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JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: PROGRAM Director

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Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility (WPSR) is a 40-year-old, physician-led advocacy organization working to create a healthy, just, peaceful, and sustainable world. We take on the gravest current threats to human health and survival - nuclear weapons, economic inequity, and a climate crisis driven by dependence on fossil fuels. Through its three issue-based programs, WPSR leverages the credible and trusted voice of healthcare professionals to educate the public, influence decision-makers, and promote public policies that support our mission -- including local, state-level, and national action to address the climate crisis. 

The Position 

The Program Director (PD) leads and is responsible for the success and sustainability of WPSR’s three programs. The PD manages and supports 3 full-time Program Managers, one for each program, and three associated volunteer Task Forces that help drive program priorities, activism, and action, each of which is co-chaired by a program manager and a volunteer health professional.

The Program Director is responsible for directing and supporting each of WPSR’s three programs, including supervision and management of program staff, oversight of program budgets, program grants and fundraising, communications, and ensuring programmatic growth, sustainability, and impact. The PD ensures that each program stewards and uses its resources to achieve impact through effective advocacy, strategic partnerships, and ongoing movement-building efforts. The PD reports to the Executive Director and works closely with leadership to ensure that each program contributes to WPSR’s strategic goals for impact, sustainability, equity & justice, and organizational development and health. 

We’re seeking applicants who are ready to commit their time, talent, and passion to WPSR’s mission, and the goals of each of our programs. We look for smarts, initiative, resourcefulness, organizing and management experience, and an eagerness to learn. Candidates must have excellent judgment and discretion, stellar interpersonal skills, the ability to oversee multiple initiatives and projects, a history of successful management and development of teams, a demonstrated commitment to equity, justice, and a passion for outstanding service to constituents and collaboration with partners and communities. 

Primary Responsibilities

Staff & Program Management (40%)

  • Exercise leadership in the strategic planning and direction of WPSR’s programs, ensuring each program’s goals and plans align with those of the organization, with commitments to funders, and with the needs of key stakeholders

  • Hire, supervise & manage the performance of all program staff

  • Ensuring staff have the knowledge, tools, and resources needed to be effective and successful 

  • Plan, monitor, and manage the strategic use of staff time and other program resources to ensure that each program achieves its desired impact, and contributes to overall organizational goals. 

  • Manage, track, and assess effective use of program budgets

  • Actively promote and support collaboration between WPSR’s programs to highlight and take advantage of issue intersectionality, and maximize opportunities for synergies that support programmatic and organizational goals 

Fundraising & Development (20%)

  • Identify and pursue new program-focused grant opportunities; steward new and existing institutional funder relationships

  • Manage program grants (oversee program grant proposals and budgets, and ensure fulfillment of grant deliverables and reporting obligations)

  • Ensure programs contribute to WPSR’s membership development goals, and collaborate with leadership and the board to assure the financial sustainability of each program and organization 

  • Assist with occasional organization-wide events, including the annual WPSR fundraising dinner 

  • Support Task Force Co-chairs in program strategic planning, leadership, and facilitation of task force projects, campaigns, and capacity-building efforts

Communications (20%)

  • Develop and direct communications strategy and planning for each program

  • Direct and coordinate public program communications and media engagement for each program, ensuring messaging coordination between programs

  • Provide oversight for the accuracy and quality of all public communications in accordance with communications plans/calendar, brand guidelines, and constituent communications preferences

  • Ensure that WPSR members stay appropriately informed about, and engaged with WPSR’s core issues and current policies through frequent and regular ongoing communications including email-based education and calls to action, utilization of WPSR’s social media channels, and up-to-date website content. 

  • Support program staff in producing programmatic research, reports, presentations, tools, and education/advocacy materials

  • Ensure submission of monthly summary program reports to the board of directors

  • Speak on behalf of WPSR and its programs at WPSR and partner organization events, public hearings, and community forums, and with the media

Policy & Partnerships (15%)

  • Work with program staff, co-chairs, and task forces to ensure that each program’s policy portfolio is mission-aligned and appropriate in scope to each program’s strategic plan and capacity 

  • In conjunction with program staff, act as a liaison and represent WPSR with key community and policy partners 

  • Actively promote and support collaboration between WPSR’s programs to highlight and take advantage of issue intersectionality, and maximize opportunities for synergies that support programmatic and organizational goals 

  • Serve as point of contact with PSR national’s program directors to stay abreast of relevant national policy opportunities, and opportunities to collaborate with and contribute to advocacy efforts between and among other PSR chapters

Other Duties (5%)

  • Contribute to organizational operations and development initiatives on an ongoing basis. 

Required Qualifications

  • Passionate about WPSR’s issues and public health, and the power of grassroots activism and advocacy to win policy change

  • At least 2 years of project, program or campaign management experience

  • Demonstrated experience supervising, supporting and managing program staff and volunteers

  • Superlative communications, facilitation, and writing skills

  • Familiarity with legislative and political processes in Washington, including state-level policymaking and local government processes 

  • Enthusiastic team-player; excited about working in coalition with diverse people and partners 

  • High level of initiative, resourcefulness, and drive 

  • Outstanding organization and project management skills, able to deftly handle multiple and distinct projects simultaneously

  • Strong listening and relationship-building values and skills

  • Prioritize a lens of racial, economic, and gender equity and inclusiveness; confident in communicating about diversity, equity, and inclusion issues

  • Positive and collaborative attitude and a demonstrated ability to help others navigate ambiguity, and resolve disagreements and differences of opinion with professionalism

  • Commitment to being a steward of, and ambassador for, WPSR’s mission  

Preferred qualifications

  • Familiarity with one or more of WPSR’s core issues, especially in Washington State

  • Demonstrated experience developing and executing communications strategy 

  • Grant writing, management, and experience liaising with foundations and individual donors

  • Experience with implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion programs or plans

  • Skilled in managing volunteer teams

  • Eager and willing to support the success of co-workers, colleagues, and the overall mission and needs of the organization

  • Bachelor’s, Master’s or other advanced degree in relevant subject area

Compensation: The salary range for this full-time, exempt position starts at $72,000, depending on qualifications and relevant experience.

Benefits: WPSR offers all full-time employees a generous health care and dental plan, access to a pre-tax 401(k) withholding option with a 1% employer match, flexible spending, and dependent care withholding options. Paid leave starts at 2 weeks per year, plus 10 paid holidays and sick leave, and increases to 3 weeks after 1 year of continuous service, and to 4 weeks after 4 years. We proudly offer a highly collegial, collaborative, and inclusive work culture, with significant flexibility and strong support for work-life balance. 

Deadline: Complete applications submitted with a thoughtful cover letter will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the position will remain open until filled.

How to Apply: Applications must be submitted via Indeed.com at the following link: ADD LINK HERE. No phone calls, please.

We seek to recruit and retain talented applicants from a diverse candidate pool. We especially welcome applicants who support our organization’s core values: science, sustainability, compassion, peace, justice, and equity. WPSR provides equal employment opportunities with no discrimination against any individual with respect to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of race, color, age, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or disability.

To learn more about our organization, please visit www.wpsr.org
Thank you for your interest!