Program Services Manager

Join Our Mission To Change Lives

At Maryland New Directions (MND), we help people transform their futures. For over 50 years, our award-winning nonprofit has provided no-cost employment coaching and career training to Baltimore residents aged 18 and older who are motivated to work but face employment obstacles. We serve more than 300 individuals each year, equipping them with the tools, confidence, and support they need to build sustainable careers. Whether you're working directly with clients or behind the scenes to keep programs running smoothly, every role at MND contributes to lasting impact in our community.

Job Summary

The Services Manager plays a vital role at Maryland New Directions (MND) by overseeing the end-to-end direct services pipeline, from community outreach and recruitment to intake and formal enrollment. This role ensures that Job Coaches motivate job seekers and ensure they are thoroughly prepared, supported, and positioned for success as they transition from intensive vocational training to long-term career employment.

As an operational leader, the Services Manager directly supervises the services team, including Job Coaches and Case Managers, driving accountability, programmatic excellence, and high-impact placement and retention outcomes. Operating under the general direction of the Deputy Director, this position serves as a key liaison between frontline staff and executive leadership, actively participating in strategic planning meetings to align daily operations with organizational goals and institutional grant requirements.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Recruitment & Outreach Leadership: Execute strategic outreach and recruitment initiatives across Baltimore to identify and engage motivated job seekers (ages 18 ) who can benefit from MND’s specialized employment training models.
• Team Supervision & Mentorship: Lead, supervise, and mentor the direct services team. Provide regular performance feedback through bi-weekly supervision, conduct evaluations, and cultivate professional development opportunities to ensure a high-performing staff culture.
• Caseload Management & Retention Oversight: Track client and coach workflows to guarantee that Individual Career Plans (ICPs) are successfully implemented, consistent weekly/monthly touchpoints are executed to help job seekers reduce barriers, and comprehensive post-employment job retention protocols are achieved.
• Grant Alignment & Data Intersect: Partner closely with the Deputy Director and Data & Grant Compliance team to monitor grant-funded performance metrics. Ensure services team outcomes align perfectly with compliance mandates, funder targets, and technical reporting expectations.
• Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Work in alignment with the Deputy Director to ensure seamless coordination with the Training Team and Employment Specialists to deliver an integrated, holistic, and friction-free participant experience across the entire organization.
• Audit & Monitoring Readiness: Implement rigorous file management practices (management and monitoring), ensuring all physical and digital client records are continuously organized and compliant for third-party site monitoring, funder audits, and performance reports.
• Strategic Leadership Participation: Represent the direct services branch in leadership team meetings, contributing operational insights to organizational strategy, growth initiatives, and cross-functional collaborations.
• All-Hands Organizational Support: Enthusiastically participate in and support organization-wide events, community milestones, and other duties as strategically assigned by leadership.
  
  

Key Result Areas (Performance Metrics)

• Direct Support Intervention: Provide targeted leadership intervention, direct supervision, or short-term coaching for high-risk clients when complex issues arise between participants and their primary coaches, effectively resolving barriers to boost overall job-readiness rates
• Engagement & Performance Standards: Ensure Job Coaches maintain high client participation and training completion rates, enforcing rigorous accountability and performance standards across the caseload.
• Target Achievement: Ensure Job Coaches consistently meet or exceed organizational and grant-specific benchmarks for client recruitment, enrollment, engagement, and retention follow-up.
• Data Integrity & Compliance: Enforce exact data compliance; ensure 100% of intakes, touches, and client updates are accurately and comprehensively recorded in excel client trackers and Budibase databases within one week of occurrence.
• Community Relationship Building: Cultivate, expand, and maintain strong, productive relationships with local service providers, community leaders, and referring social service agencies.
• Cultural Ambassadorship: Provide unwavering operational support to clients, the leadership team, and direct reports, modeling a culture of respect, resilience, and growth.
• Retention Excellence: Ensure job coaches record participants' employment information and secure and maintain high post-placement retention benchmarks among employed graduates, using standardized follow-up timelines.
  
  

Qualifications & Skills Required

• Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Human Services, Social Work, Psychology, Public Administration, or a related field (equivalent blended work experience will be considered). Progressive experience in workforce development, counseling, or case management is highly preferred.
• Communication Mastery: Exceptional oral and written communication skills with the ability to confidently present to community partners and write clear internal reports.
• Cultural Competence: A proven track record of effectively engaging, motivating, and advocating for diverse urban populations facing structural barriers to employment.
• Relational Role Model: Strong interpersonal skills with the natural ability to connect with clients, establish firm but empathetic professional boundaries, and serve as an inspiring mentor.
• Proactive Networking: Demonstrated capability in building community partnerships, leveraging cold calls, and expanding agency networks to drive client recruitment.
• Technical Literacy: Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and prior experience navigating workforce database management tracking tools (such as ETO/Efforts to Outcomes or similar software).
• Operational Agility: Flexibility and willingness to adjust work hours to accommodate evening or weekend special events and recruitment sessions as needed.