Special Projects Manager

Ready to turn big ideas into real impact? In this dynamic role you'll lead cross-organizational initiatives that strengthen Baltimore’s behavioral health system, coordinate internships, oversee disaster preparedness efforts, support procurements and drive strategic projects. We're looking for a collaborative problem-solver with exceptional project management, critical thinking and writing skills who thrives in a fast-paced environment and loves bringing people together to achieve meaningful results. If you're passionate about innovation, community impact and making systems work better for people, this is your chance to help shape the future of behavioral health in Baltimore. Join a mission-driven team where your ideas matter and your work creates lasting change every day.

The Special Projects Manager works collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to develop and facilitate effective and efficient cross-departmental systems and processes. The work requires setting objectives, developing work plans, managing tasks and deadlines, and aligning outcomes organizationally. The incumbent is responsible for managing, coordinating, and supporting three areas of work:

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  Workforce development: responsible for developing workforce development and training activities for the Baltimore City provider network and field placement/internships at BHSB for master’s level students in human services-related majors.

  
  


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  Behavioral Health Program Closures and Disaster Preparedness: Oversee and manage the Baltimore City Behavioral Health Disaster Preparedness Plan. Coordinate and lead meetings, trainings, and related activities to educate and prepare staff to effectively respond to behavioral health program closures and disaster situations.

  
  


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  Procurement: Support BHSB’s competitive and sole source procurements, as well as letters of support requested by partnering organizations.

  
  


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  Special Projects: Lead cross-organizational special projects, collaborating with stakeholders to develop project plans with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, deadlines, and deliverables

  
  

This position collaborates with other staff to write reports and other documents. Strong writing, critical thinking, and strategic thinking skills are required.

This position reports to the Director, Operations and is a full time position working in a hybrid work environment in Baltimore, MD. BHSB will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Essential Functions

The Special Projects Manager works effectively and collaboratively with other BHSB staff and external partners to perform the following functions.

1. Workforce Development - Master’s Level Field Placements and Other Internships at BHSB
   
   
   
   • Under the leadership of the Director of Operations, collaborate with Human Resources and other BHSB staff who have a role in supporting field placements and other internships to ensure that each experience offers a rich opportunity for bi-directional learning
   
   
   • Develop relationships with colleges and universities that seek field placements or other internships and stay current with the schools’ requirements and expectations
   
   
   • Coordinate with schools and other BHSB staff to ensure that each field placement or internship meets all academic requirements
   
   
   • Coordinate all aspects of each student’s experience with BHSB, including creating and managing a timeline of activities for the entire experience
   
   
   • If applicable, co-supervise the students.
     
     
   
   
   
   


2. Workforce Development – Provider Network
   
   
   
   • Lead planning for workforce development and training for the Baltimore City provider network
   
   
   • Lead and manage the trainer application process
   
   
   • Collaborate with other BHSB staff to identify opportunities to enhance the quality of service delivery, reduce risk, or otherwise support workforce development across the provider network
   
   
   • Collaborate with other BHSB staff to ensure technology supports streamlined training activities
   
   
   • Collaborate with other staff to integrate ongoing learning into training procedures and forms
   
   
   • Assist other staff to develop training content
   
   
   • Ensure BHSB remains in compliance with all regulations associated with offering continuing education units
     
     
   
   
   
   


3. Behavioral Health Program Closure and Disaster Preparedness
   
   
   
   • Lead and coordinate with other BHSB staff and the Baltimore City Health Department to update the Baltimore City Behavioral Health Disaster Preparedness Plan as needed to integrate ongoing learning
   
   
   • Plan and facilitate meetings and other activities to educate and prepare staff to respond to behavioral health disasters
   
   
   • In the event of a behavioral health disaster, support staff with an assigned responder role in adhering to BHSB’s disaster response procedures
     
     
   
   
   
   


4. Letters of Support Process
   
   
   
   • Apply critical thinking to draft letters of support in collaboration with relevant staff.
   
   
   • Facilitate continuous quality improvement efforts related to assigned areas of work (i.e., procurements and letters of support processes).
   
   
   • Integrate ongoing learning into processes for staff and external partners to request letters of support for grant proposals and other opportunities.
     
     
   
   
   
   


5. BHSB Procurement Processes
   
   
   
   • Serve as the lead to manage the procurement process and any risk for assigned competitive procurements, from the identification of the need for a procurement to the selection of a vendor
   
   
   • Support the Procurement Team to develop and maintain procedures to manage BHSB’s risk and ensure the overall efficiency and effectiveness of BHSB’s procurement processes for internal staff, external partners, and applicants, resulting in fair and unbiased processes with the most qualified applicants being selected
     
     
   
   
   
   


6. Special Projects
   
   
   
   • Lead cross-organizational special projects, collaborating with stakeholders to develop project plans with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, deadlines and deliverables
   
   
   • Collaborate with staff to write reports and documents to varying audiences and for specific purposes, such as the annual plan, board reports, grant applications, policies and procedures, and other projects
     
     
   
   
   
   


7. Other

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  • Work effectively and collaboratively with others, both internally and externally to BHSB.
  
