Program Director

Status: Salaried (30 hours @ $75,000-$80,000/yearly)

Reports to: Executive Director

Supervises: Program Manager

Location: South Seattle, WA (hybrid; in-person gatherings required)

Schedule: 8:00am–4:00pm; some evenings and weekends required

Summary

The Program Director plays a central, relational leadership role at The Common Acre, stewarding our land-based programs, youth programming, and emerging conservation policy work. This position works closely with the Executive Director, staff, Tribal partners, community members, and a wide network of contractors to bring The Common Acre’s mission to life through culturally rooted, accessible, and community-led programming.

The Program Director is both a strategic thinker and a hands-on coordinator – someone who can hold complexity with care, build trust across difference, and translate vision into well-run, values-aligned programs. This role requires strong relationship-building skills, comfort managing multiple moving parts, and the ability to adapt to changing community needs. This role is supported by a small, collaborative staff team and works in close partnership with the Executive Director and Program Manager.

Our Values & Approach

The Common Acre’s work is grounded in racial justice, Indigenous leadership, land stewardship, language justice, and care for community. The Program Director is expected to embody and advance these values by:

• Centering BIPOC and Tribal leadership and lived experience
• Practicing accessibility and language justice across all programs and gatherings
• Building relationships rooted in trust, accountability, and respect
• Leading with humility, collaboration, and care
• Balancing structure with flexibility in community-based work

Monthly Land Stewardship Days

At our land stewardship days, we connect BIPOC community members to BIPOC leaders in the field of restoration and environmental justice, through a variety of culturally relevant and accessible urban land management workshops. Workshop topics include (but are not limited to) healthy soils, planting and maintenance of a Native hedgerow, collecting clean rainwater, and soil remediation. 

Conservation Policy Campaign

The Program Director will collaborate with the Executive Director to build and implement a Native led policy campaign with three partner organizations.The campaign focuses on  advancing a State policy change effort regarding the Conservation Futures Tax Levy, whose goal is to preserve natural lands and urban green space. This partnership seeks to address the notable disqualification of Tribes as potential recipients of land, should nonprofit recipients of this funding program, sunset and need to designate their beneficiary.

Duties

Team Management and Supervision

• Ensure effective management of The Common Acre’s Youth Program, Land stewardship days and new policy campaign.
• Manage a $700K program budget and grant reports/deliverables including development, tracking and overall oversight or program income and expenses with the Youth Program Manager and Executive Director.
• Hire, onboard and supervise current and new staff as well as 2-4 contractors and community members for work parties
• Schedule regular meetings with staff

Program management

• Lead organizer of The Common Acre’s restoration and conservation programming which entails organizing monthly land stewardship days in South Seattle, where up to 100 community members. Diverse identities and language speakers attend this monthly program. All of The Common Acre staff support with the planning and hosting the land stewardship days.
• Attend and support, when needed, the youth program, managed by the youth program manager and the youth coordinator, that occurs 2 times a month after school.
• Collaborate with the Youth Program manager to develop and update safety and emergency protocols.
• Manage program partnerships related to the policy campaign and land stewardship programming; write MOU’s and contracts in alignment with grant contracts.
• Develop and adhere to restoration program budgets and expense sheets.
• Promptly enter receipts, and w9’s and invoices into internal financial reporting systems.
• Accurately and promptly report program data for grant/contract reports, billing and internal reports.
• Support grant writer and Executive Director to apply for grants.
• Prepare program budgets.

Policy and strategy

• In collaboration with the executive director, provide strategic direction, mentorship, and development for a new conservation policy initiative. This initiative will include 3 partnering organizations.
  • Collaborate with the Executive Director and partners to organize bi-yearly policy convenings with local tribal leaders and conservation and restoration organizations in Washington state.
• In close collaboration with partners and the executive director, build and implement campaign narratives and plans that integrate digital communications, social media, and communications that advance organizing goals and build our base of support and advance the voices of tribes in Washington state
• Builds and maintains relationships with state, and local level elected officials. 
• Leadership development, and recruitment of community advocates, and leaders for legislative activities such as lobby days, hearings, press statements, and visibility actions. 
• Attend speaking engagements, presentations, and interviews about our campaign. 

Accessibility and Language Justice

• Hire and set up security at monthly work parties.
• Ensure accessibility support resources are onsite and functioning for events and activations. These included interpreters, language support devices, scripts and visible signage.
• Participate in Spanish language classes with other staff. 

Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to work with tribes, tribal governments, and tribal non profits in the Coast Salish region
• Strong relationship-building skills across cultures, identities, and roles
• Experience working in BIPOC, low-income, immigrant, refugee communities.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating complex programs involving multiple contractors and partners
• Ability to lift up to 50lbs, with support when needed
• Demonstrated ability to write program budgets and track expenses
• Demonstrated ability to confidently and comfortably speak in front of large diverse crowds
• Demonstrated ability to design, implement, and facilitate workshops for a diverse large group of participants who speak different languages
• Valid driver’s license, reliable, insured vehicle, and ability to use personal car, as needed
• Ability to reliably commute

Encouragement to Apply

If this role feels aligned with your values and the way you want to work in the world, we encourage you to apply, even if you don’t meet every qualification listed. We value lived experience, community knowledge, and people who are excited to grow in relationship with our work.

How to Apply

Please send a copy of your resume to scarecrow@commonacre.org. 

Benefits:

• Health, vision and dental health insurance
• Generous PTO and shared office vacation time
• 4-day work weeks
• Hybrid work environment

The Common Acre is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.