Deputy Director

ABOUT US

Inatai Foundation is a growing 501(c)(4) philanthropic organization committed to working with communities to shift the balance of power to ensure racial justice and equity across Washington and beyond. We are hiring a Deputy Director to join our expanding team. 

Cultivating a staff team that embodies the diverse experiences of Washington communities is essential to these aspirations. We strongly and sincerely encourage applications from people of color; individuals who are immigrants, bilingual, and multicultural; d/Deaf people and people with disabilities; members of LGBTQIA+ and gender non-conforming communities; and people with other diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. 

Visit our About Us page to learn more about our work, approaches, and values. You may also browse our Join Inatai page to understand our hiring process, work culture, and benefits.  

POSITION SUMMARY

The Policy & Advocacy Deputy Director plays a critical role in advancing Inatai’s public policy strategy and mission of transforming power to ensure equity and racial justice across Washington and beyond. Reporting to the Policy & Advocacy Director, the Deputy Director manages day-to-day operations, supports the development and implementation of policy frameworks, and maintains strategic external relationships with governmental and political actors at the local, state, and federal levels. Additionally, this position directly supervises the External Policy and Advocacy Manager, ensuring cohesive team alignment with organizational goals. 

The Deputy Director's scope includes oversight of the Policy and Advocacy team's operations, managing key political relationships across the local, state, and federal levels, and supervising the External Policy & Advocacy Manager. This role significantly impacts Inatai’s ability to advance its public policy agenda, ensuring alignment with the Foundation's 50-Year Vision focused on racial justice, equity and a statewide power building approach. 

This is a full-time, exempt position. Inatai is proud to be a statewide organization, and we know there are talented leaders everywhere in our state. As we grow and learn, we know that we are better partners to communities and more strategic Grantmakers when we have team members rooted in place and bringing their lived and learned experiences to our work. We are prioritizing the following geographies to ensure we are fully living up to our commitments to geographic equity.  

• The Olympic Peninsula, with special attention to Jefferson, Clallam, and Grays Harbor counties 

• North Central Washington, with special attention to Douglas, Chelan, Okanogan, and Kittitas counties 

• Northeastern Washington, with special attention to Pend Oreille, Stevens, Ferry and Lincoln counties 

In addition to these regions, we would like to give priority to candidates based in Adams, Asotin, Cowlitz, Lewis, Mason, Skagit, Skamania, and Whitman counties.  

We currently have offices in Seattle and Pasco. Team members connected to an office are expected to work in the office. Team members may be permitted – with supervisor approval – to work remotely up to two days per week. Periodic early morning, evening, and weekend hours will be required, and statewide and regional travel should be expected. 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Manages the Day-to-Day Operations of the Policy & Advocacy Team 

• Assist the Policy & Advocacy Director in developing and executing Inatai’s key public policy strategies, including the Policy Decision-making Framework and implementation of board-adopted state and federal policy priorities. 

• Ensure compliance with the Foundation’s 50-Year Vision to fulfill five roles by implementing existing and emergent strategies including policy development, advocacy, partnerships, capacity building, and community engagement. 

• Support annual budget development for the Policy & Advocacy team and monitor adherence to the approved budget. 

• Collaborate closely with the Policy and Advocacy Team to design agendas, content, and facilitation for regular team meetings, quarterly planning meetings, board meetings, and retreats. 

• Schedule and conduct regular strategy and performance check-ins with the Policy & Advocacy Director, offering critical input, feedback, and updates on ongoing projects and initiatives. 

• Represent the Policy & Advocacy and/or Strategy & Impact teams in selected internal meetings and cross-departmental initiatives. 

• Work collaboratively with team members to develop and advance Inatai’s statewide legislative policy agenda, including drafting policy documents, advocacy positions, and related materials. 

• Lead and support internal policy and advocacy trainings and political education to the Board of Directors, staff and grantees. 

Manage External Political Relationships 

• Support the Policy & Advocacy Director in developing and executing a comprehensive outreach strategy to external political stakeholders across government, philanthropy, and other influential sectors. 

• Serve as the primary liaison between Inatai’s Policy & Advocacy team and contracted lobbyists, managing agendas, providing clear directives, and overseeing deliverables. 

• Develop and draft 20-40 internal or external memos and communications annually for the President & CEO, Vice Presidents, organizational stakeholders, and the Board of Directors. 

• Regularly travel to Olympia for 3-4 months annually during the state legislative session to directly engage policymakers, elected officials, and governmental staff. 

• Attend and actively represent Inatai at approximately 12-20 political meetings, events, or conferences per year, strategically advancing the Foundation’s public policy priorities and visibility. 

• Facilitate clear communication and coordinated advocacy efforts across internal departments to ensure consistent external messaging and relationship management with political stakeholders. 

Supervises the External Policy and Advocacy Team Manager 

• Conduct regular, structured one-on-one check-ins with the External Policy and Advocacy Managers to ensure clarity in roles, effective delegation of tasks, and timely achievement of assigned responsibilities. 

• Complete thorough annual performance evaluations, providing constructive feedback, coaching, and professional development support to enhance team capacity. 

• Implement systems for accountability, continuous feedback, and appropriate managerial support, ensuring the team’s high performance and alignment with Inatai’s strategic goals. 

• Delegate and monitor completion of specific tasks, projects, and assignments, ensuring timely and quality-driven outcomes from direct reports. 

• Help foster a collaborative, transparent, and supportive team culture that actively aligns with the Foundation’s values around equity, racial justice, and transformative policy influence. 

