Student Program & Events Manager

Benefits: 401(k) 401(k) matching Dental insurance Free food & snacks Health insurance Opportunity for advancement Paid time off Training & development Vision insurance Wellness resources Position: Student Programs & Events Manager Reports to: Director of Operations & Chief of Staff Location: Renton, Washington Status: Full-time, non-exempt, on-site Schedule: 40 hours per week, regular evening and occasional weekend availability required Salary: $65,000 - 72,000 annually ($31.00–$34.62 per hour), commensurate with experience Benefits: Medical coverage through an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA), dental and vision insurance, and a retirement plan. About Key to Change Key to Change's mission is to inspire underserved youth through world-class music instruction and support their development as self-aware leaders. As a nonprofit music education organization, Key to Change provides violin and viola instruction, performance opportunities, mentorship, leadership development, and educational experiences designed to help young people develop confidence, discipline, artistry, and a greater sense of possibility for their futures. We believe excellence matters not only in what we provide our students, but also in how we communicate, build relationships, serve our community, and steward the people who invest in our mission. About the Role Key to Change seeks an experienced, highly organized, and student-centered Student Programs & Events Manager to lead the day-to-day administration of the organization's student programs and the planning and execution of its growing calendar of educational, community, and special events. This position is a central point of coordination for the student and family experience, helping guide families from initial inquiry and admission through enrollment, registration, participation, retention, and continued engagement. The Manager oversees essential registrar functions, including student records, scheduling, tuition administration, financial aid administration, attendance, and family communications, while working closely with faculty and organizational leadership to ensure that programs operate with consistency and excellence. The Student Programs & Events Manager also owns the operational planning and execution of major student-facing events and educational programs, including guest artist masterclasses, concerts, Open Houses, the Solo String Festival, Inspiring Possibilities Series, college readiness programs, outreach activities, school-based events, and the Spring Salon Fundraiser. This is not an entry-level administrative position. The successful candidate will be expected to independently manage complex programs and events, anticipate needs, solve routine operational problems, communicate professionally with students and families, and take ownership of work from planning through completion. Key Responsibilities Student Programs & Registrar Operations | Approximately 40% Own the administrative student journey from inquiry and application through enrollment, registration, onboarding, retention, and re-enrollment. Maintain accurate student and family records, schedules, attendance information, program requirements, and related documentation. Coordinate lesson, studio class, workshop, and program schedules in collaboration with faculty and leadership. Serve as the primary administrative liaison to music instructors for student scheduling and program logistics, coordinating lesson assignments, teaching schedules, schedule changes, and related student and family communications in collaboration with instructional and organizational leadership. Manage terms: fall, winter, spring, and summer enrollment processes and deadlines. Provide timely, accurate, and professional communications to current and prospective students and families. Administer tuition-related student services and established payment processes in partnership with the Director of Operations & Chief of Staff. Administer financial aid and scholarship processes, including collecting documentation, maintaining records, communicating awards, and monitoring compliance with established procedures. Financial aid award decisions and individual award amounts remain with the Executive Director. Document and continuously improve admissions, registration, enrollment, and family-facing procedures. Events & Educational Programs | Approximately 30% Solo String Festival Spring Salon Fundraiser Open Houses and family events Student concerts and recitals Guest artist masterclasses Inspiring Possibilities Series College readiness workshops Studio classes and special workshops Outreach performances and community events School-based programs and presentations Summer programs and other student-facing activities For these activities, the Manager coordinates registrations and student participation; communicates with families, faculty, guest artists, vendors, and partners; prepares event materials; manages venue and logistical needs; coordinates staff and volunteers; develops run-of-show documents; and oversees appropriate post-event follow-up. For fundraising events such as the Spring Salon, this position owns event operations and student/program logistics. Fundraising strategy, donor solicitation, sponsorship strategy, and donor relationship management remain with the Executive Director and development leadership. Recruitment, Family Engagement & School Coordination | Approximately 20% Execute student recruitment and enrollment activities, including prospective-family follow-up, recruitment events, school visits, Open Houses, and conversion of inquiries into completed applications and enrollment. Serve as a primary day-to-day contact for current and prospective students and families, providing a responsive, welcoming, and professional experience. Coordinate operational details for school and community partnerships, including schedules, student participation, communications, and program logistics. Support retention by identifying student or family concerns early and coordinating appropriate follow-up with leadership and faculty. Partner with the Executive Director on implementation of institutional partnerships; high-level relationship development remains with those leaders. Data, Systems & Program Administration | Approximately 10% Maintain accurate enrollment, attendance, retention, and program participation data. Produce routine reports and dashboards that help leadership monitor student-program performance and operational needs. Maintain program calendars, deadlines, registration systems, and student/family records in Salesforce or other designated systems. Assume routine student- and family-facing Moodle administration following documentation and transition of the current system. Identify and implement practical improvements to student-program workflows, documentation, and administrative systems. Collaborate with the Marketing & Digital Engagement Manager on accurate public-facing program information while leaving marketing strategy, social media, website ownership, and public positioning of Presto and related digital initiatives with Marketing. Qualifications Minimum of three years of progressively