Employee Services Director jobs in Washington

Opportunity Overview — The Washington Center for Employee Ownership (WACEO) is joining a growing number of organizations across the country that serve as statewide hubs for employee ownership resources and support, helping small businesses take advantage of the power of employee ownership (EO). This planned nonprofit organization is the outcome of an initiative catalyzed and facilitated by the Whatcom Community Foundation (WCF). In progress for several years, the statewide Center is slated to open late summer 2024. WCF will serve as the incubator and legal home for the Center for an estimated three to five years, or until the Center is ready to transition to a standalone 501(c)3 or other nonprofit structure.

www.employeeownershipWA.org | www.whatcomcf.org

Brief Position Overview — As the Center’s first hire, we are seeking an entrepreneurial and strategy-minded individual who excels at building partnerships, fundraising, generating engagement and raising awareness. A successful candidate is one who is excited about employee-owned enterprises, their impact on worker wealth building and worker agency, and their value to economic development in the communities where they are based. The WACEO, in early planning and scoping for several years by a core working group, currently has a Steering Committee of about 10 people and is growing. The Steering Committee is working to refine the Center’s value proposition, role and function, identifying ways to collaborate with the Washington EO Program within the Department of Commerce, and supporting the hiring of the Center’s Director. As capacity and needs grow the Committee anticipates developing topic area work groups to support the work of the Center. The Steering Committee will be in an advisory role to the Director on an ongoing basis. Serving as the Director of the WACEO is a unique opportunity to lead the strategy and planning for the new Center and to play a leading role in building employee ownership in Washington.

Reports to — Director of Special Projects, Whatcom Community Foundation

(while center is incubation)

Location — While the core activities of the WACEO will serve and engage with communities across the state, the Center itself, as well as the Director, will be located in Bellingham WA, the location of Whatcom Community Foundation the incubating organization. WCF is providing financial administration, IT support and office space, as well as initial funding.

Travel — The WACEO will serve the entire state of Washington. Travel will be expected of the Director and future staff in order to serve all regions of the state. Amount of travel will be determined based on goals, programming and budget. In the coming years, we plan for the

Center to have a small, distributed staff in different regions of the state as well as to partner with regional organizations to help support broad-based employee ownership.

Position Responsibilities —

Fundraising

o Lead efforts to raise funds from all sources, including private and public

o Collaborate with the Steering Committee and WCF to develop and execute fundraising strategies

o Manage any grants received

Management and Hiring

o Work with Steering Committee to develop, clearly articulate and execute WACEO strategy

o Identify, hire and manage team members to support the strategy

o Lead the annual budget process in collaboration with the Steering Committee and WCF

Strategy and Program Development

Oversee and lead the Center’s high-level strategy and build-out of the Center’s programs to support the strategy, including but not limited to:

Partnership Development

o Collaborate with Steering Committee on building relationships with the State Program for EO and the EO Commission

o Cultivate relationships with professional advisors

o Establish and nurture relationships with partner organizations

o Develop strong ongoing relationships with other state and national EO organizations

o Cultivate relationships with economic development practitioners, business community and other stakeholders throughout the state

Marketing and Communications

o Lead and manage the development of educational and promotional materials including website and social media, flyers/brochures, webinars, in person education events, etc. to raise awareness of EO throughout the state

o Participate in conferences and exhibitions instrumental in raising awareness of EO and of the Center

Outreach

o Lead outreach and cultivate relationships with potential audiences, including business networking groups, community groups, business advisors, educational institutions, regional communities and state/local government

Qualifications —

Leadership Experience (3 to 5 years minimum)

o Growing and managing an organization, experience forming or leading a new organization is a bonus

o Proven hands-on leadership experience; hiring and managing staff

o Partnership development and management

o Nonprofit experience (preferred)

Financial Management

o Fundraising and business development

o Budget management and financial competency

o Familiarity with business finance and business structures

Communications and Relationship Building

o Outstanding interpersonal skills, demonstrated ability to build relationships with diverse clients and stakeholders, strong diplomatic skills and judgement

o Excellent written communications and public speaking skills

o Comfortable engaging in direct outreach

o Ability to move across contexts, adapt messaging to audience, articulate the value of EO in a variety of settings, ability to communicate complex concepts and information into accessible and compelling narratives