Event Execution, Agenda Development, and Project Management  

• Provide strategic oversight and management to ensure successful execution of internal team and cross-departmental meetings, overseeing the Policy and Advocacy Managers who lead detailed logistical planning. 

• Manage the overall planning and implementation of annual trainings, convenings, or conferences hosted by Inatai for grantees and partners, ensuring events reflect the Foundation's strategic priorities, align with community needs, and advance racial justice and equity. 

• Ensure effective development and refinement of meeting agendas, content, and facilitation plans, coordinating closely with the Internal and External Policy and Advocacy Managers to achieve strategic alignment and timely execution. 

• Act as the lead project manager responsible for cross-departmental collaboration, clearly defining roles, responsibilities, timelines, and deliverables, ensuring consistent internal alignment and accountability. 

• Monitor and evaluate event outcomes to ensure ongoing responsiveness to community feedback, continuous improvement in strategy execution, and alignment with Inatai’s broader vision and mission. 

Additional Responsibilities  

• Support the planning, development, and facilitation of periodic regional and statewide convenings with grantees, assisting with event execution, stakeholder engagement, and detailed-oriented documentation, including facilitation of internal and external meeting sessions. 

• Actively participate in monthly Strategy & Impact Team meetings, contributing in various roles (e.g., facilitator, notetaker, agenda coordinator), and consistently preparing internal communications, slide decks, memos, and presentation materials for All-Teams meetings that clearly communicate Policy & Advocacy priorities and updates to the broader organization. 

• Provide strategic input and actively contribute to organization-wide initiatives and special projects as required, strengthening cross-departmental relationships and alignment. 

Work Experience 

• Minimum of 8-10 years of progressively responsible experience in public policy, advocacy, government relations, or political strategy, with substantial experience focused within Washington state, Tribal communities, and ideally national contexts. 

Specialized Knowledge  

• Extensive public policy expertise, with significant experience in local, state, and Tribal contexts within Washington and neighboring regions. 

• Extensive expertise in developing and implementing public policy frameworks, legislative agendas, and advocacy strategies at state, local, and federal levels. 

• Demonstrated track record of effectively influencing public policy decisions, managing political relationships, and leading policy-related initiatives in complex political environments. 

• Proven ability to establish, cultivate, and manage strategic relationships with elected officials, policymakers, governmental agencies, philanthropy, community-based organizations, and influential political actors statewide and nationally. 

• Experience serving as a liaison or representative to external political stakeholders, including directing or overseeing relationships with contracted advocacy professionals. 

• Preference for prior experience working for a (c)(4) organization 

• Direct supervisory experience, including proven skills in mentoring, performance evaluation, and staff development within a growing, mission-driven team environment. 

• Demonstrated success in fostering cross-departmental collaboration, internal alignment, and strategic communication within organizations. 

Additional Skills  

• Highly detail-oriented, skilled at strategic follow-up, compliance oversight, and internal documentation; capable of managing complex projects, legislative tracking, and multiple concurrent priorities in fast-paced settings. 

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, adept at articulating complex policy positions clearly. 

• Proven commitment to racial justice, equity, and statewide power-building approach demonstrated through personal and professional achievements. 

• Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities  

• Ability to work cross-teams to collaborate on common strategies 

• Ability to engage in and implement strategic long-term planning 

• A track record of supporting and motivating team members  

• Ability to work remotely at times 

• Deep understanding and alignment with Inatai’s mission, core values, and the Foundation’s 50-Year Vision to empower communities and transform power dynamics across Washington State. 

Additional Qualifications 

• Willingness to travel extensively within Washington State, including regular presence in Olympia throughout the legislative session (approximately 3-4 months per year). 

• Ability and flexibility to attend evening and weekend events as necessary. 

• A deep commitment to equity and racial justice and strong alignment with our organizational values and 50-year vision 

• Ability to authentically connect the Foundation’s mission and aspirations with one’s own personal experiences 

• Demonstrated ability to cultivate relationships and work effectively and respectfully with politically, ideologically, culturally, and geographically diverse people and communities 

• Humility and curiosity, and an understanding of how these qualities are connected to success in this role 

• Demonstrated capacity for self-reflection 

• Strong verbal, non-verbal, and written communication skills combined with the ability to listen deeply and authentically 

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint) and Adobe (Acrobat DC) and ability to adapt to new technologies 

• Enthusiasm for traveling throughout Washington and engaging with communities that may be different from your own (travel is estimated at 50-65% for this position) 

COMPENSATION

In addition to a positive and flexible work culture, we attract, retain, and motivate exceptional people with an equitable and competitive compensation package. Salary ranges are set according to an explicit compensation policy, and relevant data are reviewed when setting ranges for each position. The salary range for this position is $180,000 to $210,000. A compensation enhancement is provided to employees with indigenous or advanced language proficiency in more than one language that they utilize to advance the Foundation’s work across Washington.  

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes fully paid medical/dental/vision coverage for employees and dependent children (and partial coverage for partners and spouses), a 10% retirement contribution, generous time off (29 days of flexible paid time off, eight paid holidays, and a year-end office closure from December 25 to January 1), paid family and medical leave (12 to 18 weeks), a transit pass (where available), and support for ongoing professional development.  

TO APPLY

Please submit your resume and a cover letter expressing your specific interests through our online application portal. Priority will be given to applications submitted by May 15th, 2025. You will receive an automatic acknowledgment of your application once you submit your materials, and you can expect updates from the Foundation every two to three weeks once the priority deadline has passed. 

We are committed to creating conditions where all candidates are able to fully express their talents and potential and invite you to let us know if there are any accommodations that we can provide to support you in your pursuit of this role. 

Thank you for your interest in joining Inatai Foundation!