Position Summary
The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation (MAEF) is seeking an experienced and highly organized Apprenticeship Program Manager to lead MAEF's role in a collaborative, statewide agricultural apprenticeship initiative. The position will provide grant oversight, fiscal coordination, partner management, compliance monitoring, and program reporting while supporting the development of a sustainable apprenticeship model that can be replicated across Maryland.
The Apprenticeship Program Manager will serve as MAEF's primary point of contact for the apprenticeship grant and will work closely with the Maryland Department of Labor, TCCSMD/SMADC, employers, workforce development partners, schools, and other consortium members to ensure that program goals, participant outcomes, fiscal requirements, and reporting obligations are met.
This position is central to building a coordinated pathway from awareness and recruitment through training, employment, and retention, connecting Maryland students and job seekers with high-skill, high-demand careers in agriculture and related industries.
Key Responsibilities
1. Grant Oversight and Compliance
• Coordinate with Executive Director on oversight of the apprenticeship grant.
• Ensure that grant activities are implemented in accordance with Maryland Department of Labor requirements, approved grant objectives, timelines, budgets, and performance measures.
• Monitor program milestones, deliverables, participant enrollment, training progress, employment outcomes, and other required performance measures for reporting and audit.
• Maintain regular communication with Maryland Department of Labor regarding grant progress, questions, modifications, and reporting requirements.
• Oversee the grant budget in coordination with MAEF's Executive Director and partners.
2. Partner and Consortium Coordination
• Serve as MAEF's primary liaison with TCCSMD/SMADC and other consortium partners.
• Maintain clear roles, responsibilities, communication protocols, and expectations among participating organizations.
• Participate in and prepare for quarterly consortium meetings.
• Maintain regular communication with employers, workforce agencies, schools, and other partners to identify issues and support successful implementation.
• Foster a collaborative, solutions-oriented relationship among nonprofit, education, workforce, government, and industry partners.
3. Apprenticeship Program Monitoring
• Monitor implementation of the apprenticeship model from recruitment through completion, employment, and retention.
• Work with TCCSMD/SMADC to monitor apprentice enrollment, RTI participation and completion, On-the-Job Learning (OJL) hours, wage progression, and overall apprentice progress.
• Work with partners to identify barriers to apprentice success and coordinate appropriate interventions.
• Support consistent documentation of apprentice progress and program outcomes.
4. Reporting and Data Management
• Collect, review, and organize information from consortium partners for required grant reports.
• Prepare timely and accurate narrative and performance reports for MAEF Board, Maryland Department of Labor and other funders or stakeholders.
• Develop internal tracking systems to monitor program activities, outcomes, expenditures, and performance indicators.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality and security of student, apprentice, employer, and organizational information.
5. Statewide Apprenticeship Development
• Support MAEF's broader goal of developing and expanding agricultural apprenticeship opportunities throughout Maryland.
• Document lessons learned from the pilot program and identify practices that can be replicated by other employers, schools, and workforce partners.
• Work with workforce development organizations, agricultural employers, educators, and industry partners to identify additional apprenticeship opportunities.
• Help identify opportunities to connect apprenticeship programs with Maryland's broader workforce development and career and technical education systems.
• Represent MAEF at appropriate workforce development, agricultural education, employer, and apprenticeship meetings and events.
• Develop and maintain productive relationships with employers, workforce agencies, educational institutions, government agencies, and agricultural organizations.
Position Relationships
The Apprenticeship Program Manager will work as part of a collaborative consortium in which MAEF provides overall grant oversight, fiscal management, compliance monitoring, and reporting to the Maryland Department of Labor.
Qualifications
Required
• Bachelor's degree in education, workforce development, agriculture, business administration, public administration, nonprofit management, or a related field; equivalent professional experience may be considered.
• At least 3–5 years of experience in program management, workforce development, education, grant administration, apprenticeship, nonprofit administration, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple partners, projects, or workstreams.
• Strong organizational and project-management skills.
• Experience with budgets, financial tracking, grant compliance, and/or grant reporting.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently while effectively coordinating a diverse group of partners.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage deadlines and competing priorities.
• Ability to analyze program data and communicate findings clearly.
Preferred
• Experience with Maryland Department of Labor programs, registered apprenticeships, or workforce development grants.
• Knowledge of apprenticeship program requirements, including OJL and RTI.
• Experience working with employers, schools, workforce agencies, or agricultural organizations.
• Familiarity with Maryland's agricultural industry and agricultural education system.
• Experience developing or implementing programs designed to create career pathways for students or job seekers.
• Experience working in a nonprofit or public-private partnership environment.
Core Competencies
The successful candidate will demonstrate:
• Project Management: Ability to manage complex initiatives involving multiple organizations and deadlines.
• Grant Management: Ability to maintain compliance, documentation, budgets, and reporting requirements.
• Relationship Management: Ability to build trust and maintain productive relationships across nonprofit, government, education, workforce, and industry sectors.
• Communication: Ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences, from high school students and employers to government officials and nonprofit boards.
• Problem Solving: Ability to identify challenges early and work collaboratively toward practical solutions.
• Data Management: Ability to organize, analyze, and use program data to monitor performance and improve outcomes.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to see beyond the pilot program and identify opportunities for statewide replication and sustainability.
• Attention to Detail: Ability to ensure that financial, participant, program, and grant documentation is accurate and complete.
• Collaboration: Ability to work effectively within a multi-organizational consortium while maintaining MAEF's accountability and responsibilities.
Measures of Success
Success in this position will include:
• Grant requirements, deadlines, and reporting obligations are consistently met.
• Grant expenditures are properly documented, monitored, and aligned with the approved budget.
• Consortium partners are supported in their respective responsibilities.
• Apprentices are successfully recruited, enrolled, trained, and supported through completion.
• OJL and RTI participation and completion are accurately tracked.
• Employers remain engaged and satisfied with the apprenticeship model.
• Program challenges are identified early and addressed collaboratively.
• Reliable data demonstrates program progress and outcomes.
• Lessons learned from the pilot are documented and translated into a model that can be replicated with additional agricultural employers and communities throughout Maryland.
• The program contributes to a sustainable statewide agricultural career pipeline connecting awareness → recruitment → training → employment → retention.
Work Environment
This position will involve a combination of office, virtual, and field-based work. Regular interaction with consortium partners, employers, schools, workforce agencies, and MAEF staff will be required. Travel throughout Maryland and occasional evening or weekend commitments may be necessary to attend meetings, employer events, apprenticeship activities, or other program-related events.
Position Type: Contractual
Reports to: MAEF Executive Director
Location: Based at Sen. William Amoss Agricultural Center in Havre de Grace, Md., with extensive field/travel duties.
Salary: $55,000/year
Benefits: This is a contractual position with no benefits.
About MAEF
The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation supports agricultural education and literacy statewide. Through partnerships with educators, agricultural organizations, businesses, government agencies, and communities, MAEF works to expand opportunities for Maryland students and connect education with the agricultural careers and workforce needs of the future.