12-To-24 Collaborative Manager

DEADLINE TO APPLY:  February 19, 2026                        

POSITION SUMMARY:

The 12-to-24 Collaborative, a collective impact initiative in Frederick, Maryland, is seeking a Full-Time Exempt Employee to serve as its Youth Engagement & Operations Manager.  The Collaborative unites local youth, nonprofit organizations, public systems, funders, and community members to improve outcomes and advance opportunities for young people ages 12 to 24 throughout Frederick County, MD. This foundational role will lead the Frederick Youth Council and provide critical operational support to the Collaborative leader.  

This position will serve two primary functions:

1. Serve as the leader and primary facilitator of the Frederick Youth Council, ensuring it has the structure, support, coaching, and operational capacity to serve as a strong, representative youth voice for the Collaborative and the community. The Manager will represent, elevate, and integrate youth perspectives across all Collaborative structures, ensuring young people are co-creators of community wide solutions.

2. Provide administrative support to the Collaborative backbone team, coordinating essential operations; administration, meeting preparation, communications, website and newsletter updates, data tracking, and operations for partner workgroups.

BENEFITS:

We offer an extensive benefits package for our full-time employees which includes:

• Free Household Membership 
• Medical Dental & Vision
• Life insurance
• Short and Long Term Disability
• Retirement benefits will vest at 12% after 2 years of employment
• Discount on childcare and other Y programs
• Paid Time Off 
• Bereavement leave

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

I. Youth Council Leadership, Facilitation & Development

The Manager serves as the leader of the Frederick Youth Council, responsible for its operations, culture, facilitation, and developmental support.

• Lead all Youth Council meetings, retreats, and planning sessions in a way where adults and youth work side-by-side as equal partners; sharing ideas, making decisions together, and building a space where everyone’s voice matters.
• Foster a culture of belonging, shared leadership, empowerment, and safety to increase youth engagement and leadership impact.
• Support youth members in shaping meeting agendas, planning activities, and leading discussions.

• Provide ongoing coaching and guidance to youth leaders, helping them:
  • Set personal and leadership goals
  • Build public speaking and facilitation skills
  • Learn to represent youth perspectives in public forums
• Use proven ways of supporting youth growth, such as learning by doing and giving young people leadership roles that build over time as they’re ready.

• Prepare youth to participate in Steering Committee meetings, workgroups, and community convening, ensuring their input shapes strategy and decisions.
• Serve as the primary liaison between youth and Collaborative leadership, ensuring youth perspectives are accurately represented, documented, and acted upon.

• Support youth participation in public speaking, community events, feedback sessions, and presentations, aligning with best practices in civic youth leadership.
• Handle all Youth Council Administration, Logistics and Operations responsibilities.

II. Collaborative Operations, Communications & Backbone Support

The Manager will also support critical backbone functions that enable alignment, communication, and coordinated action.

• Manage the Collaborative website and ensure current, accessible information.
• Produce newsletters, partner communications, and announcements.
• Maintain social media and digital public presence (as applicable).
• Draft meeting summaries, follow-up notes, and communications that support transparency and alignment.

• Manage internal tracking systems, listservs, and shared folders.
• Gather, organize, and synthesize data from Youth Council activities, member surveys, and Collaborative events.
• Support documentation for the Steering Committee, workgroups, and partner convening.
• Assist with dashboards, surveys, and shared measurement tools (as directed by backbone leadership).

• Support the planning and execution of Collaborative convening, community events, and member gatherings.
• Prepare materials and agendas for meetings across the Collaborative ecosystem.
• Provide logistical support and reliable follow-through to strengthen momentum and shared accountability.

QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS:

1. 2-5 years of demonstrated success in youth development, program coordination, education, community engagement, or nonprofit operations.
2. 2-5 years of experience in logistics, operations or program administration.
3. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent preferred, experience will be considered.
4. Lived experience in Frederick County is strongly preferred.
5. Experience with social media, websites, newsletters and digital communication preferred.
6. Must be able to organize time efficiently and accept responsibility with limited supervision.
7. Must be able to read and interpret written documents and be comfortable with conveying verbal and written information. 
8. Strong facilitation skills grounded in youth-adult partnership best practices.
9. Ability to manage multiple priorities and adapt in a fast-paced environment.
10. Must be able to address concerns and issues with confidence and professionalism, and have the ability to speak effectively with staff, participants, children & parents, collaborators, vendors, and volunteers.
11. Personal comfort with public speaking and effectively coaching others.
12. Ability to work nights/weekends based on need.    

Salary : $59,000 - $67,000