- Employee ownership knowledge, experience, and passion strongly preferred, with openness and eagerness to learn more; candidates with experience in adjacent fields (CED, economic equity, workforce development, etc.) are also strongly encouraged to apply

- Software tools expertise (MS Office Suite proficiency – Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook are essential) - in addition, familiarity with database management preferred, and general understanding of cloud-based collaborative project management a plus

- Possess valid driver’s license (as regional travel is a function of the job)

Personal Characteristics —

• Openness to all forms of broad-based employee ownership (ESOPs, worker cooperatives, employee ownership trusts, etc.)

• Friendly collaborative approach

• Self-motivated and able to work independently with a commitment to communication and partnership with the Steering Committee, partners and WCF

• Comfortable with start-up environment, able to be innovative, adaptable and resilient while leading organization through various stages of growth and development

• Communicative

• Ethical with high personal standard of conduct and accountability

• Commitment to continuous learning and personal mastery of new skills/knowledge

• A service/mission mentality

• Strategic thinker and builder

• Hands-on engaging leadership style

• Entrepreneurial

• Commitment to social and economic equity

• Views challenges as opportunities with a sense of curiosity, humility, and agency

Salary and Benefits — The starting salary range for this position is $95,000 to $115,000 annually. The annual compensation for this full-time, exempt position includes a package of benefits for medical, vision, dental; paid time off: 15 vacation days, 11 holidays, and sick leave; and retirement benefits. Employees are eligible to make contributions to the 401(k) plan after completing 3 months of employment. Employees can contribute a percentage or fixed dollar amount of their salary on a pre-tax or post-tax basis, up to the annual IRS limits. After six months of employment WCF will contribute an amount equal to 10% of employee’s gross monthly income to employee’s 401(k) account. This employer contribution is made regardless of employee contribution to the plan and is fully vested after 1 year of full-time employment. Full-time hours may include some evening and weekend work. Remote or

hybrid work may be possible but must be willing to reside in Whatcom County where Center is located.

Application Process — To apply for this position, please visit the WACEO website: www.EmployeeOwnershipWA.org to complete the application form and attach your cover letter and resume. If you have questions regarding the position or the application process, contact: careers@whatcomcf.org. The most qualified applicants will be invited for an initial screening interview (virtually) beginning week of July 8. Position will remain open until filled.

Physical Demands/Work Environment — The physical demands and work environment described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to allow differently abled individuals to perform the essential functions. While performing the responsibilities of this job, the employee is frequently expected to move throughout the Foundation offices, move tables and chairs to set up for meetings, and use/operate office-related equipment, sit and/or drive for long periods of time. Currently, our team members are working a hybrid schedule, with a set schedule and various in-person meetings at the Community Foundation office in Bellingham.

Equal Opportunity Employer — The Whatcom Community Foundation is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. To this end, the Community Foundation ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, lawful alien status, physical, mental, and medical disability, veteran status, or liability for service in the United States Armed Forces.

About Whatcom Community Foundation — While our vision is that everyone who lives in Whatcom County thrives, we also lean into important initiatives with benefits that reach beyond our county boundaries, such as employee ownership. At the Community Foundation we work to create conditions for inclusive prosperity through research, advocacy, and adaptation. We invest in structures, systems, community learning and skill-building to increase resilience. We attract and deploy resources which allow us to launch impactful projects and programs, to make impact investments and grants, and give scholarships.

Our Culture — At Whatcom Community Foundation we value relationships, equity, diversity, inclusion, curiosity, integrity, creativity, stewardship, and courage. We are responsible risk takers in pursuit of making life better for everyone. We keep communities' aspirations at the center of our work and strive to create an environment that utilizes community members' knowledge, skills, expertise and passion. The culture for WACEO will be one the Director and Steering Committee work to define and create.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $95,000.00 - $115,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Experience:

• Leadership: 3 years (Required)

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Bellingham, WA 98225 (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

• Bellingham, WA 98225: Relocate with an employer provided relocation package (Required)

Willingness to travel:

• 25% (Required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Bellingham, WA 98225