staff turnover by 15% year over year.
4. Build and maintain partnerships with 20+ local employers, community-based organizations, and educational institutions to secure paid work experience placements, apprenticeship opportunities, and GED/high school equivalency support for participants, targeting a 75% job placement or educational enrollment rate for participants within 6 months of program completion.
5. Implement data tracking systems using MOED’s existing Salesforce and CityStat platforms to monitor participant progress, generating monthly performance reports for city leadership and federal funders with 100% on-time submission.
6. Design and deliver culturally responsive programming tailored to East Baltimore’s unique community needs, including trauma-informed case management, financial literacy workshops, and transportation support, to increase participant retention by 20% compared to prior center performance metrics.
7. Coordinate with Baltimore City Public Schools, the Department of Social Services, and local community organizations to identify and recruit eligible youth, ensuring 60% of enrolled participants come from historically underserved zip codes in East Baltimore.
8. Lead quarterly community advisory board meetings to gather feedback from residents, current and former participants, and local stakeholders, integrating at least 3 actionable community suggestions into program design each year.
9. Ensure full compliance with all city, state, and federal regulations governing youth workforce development programs, including WIOA requirements, conducting bi-annual internal audits to eliminate compliance gaps.
10. Develop and execute annual outreach campaigns to raise awareness of the YO Center’s services among local youth, increasing program inquiries by 30% each year through targeted social media, community event, and school outreach efforts.

The MOED team operates with a community-first, equity-centered mindset, prioritizing the voices and needs of the residents we serve over bureaucratic red tape. You will join a team of 40+ staff dedicated to innovative workforce development, with regular opportunities to contribute to city-wide policy discussions, pilot new programming models, and collaborate with local nonprofits, employers, and educational institutions. We offer flexible scheduling for field work, regular team check-ins, and a culture that values staff feedback and professional growth. The Eastside YO Center is based in a renovated community space in East Baltimore, with a shared office for staff, private case management rooms for participants, and a dedicated training space for workshops and employer info sessions.

We are seeking candidates with a proven track record of supporting opportunity youth, particularly those from low-income and BIPOC communities. Required qualifications include 3+ years of professional experience managing youth workforce development, case management, or community programs, with a documented history of improving participant outcomes (e.g., job placement rates, educational enrollment, income gains). A bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Public Administration, Youth Development, Human Services, or a related field is required, with a master’s degree preferred. You must have experience managing budgets of $500K or more, with prior experience administering federal WIOA or similar grant funding strongly preferred. Proficiency in Salesforce, Excel, and municipal reporting platforms is required, as is a valid Maryland driver’s license and willingness to travel within East Baltimore for outreach and site visits. Bilingual English/Spanish skills are a strong plus, aligned with the demographic makeup of the local community.

You will use the following tools in your day-to-day work: Salesforce for participant data tracking and case management, CityStat for quarterly performance reporting to city leadership and federal funders, Microsoft Excel for budget tracking and data analysis, Asana for cross-team project management, QuickBooks for grant expenditure tracking, Canva for designing outreach materials for community events, and Microsoft Teams for regular check-ins with central MOED leadership. Familiarity with WIOA compliance requirements, trauma-informed care frameworks, and evidence-based youth development practices is required.

This is a full-time city of Baltimore public-sector role, with a starting annual salary range of $62,000 to $78,000, dependent on your years of relevant experience and qualifications. Benefits include comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance with 90% of premium costs covered for employees, access to the city’s defined benefit pension plan, 12 paid public holidays, 15 days of paid vacation annually (increasing to 20 days after 5 years of service), 12 days of paid sick leave per year, and up to $5,250 per year in tuition reimbursement for continuing education courses related to workforce development or public administration. We also offer a flexible spending account for medical and dependent care expenses, free access to the city’s employee wellness program (including gym access, mental health counseling, and annual wellness stipends), and the option to participate in the city’s employee assistance program for personal and professional support.

This role offers clear, structured pathways for advancement within MOED and across Baltimore City government. High-performing Program Managers are eligible for promotion to Senior Program Manager, Deputy Director of Youth Programs, or Director of Workforce Development within 2-3 years of tenure, with corresponding salary increases of 10-20% per promotion. You will also have access to exclusive professional development opportunities, including paid attendance at national workforce development conferences (such as the National League of Cities Workforce Development Summit and YouthBuild USA’s annual conference), leadership training programs, and one-on-one mentorship from senior MOED leadership. Many former MOED program staff have gone on to lead city-wide workforce initiatives, run their own community development organizations, or take on senior roles in state and federal workforce development agencies.

The hiring timeline for this role is as follows:
1. Application review: All complete applications submitted via the MOED careers portal will be reviewed by the 3-member hiring panel between October 14 and October 28, 2024.
2. Initial screening: Qualified candidates will be invited to a 30-minute virtual screening call with the MOED recruitment team the week of October 28, 2024.
3. Panel interview: Finalists will be invited to a 60-minute in-person panel interview with MOED leadership, Eastside YO Center community stakeholders, and youth program participants the week of November 4, 2024.
4. Reference checks: Professional reference checks will be conducted for the top 2 finalists between November 6 and November 8, 2024.
5. Offer extension: A formal job offer will be extended to the selected candidate by November 15, 2024, with a targeted start date of December 2, 2024.

To apply, submit your resume and a 1-page statement outlining your experience working with opportunity youth and your vision for the Eastside YO Center to [email protected] by October 13, 2024, at 11:59 PM EST. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Late applications will not be accepted.