Open Position:
Youth Advisor (Temporary)
Posted: March 4, 2025
Application due no later than March 24 by 5 PM ET
We will review application submissions and schedule interviews on a rolling basis until March 24, 2025,
and will close the position when it is filled. Please submit your materials as soon as possible.
Position Overview
Baltimore’s Promise is seeking two Youth Advisors for a 12-month, temporary role, to support the Youth Grantmakers initiative as it transitions into a certification model designed to enhance workforce development opportunities for Baltimore’s youth and young adult community. Youth Advisors are expected to work an estimated 5-7 hours per week from May 2025 to April 2026.
This role is an exciting opportunity for young adults who have been connected to Baltimore’s Promise through previous workforce development opportunities and have a deep understanding of the systemic challenges facing young people, particularly around accessing equitable, high-quality programs and pathways to economic mobility.
Youth Advisors will play a pivotal role in shaping the strategic direction of the initiative by contributing to planning sessions, advocating for accessibility in workforce development programming, and providing critical insights grounded in their own experiences and expertise. They will collaborate with Baltimore’s Promise’s staff and key stakeholders of both the Youth Grantmakers and CareerBound initiatives to ensure the program reflects the needs and aspirations of the communities it serves.
As trusted consultants, Youth Advisors will inform planning sessions, support community learning spaces, and help create tools and strategies as we plan for the launch of the next iteration of this work. They will also engage in reflective and evaluative processes to ensure we are able to assess program effectiveness, identify growth opportunities, and support the development of measurable success indicators.
This position offers the opportunity to influence decision-making, strengthen the connection between workforce development and community-based solutions, and elevate youth leadership within Baltimore’s broader talent ecosystem.
Role Context
Youth Grantmakers Initiative
In its current format, the Youth Grantmakers initiative is a youth-led grantmaking body through which public and private youth-serving resources can flow. This grantmaking structure has been developed by older youth and young adults from Baltimore City ages 16-24 serving as the inaugural cohort of YGs. Between the two cohorts, Youth Grantmakers have allocated over $1 million in resources to support Baltimore City’s older youth ages 16-24.
Youth Grantmakers Transformation
Baltimore’s Promise is embarking upon a 12-month planning process designed to transition our Youth Grantmaking Initiative into a permanent paid apprenticeship or industry-recognized credentialing pathway. This evolution is critical for disrupting traditional systems of power and decision-making that have historically excluded youth, especially youth of color, and instead focuses on centering those youth with lived experience and an interest in the social sector. By providing structured opportunities for young people to gain hands-on decision-making skills in public and private capital allocation, data analysis, and project management, we are not only empowering the next generation of leaders but also creating a scalable and replicable model for cities across the state and country. This will be a collaborative effort led by the CareerBound and Youth Grantmaking teams as well as youth and other key stakeholders to ensure that it reflects the needs and perspectives of the communities it serves.
CareerBound
CareerBound, a signature initiative of Baltimore's Promise, Baltimore City Public Schools, and the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, is an equity-driven model dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and sustainable talent ecosystem in Baltimore. CareerBound equips Baltimore’s youth—especially those from historically marginalized communities—with the skills, credentials, and experiences they need for successful careers. CareerBound has five elements:
In-school youth apprenticeships that connect current City Schools’ students to on-the-job career training
Grads2Careers, offering occupational skills training in high-growth industries for recent City Schools graduates who are not planning to enter college full-time within the next year.
Academic acceleration, to include academic support and life skills development, to help young people build the skills needed to thrive in their respective study area.
Further credentialing to allow occupational skills training graduates to pursue additional, stackable workplace credentials to increase their wage potential.
Youth Well-Being, connecting students to coordinated resources to remove barriers to learning and well-being.