responsible professional experience in program management, student services, arts administration, education, events, nonprofit programming, or a related field; five or more years strongly preferred. Demonstrated experience independently managing complex programs, events, student services, or comparable operational responsibilities from planning through execution. Excellent organizational and project-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities without requiring day-to-day direction. Strong professional writing, interpersonal communication, and customer-service skills. Sound judgment and discretion when working with confidential student, family, financial aid, and organizational information. Demonstrated commitment to maintaining appropriate professional boundaries, student safety, confidentiality, and organizational policies when working with young people and families. Demonstrated ability to anticipate needs, solve problems, follow through, and build reliable systems and processes. Confidence using databases, spreadsheets, calendars, learning-management systems, event platforms, and other digital tools. Ability to work effectively with young people, families, educators, artists, community partners, and organizational leadership. Experience in music, arts education, youth development, higher education, independent schools, nonprofit education, or another student-centered environment is highly desirable. Familiarity with CRM, student-information, learning-management, or event-management systems is preferred. Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience preferred. Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation for occasional travel to Key to Change programs, events, schools, and community activities. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background check. The successful Student Programs & Events Manager will do more than complete assigned tasks. They will anticipate what is needed, build systems that prevent problems, follow projects through completion, and take genuine ownership of the student and family experience. They should be equally comfortable helping a prospective parent navigate enrollment, coordinating schedules with faculty, preparing an event timeline, managing hundreds of logistical details for the Solo String Festival, welcoming a distinguished guest artist, and ensuring that an important student record has been entered correctly. This person should enjoy being at the center of an active educational organization and understand that operational excellence is an important part of educational excellence. First-Year Priorities Establish reliable and well-documented admissions, registration, enrollment, and re-enrollment processes. Strengthen student and family communications and improve consistency across the student experience. Assume independent operational ownership of the annual student-event calendar. Successfully manage major programs and events, including the Solo String Festival, Spring Salon, Open Houses, guest artist masterclasses, concerts, and other special programs. Support fall, winter, spring, and summer enrollment and recruitment efforts. Complete the transition of routine student-facing Moodle administration and ensure that core processes are documented and sustainable. Strengthen enrollment, attendance, retention, and program reporting for leadership. Help create a consistently excellent experience for students and families at Key to Change's new headquarters. Role Boundaries This position is responsible for managing student-program administration and event operations. It is not a general reception, front-desk, cleaning, or office-assistant position. Fundraising strategy and major donor relationships remain with development and executive leadership; organization-wide operations remain with the Director of Operations & Chief of Staff; and marketing, social media, website strategy, digital advertising, and public-facing brand work remain with the Marketing & Digital Engagement Manager. The Person We're Looking For You don't have to come from the nonprofit world, and you don't have to be a musician. You might come from education, higher education, arts administration, youth development, student services, event management, community programming, hospitality, or another environment where your work required you to manage many moving pieces while creating an exceptional experience for the people you served. What matters is that you are highly organized, proactive, thoughtful, and comfortable taking ownership. You know how to move a project from an idea to a successful conclusion, keep track of details without losing sight of the larger purpose, and communicate clearly with different groups of people. You anticipate what needs to happen next, solve problems before they become larger ones, and understand that excellent programs depend upon excellent systems behind them. You should genuinely enjoy working with young people and families and have an appreciation for education, the arts, and the role that access to extraordinary opportunities can play in a young person's life. You should also be comfortable in an environment where no two days look exactly alike. On one day, you may be helping a family navigate enrollment or financial aid; on another, coordinating a guest artist masterclass; and on another, managing the many details necessary to produce the Solo String Festival, an Open House, or the Spring Salon. This position is best suited for an experienced professional who has already demonstrated the ability to independently manage programs, events, student services, or similarly complex work. We will teach you Key to Change: our mission, students, programs, communities, systems, and aspirations. We are looking for someone who will bring the organizational judgment, initiative, professionalism, warmth, and experience necessary to help us deliver an exceptional experience for every student and family we serve. Schedule & Working Environment This is a full-time, primarily on-site position based at Key to Change Studio Headquarters. Because Key to Change primarily serves students during after-school hours, this position requires a schedule that regularly extends into the evening, with occasional weekend responsibilities. The employee's regular work schedule will be structured accordingly. The schedule is designed to provide consistent coverage during Key to Change's primary afternoon and evening student programming hours. Occasional schedule adjustments may be required for concerts, special programs, school-based activities, or organizational events, with advance notice whenever possible. This position involves frequent interaction with students, families, instructors, staff, and visitors. The successful candidate should be comfortable spending most of their workday in a busy, active studio environment. Application Requirements Candidates should submit: Resume Cover letter explaining their interest in Key to Change and the Student Programs & Events Manager position Finalists may be asked to complete a short, time-limited exercise based on a realistic student program or event-management scenario as part of the interview process. #J-18808-Ljbffr KEY TO CHANGE