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. Requirements

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 . click apply for full job details