Program Manager

Position: Program Manager (Years 1-10)

Reports to: Director of Communities

Lane: Investment

Job Summary

The Program Manager (Years 1-10) serves as the strategic leader responsible for designing, coordinating, and continuously improving the programming, experiences, and support systems that help young people successfully navigate high school, transition into post-high-school pathways, and persist toward long-term educational and career success.

Working in partnership with Community Managers, the Community Engagement Specialist, volunteers, Resources & Opportunities Managers, school partners, and cross-lane teams, this role develops programming and resources that strengthen academic achievement, post-secondary readiness, leadership development, and life success. Through thoughtful program design, data-informed planning, relationship-centered coaching, and continuous evaluation, the Program Manager ensures that young people and volunteers have the knowledge, skills, and supports necessary to achieve meaningful outcomes throughout the Young Person's Journey.

As a steward of Thread's academic and pathway programming, the Program Manager ensures that organizational programming remains aligned with evolving young person needs, educational best practices, and Thread's strategic priorities while strengthening organizational learning and long-term impact.

Because volunteers are central to every programming experience the Program Manager designs, this role shares direct accountability for volunteer capacity building and engagement: the Program Manager ensures volunteers are meaningfully integrated into programming, well-prepared to contribute, and retained through a strong experience.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Program Stewardship

- Serve as the strategic owner of Thread's Years 1-10 academic, post-secondary, and pathway programming, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and desired young person outcomes.

- Develop and implement annual program strategies that support high school completion, post-secondary readiness, credential attainment, and long-term success.

- Evaluate emerging educational trends, young person needs, and organizational priorities to continuously strengthen programming.

- Advise the Director of Communities and other organizational leaders on program performance, young person outcomes, and opportunities for improvement.

- Represent Thread in meetings with school leaders, educational partners, and community stakeholders as appropriate.

Program Design & Young Person Success

- Design, implement, and continuously improve programming that supports academic achievement, career exploration, leadership development, college readiness, and post-high-school planning.

- Develop learning experiences that build the capacity of young people and volunteers to successfully pursue educational and career goals.

- Coordinate major transition experiences, including enrollment, grade progression, high school graduation, and transitions into post-secondary education or career pathways.

- Develop resources, curriculum, and tools that strengthen young person engagement and volunteer effectiveness.

- Ensure programming reflects Thread's relationship-centered philosophy and commitment to equity, belonging, and long-term success.

School Partnership & Educational Collaboration

- Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with assigned high school partners that strengthen educational outcomes for Thread young people.

- Partner with school leadership to monitor young person progress, coordinate interventions, and facilitate access to academic supports and resources.

- Advocate for young people by collaborating with educators, counselors, administrators, and families to address barriers to success.

- Coordinate with educational partners to support academic planning, credit recovery, graduation readiness, and post-secondary preparation.

- Strengthen communication between Thread and school communities to promote shared ownership of young person outcomes.

Volunteer Capacity Building

- Build the capacity of volunteers and Community Managers by providing training, resources, coaching, and educational guidance that strengthens volunteer effectiveness and engagement.

- Ensure volunteers are meaningfully integrated into programming, well-prepared to contribute, and retained through a strong experience.

- Design programming that reflects volunteer availability, skill sets, and engagement patterns.

- Cross-Lane Collaboration

- Partner with Community Managers and the Community Engagement Specialist to ensure programming complements community coaching, volunteer onboarding, and the Young Person's Journey.

- Partner with the Resources & Opportunities Manager to ensure programming connects young people to the resources, pathways, and barrier-removal support they need to participate fully.

- Partner with the Sr. Manager of Career Pathway Programs to align Thread's academic and pathway programming with citywide and statewide career programs such as Maryland Service Year and YouthWorks, so young people experience one coherent set of next steps.

- Partner with the Partnerships & Recruitment Manager to ensure volunteer recruitment reflects the skills, availability, and commitment levels programming depends on.

- Partner with the Practice Improvement Manager and the Practice, Learning & Quality team to align programming with Thread's practice standards, participate in coaching and quality-reflection cycles, and provide field feedback on playbooks and tools.

- Partner with the Data & Reporting Manager on academic, engagement, and post-secondary outcome metrics, and surface where current reporting does not answer the questions programming needs answered.

- Partner with the Communications Manager to surface programming stories and outcomes, following Thread's consent expectations.

- Follow the operating routines, calendars, and knowledge-management systems maintained by the Director of Strategic Implementation & Operations, particularly those governing annual program milestones.

- Foster collaboration and knowledge sharing across the Investment Lane.

- Data, Planning & Organizational Learning

- Monitor academic performance, young person engagement, post-secondary outcomes, and program effectiveness using quantitative and qualitative information.

- Utilize organizational systems to document young person progress, evaluate program outcomes, and support evidence-informed decision-making.

- Review dashboards and reports to ensure that data informs organizational planning and continuous improvement.

- Analyze trends related to young person achievement, volunteer engagement, and

- program participation to strengthen organizational learning.

- Maintain accurate documentation and ensure program compliance with organizational policies and funding requirements.

- Continuous Improvement & Innovation

- Evaluate program effectiveness through participant feedback, outcome data, and ongoing assessment.

- Identify opportunities to improve curriculum, educational programming, young person supports, and volunteer resources.

- Leverage technology and emerging tools — including AI-assisted planning, curriculum development, reporting, scheduling, and administrative workflows — to improve efficiency while maintaining appropriate human judgment, educational quality, and relationship-centered practice.

- Remain current on best practices in youth development, education, post-secondary success, and program design.

- Thread Values & Community

- Authentically engage in relationships with colleagues, especially across lines of difference, modeling the Thread Core Competencies: (a) Show all the way up; (b) Fail forward; (c) Treat relationships as wealth; and (d) Learn from all voices.

- Make the connection between driving toward outcomes and organizational imperatives and diversity, equity, and inclusion explicit in your work.

- Share your journey of personal and professional growth with young people, volunteers, collaborators, and staff.

- Complete other duties and strategic initiatives as assigned.

Qualifications

Required

- Minimum of three years of progressively responsible experience in program management, education, youth development, college access, workforce development, or related fields.

- Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, and evaluating educational or youth development programs.

- Experience coaching young people, facilitating group learning, and supporting volunteer or staff development.

- Strong project management, organizational, and prioritization skills with the ability to manage multiple complex initiatives simultaneously.

- Experience utilizing data and organizational systems to monitor outcomes and guide continuous improvement.

- Demonstrated commitment to equity, belonging, relationship-centered practice, and educational opportunity.

- Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, coaching, and interpersonal communication skills.

- Ability to work evenings and weekends as needed, and maintain reliable transportation.

- Ability to clearly communicate and consistently model Thread's core values and core competencies.

Preferred

- Familiarity with educational systems, post-secondary planning, CRM platforms, and digital collaboration tools.

- Familiarity with Baltimore City schools and post-secondary pathways.

Thread's core values: https://www.thread.org/who-we-are/values/

Thread's core competencies: https://www.thread.org/who-we-are/core-competencies/