  
  • Foster open and honest dialogue within and across teams and between colleagues who have different backgrounds. Engage in honest dialogue and navigate conflict in day-to-day interactions.   
  
  
  • Uphold and operationalize the values of BHSB, which are Integrity, Equity, Innovation, Collaboration and Quality.
  
  
  • Consistently work to engage in open and honest dialogue, including with people from different teams and different backgrounds, and ask for support when needed.
  
  
  • Serve as part of BHSB’s disaster response team as needed, in any capacity that is needed. 
  
  
  • To perform assigned work functions, this position and those it supervises may have access to protected health information (PHI). It is expected that the employee will operate from a place of integrity and assume an ethical obligation to protect the security and confidentiality of all PHI in accordance with BHSB’s policies.
  
  
  • An offer of employment for this position at BHSB is contingent upon the results of a thorough background check which will require prior authorization from the candidate.
  
  
  • Perform other duties as assigned.
  
  
  
  

Experience & Education

• Bachelor’s degree required (Master’s degree preferred) in a human services-related field (e.g., Social Work, Public Administration, Public Health) from an accredited institution


• Licensure preferred but not required


• Minimum of 3 years of post-graduate professional experience


• Knowledge of Baltimore City’s public behavioral health system


• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects concurrently from planning through completion, including coordinating tasks, tracking deliverables, and ensuring timely execution.


• Experience with procurement and/or grant processes in the nonprofit sector preferred

Skills & Competencies

• Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills


• Proficient written communication skills, including experience preparing reports, procedures, and grant applications


• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences and across all organizational levels; internally and externally


• Experience working collaboratively in team-based, strategic environments


• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines


• Ability to prioritize tasks and manage multiple responsibilities effectively


• Demonstrated initiative, sound judgment, and self-motivation


• Customer-focused with strong interpersonal skills


• Ability to work independently and thrive in a hybrid/virtual environment, demonstrating strong time management, managing multiple priorities, and consistently meeting deadlines with minimal supervision


• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)

Supervisory Requirements: This position has no supervisory requirements.

This role may require travel to other locations for meetings and other business-related needs.  Ability to travel locally 10% of the time is required. It is important to have access to some form of transportation to travel to off-site meetings, conferences, and site visits.

Compensation:

BHSB values each and every employee as an important contributor to fulfilling the organization’s mission. The ongoing health and wellness of employees is critical to BHSB’s success, and we continuously assess employee benefits, policies and practices to ensure opportunities are available for all people. The organization offers its employees a competitive compensation package which includes base pay, a comprehensive benefits plan and hybrid, family-friendly work practices.

BHSB is an equal opportunity employer and does not utilize practices that give preference to individuals in hiring or promotion. Salaries are based on the requirements of each job, are non-negotiable and step increases are offered at regular intervals. The starting hourly/ annualized salary rate for this position is $84,566.

The benefits plan includes comprehensive medical, dental and vision coverage, employer paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability, a 403(b) plan with employer contribution, a choice of 4 FSA plans, an employee paid legal benefit, generous PTO and 13 days paid holiday. In addition, medical plan participants receive an employer paid HRA accessed by a $5,000/$10,000 debit card to cover eligible deductible and copay expenses, depending on chosen coverage.

BHSB - About Us

Behavioral Health System Baltimore, Inc. (BHSB) is a non-profit organization that serves as the Local Behavioral Health Authority (LBHA) on behalf of Baltimore City. BHSB is responsible for planning, managing and monitoring resources, programs and policies within the larger Medicaid fee-for-service system, as well as services directly funded by BHSB through private and public grants. BHSB partners closely with Baltimore City and the State of Maryland to build an efficient and responsive system that comprehensively addresses mental illness and substance use and meets the needs of the whole person. BHSB serves as an “on the ground” expert to support the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), using our knowledge of the behavioral health needs of Baltimore City and services that are available, along with our expertise, to structure the system’s resources to meet the unique needs of our communities. BHSB has connections to other local systems, such as law enforcement, schools, social services, and courts, to ensure there is broad access to behavioral health services across systems and in communities.

Culture

BHSB is intentional about advancing a healthy work environment that builds trust, fosters a sense of belonging, promotes learning, and supports leadership opportunities for all. BHSB uses practices that honor the diverse perspectives of all people and cultivate authentic interpersonal interactions based on mutual trust. How BHSB conducts its work internally is directly connected to the organization’s impact externally. The principles that BHSB embraces in its everyday work are flexibility, empowerment, transparency, shared decision making, authentic communication, readily available information, promotion and support of individual growth, individual accountability and collective accountability. 

BHSB values all people and their experiences, including those who have had prior contact with the legal system. We are committed to providing individuals with criminal records, including formerly incarcerated individuals and individuals with arrest or conviction records, a fair chance at employment. 

BHSB also takes steps to proactively prevent and address conflict and discrimination by investing in organizational education to foster the development of an accountable and respectful workplace where all employees are supported and encouraged to do their best work.