Student Services Manager

Project JumpStart, Inc.

Position Title: Manager, Student Services

Organization: Project JumpStart, Inc. (PJSI)

Location: Baltimore, MD. Hybrid (approximately 2-3 days per week in office, plus periodic evening and weekend program activities)

Employment Type: Full-Time, Exempt

Reports To: Director of Programs

About Project JumpStart, Inc.

Project JumpStart, Inc. (PJSI) is a Baltimore-based nonprofit pre-apprenticeship and job-readiness workforce development organization preparing residents facing systemic barriers for entry-level careers in the construction trades. Our core program, Project JumpStart Training, a Baltimore staple for 20 years, is a 15-week, 87-hour training model deeply embedded in carpentry, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC environments.

Position Summary

The Manager, Student Services leads PJSI’s Student Services function and the front end of the participant journey, from recruitment and enrollment through program completion and transition to Employment Services. The Manager combines direct participant support with responsibility for coordinating recruitment, barrier assessment, individualized support planning, supportive services, participant follow-up, and Student Services processes.

Working under the direction of the Director of Programs and alongside instructors, community partners, coordinators, and the broader program team, the Manager exercises independent judgment in evaluating participant needs and determining appropriate support strategies within established PJSI policies and available resources.

This role works closely with the Career Readiness Coordinator, who supports graduate-facing career preparation, placement coordination, and alumni engagement, and with the Manager, Employment Services, who leads employer relationships and placement activity. The Manager, Student Services does not supervise these positions or other coordinators, but works collaboratively with them to support a smooth participant experience from enrollment through completion and transition to employment services.

Key Responsibilities

Recruitment & Enrollment

• Communicate with and recruit prospective participants and leads.
• Review applications to verify eligibility, accuracy, and completeness; support students and community partners through the enrollment process; and make recommendations to the Director of Programs when enrollment concerns or exceptions require additional review.
• Lead construction-workforce awareness, recruitment, and engagement activities that attract candidates who understand the program and have a genuine interest in construction careers.
• Develop and maintain recruitment and referral relationships with community-based organizations in the region to strengthen enrollment pipelines.
• Help maintain effective recruitment, screening, enrollment, and onboarding practices that support participant fit and retention.

Case Management & Supportive Services

• Conduct and oversee participant barrier assessments and individualized support plans, exercising independent judgment to determine appropriate interventions and supports within established PJSI policies and available resources.
• Coordinate supportive services and referrals, including direct assistance when appropriate, to help remove barriers to participation and completion.
• Provide ongoing, responsive, and timely communication to students as they navigate personal, academic, and professional challenges.
• Maintain a formal feedback and intervention process among instructors, students, Student Services, and program leadership.
• Monitor participant attendance, engagement, barriers, and completion risk; coordinate timely interventions; make recommendations affecting participant retention, continued participation, and transition when appropriate; and ensure case-management activity and follow-up are documented.

Community Partner Coordination

• Coordinate participant services and referrals with community partners and determine when direct PJSI support is appropriate because no suitable partner resource is available.
• Develop and maintain relationships with community partners and stakeholders and identify additional resources based on participant and program needs.
• Carry out PJSI responsibilities under Community Partner agreements and provide program leadership with feedback on partnership performance, challenges, and opportunities.

Program Support

• Serve as the primary Student Services point of coordination with instructors, Employment Services, coordinators, and program leadership to address participant needs and support successful program completion and transition.
• Identify recurring gaps or trends in recruitment, participant support, retention, and wraparound services; recommend practical improvements to the Director of Programs; and develop or improve Student Services practices and processes within the role’s scope.
• Participate in the development and implementation of improved programming,
• participant-support practices, and cross-functional workflows.
• Independently resolve routine participant and partner issues within established PJSI
• policies and resources and elevate significant exceptions, policy matters, or major
• decisions to the Director of Programs.

Data, Documentation & Reporting (AGS)

• Maintain the quality, completeness, and timely use of Student Services data in the designated data-management system (AGS Prime), ensuring information supports participant management and organizational reporting.
• Develop and use appropriate AGS views, queries, dashboards, and reports related to recruitment, enrollment, participant progress, barriers, retention, completion, and other outcomes within the role’s scope.
• Ensure Student Services administrative and data-entry work is completed accurately and use program data to identify follow-up needs, trends, and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop and improve documented Student Services processes, procedures, workflows, and system requirements in coordination with the Director of Programs and relevant staff.

Measures of Success

Success is defined by strong recruitment and enrollment, effective participant support and barrier resolution, timely intervention for students at risk, strong community partnerships, accurate and timely data, and effective execution of the Student Services function. The Manager is accountable for the quality and effectiveness of Student Services work within the role’s scope and contributes to PJSI’s participant retention and completion goals, including an organizational target of at least 80% completion. Overall completion is a shared organizational outcome, not one for which any single employee is solely responsible.

Minimum Qualifications

• Approximately three to four (3-4) years of relevant experience in workforce development, human services, case management, education, nonprofit programming, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience providing or coordinating participant services, case management, recruitment/enrollment, supportive services, or comparable program operations, with the ability to exercise sound judgment in addressing participant needs.
• Experience with CRM/case-management systems and with data documentation, reporting, and follow-up.
• Possession of, or ability to readily obtain, a valid Maryland driver’s license.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience will be considered.
• Experience coordinating participant-support or wraparound services in a workforce-development or human-services setting.
• Sufficient technical aptitude and comfort using data and reporting systems to monitor outcomes and support program improvement (e.g., building views/queries/reports).
• Strong written, oral, and presentation skills.
• Ability to navigate multiple environments and stakeholder groups and manage competing priorities, partnerships, and participant needs.

Core Competencies

Sound judgment · professional boundaries · accountability and follow-through · constructive problem-solving · partnership management · data-informed decision-making · collaboration · strong communication · ability to manage competing priorities.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: $50,000-$65,000, commensurate with experience.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k) plan.
• Generous PTO and paid holidays.
• Professional development opportunities.
• Meaningful, mission-driven work with a high-impact community organization.

Other duties as assigned. Project JumpStart, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage women, people of color, and individuals from communities underrepresented in construction to apply.