Duties and Responsibilities
Youth Advisors will contribute to the success of this transformation process by bringing their lived experiences, insights, and creativity to various aspects of program planning and implementation. Key responsibilities include:
Program Planning and Design
Collaborate with the planning team to co-create an apprenticeship/certification model that aligns with workforce development goals and meets the needs of Baltimore’s youth and young adult community
Provide insights on the barriers and opportunities facing youth in accessing high-quality workforce development programs
Community Engagement and Facilitation
Co-facilitate community learning and feedback spaces to gather diverse perspectives, encourage collaboration, and update all stakeholders on the progress of this design phase
Act as a bridge between youth voices and organizational leadership, ensuring all programming remains youth-centered and community-driven
Strategic Guidance and Advocacy
Offer expertise in accessibility and equity-focused practices, helping shape key strategies and decisions
Advocate for policies and solutions that uplift the needs of youth and young adults in Baltimore, particularly as it pertains to workforce development
Evaluation and Reflection
Participate in reflective exercises and evaluations to assess the planning phase’s impact and effectiveness
Contribute to the creation of success metrics and other tools to measure progress and identify areas for improvement
Collaboration and Representation
Work closely with various partners and stakeholders within the Youth Grantmaking and CareerBound initiatives to foster strong partnerships and collective problem solving
Represent this work at internal and external levels, highlighting the importance of youth leadership in workforce development and design phases of work.
Innovation and Problem-Solving
Identify and propose creative solutions to enhance design and implementation, and ensure alignment with the initiative’s mission and values
Provide ongoing feedback and support for the implementation of innovative tools and approaches
Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)
Age Range: 18-23
Experience with Baltimore’s Promise through previous workforce development opportunities
Demonstrated ability to work with diverse groups, including youth, staff, and community stakeholders
Baltimore City residency (strongly preferred)
Demonstrated commitment to understanding and working in service of youth from low-income families; Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) communities; and communities experiencing concentrated poverty. Preferred understanding of Baltimore's historical, social, and political context, particularly issues facing children and youth
Strong alignment to Baltimore’s Promise’s values and ways of working
Compensation and Benefits
Hourly Rate: $26 per hour.
Weekly Hours: Up to 10 hours per week, with an average of 5-7 hours
Work Hours: This position requires flexible working hours, including traditional 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM availability, as well as evenings and weekends to accommodate the schedules of youth and young adults' with whom you may work. We are open to discussing what this flexibility may look like based on individual needs.
Benefits: This position does not include traditional company benefits, however, we do provide various support for the role, including transportation assistance, access to a laptop computer and technological accessories, as well as numerous job training opportunities.
Employment Type: Temporary 12-month opportunity (May 2025-April 2026). Position is contingent upon funding.
Travel
Travel around Baltimore may be required for this position.
How to Apply
Please click the button below to apply. Please read all instructions carefully before starting. Applications will only be accepted through the Formstack linked below. Application materials submitted through online job platforms or by email will not be considered.
ABOUT BALTIMORE’S PROMISE
Baltimore's Promise is a citywide collaborative composed of public, business, higher education, nonprofit, community, and philanthropic leaders. We serve as a catalyst for organizing efforts and resources around a shared vision: all Baltimore City youth will travel a safe, healthy, and successful educational path from cradle to career. Baltimore’s Promise uses data to report on outcomes for children from birth through their early careers in order to understand the complex needs of our city’s children.
We promote a data-based approach to program and policy design--one that is informed by context and lived experience of the communities affected and conducted with the participation of all stakeholders. Recognizing enduring inequalities resulting from persisting racism, ethnocentrism, sexism, and the intersections thereof, we employ a race equity lens to all aspects of data collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Studies have shown that women, BIPOC, and other people from marginalized groups are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet all the qualifications described in the job description. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization, and to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse work experiences and backgrounds. Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interest in this position, and what you hope to bring to this role.
Baltimore’s Promise is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity. It is our policy to recruit, hire, train, and promote individuals, as well as administer all personnel actions, without regard to race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin or ancestry, status as an individual with a disability who is otherwise qualified to perform the essential functions of his or her position, or any other protected characteristic in accordance with applicable laws. Baltimore’s Promise will not tolerate any unlawful discrimination, and any such conduct is prohibited.