A Way Home Washington (AWHWA) is a mission-driven, movement-building organization dedicated to preventing and ending youth and young adult homelessness across Washington state. A group of funders, service providers, youth, advocates, and government partners came together to form A Way Home Washington – a coalition committed to advancing the vision of a state where homelessness among youth and young adults is rare and, if it occurs, brief in duration and never repeated. As a public/private partnership that seeks systemic change through policy, advocacy, and collective impact, AWHWA partners with local communities, state government, and philanthropy to create lasting, community driven change that builds capacity for services and advocacy to support youth and young adults experiencing homelessness across Washington. Originally developed as a campaign, AWHWA remains deeply committed to its ambitious goals and building the community capacity to carry this work forward now and into the future.
AWHWA now seeks a new Executive Director who will play an important role in leading the organization into a bold and impactful future. Working in partnership with communities, staff, and board, the Executive Director (ED) will chart the next phase of work by leveraging learnings from the initial four Anchor Community Initiative (ACI) communities and statewide policy and advocacy initiatives. The ED will work collaboratively to define a comprehensive strategic plan that sets forth bold goals and aligns resources, policies, and organizational structures to most effectively fulfill AWHWA’s mission. They will bring vision and leadership to AWHWA’s efforts to center equity and intersectionality, expand policy and advocacy influence, and to advance a movement to functionally end youth and young adult homelessness.
The new Executive Director will be a natural collaborator who is dedicated to a collective impact strategy and integrating the voices of communities and those with lived experience in shaping the strategy and organizational goals. They will be seasoned in anti-racism and equity work, with a track record of leading equity initiatives both within organizations and externally through programs. The Executive Director will be a proven manager who is committed to nurturing and developing a team, a design thinker who connects strategy to organizational structure, and a trusted partner to the board in stewarding the organization. This is an exciting opportunity for a passionate and experienced leader with sophisticated analytical and interpersonal skills who is deeply committed to using political engagement, data driven evidence, and a collective impact approach to end youth and young adult homelessness.
QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
While the ideal candidate will embody many of the following abilities, attributes, skills, and experiences, AWHWA anticipates that no one candidate will possess all the qualifications listed below.
Connection to Mission
- Passion for ending youth and young adult homelessness through a community impact model like AWHWA; commitment to outcomes based, community driven initiatives that apply a systems-change approach and cross sector collaboration.
- A deep commitment to equity with the proven ability to apply a racial equity lens to all levels of an organization’s work.
- Lived experience with homelessness highly valued.
- Successful experience leading strategic planning processes that yield clarity and direction while authentically including a diverse array of perspectives and voices.
- Proven track record managing comparable budgets and staff, particularly during early-stage organizational growth and through the steps needed to grow and sustain organizational health and mission focus.
- Excellent management skills and experience leading and inspiring change in a diverse, mission-driven environment; proven capacity to support systems and decision-making that fosters participation, mutual accountability, and growth.
- A track record of success inspiring, managing, and mentoring highly talented and diverse teams; inclusive and collaborative leadership style that leverages the knowledge, diversity, and expertise of staff, communities, and organizational partners; the ability to move others without exerting hierarchical power.
- Familiarity with nonprofit governance structures and growing a strong and representative board.
- Comfort with data and evidence informed decision-making; ability to translate complex ideas and processes in a way that is accessible to multiple audiences and stakeholders.
External Relations & Policy
- Strong relationship-building skills and an authentic interest in listening to and learning from others; the ability to act with intentionality, establish trust, engage stakeholders, and cultivate belonging.
- Experience supporting an organization’s policy, advocacy, and external communications efforts, and establishing meaningful collaborations with relevant partners, agencies, and communities.
- Excellent spoken and written communications skills; ability to call attention to important issues when the moment requires and the humility and maturity to empower others to tell their story.
The Basics
- Combination of lived and professional experience that is aligned with AWHWA’s mission and values.
- Ability and willingness to travel across Washington state and the adaptability to work effectively in a wide variety of geographic, political, and cultural settings.
TO APPLY
Compensation: AWHWA strives to hold pay equity as a core value of the organization. As such, the salary range for the Executive Director position is $130,000 -145,000 per year, commensurate with experience.
This search is being conducted with assistance from Carolyn Ho, Catherine Seneviratne, and Chris Cannon of NPAG. Due to the pace of this search, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Applications including a cover letter describing your interest and qualifications, your resume (in Word format), and where you learned of the position should be sent to: AWHW-ED@nonprofitprofessionals.com. In order to expedite the internal sorting and reviewing process, please type your name (Last, First) as the only contents in the subject line of your e-mail. Applicants are also asked to complete the TSNE MissionWorks application found here.
A Way Home Washington is an equal opportunity employer and proudly values diversity.
Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
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