Hiring Organization Information
Position Information
Companis is seeking an enthusiastic people connector, someone who finds joy in building relationships and has a deep belief in the power of community and volunteerism. This is a unique period of growth for the Companis team and the nonprofit and volunteer partners we serve, as we celebrate our 30th anniversary and wholeheartedly re-dedicated ourselves to centering in-person connections and activities where we can.
We have a staff of 4 (3 FT, 1 PT), and the Associate Executive Director for Programs is a critical leadership role who directs our programming and serves as a thought partner and right-hand to the Executive Director. The successful candidate will be an experienced nonprofit leader who prioritizes people and sees relationships as opportunities for mentoring, encouraging, coaching, listening, and caring for our people as well as our neighbors. This person will know how to bring people together, through both facilitation and collaboration; they will also bring nonprofit leadership skills in budgeting and program impact reporting. They will be a key partner to the Executive Director, serving as a community-facing spokesperson, advancing our goals regarding equity, inclusion, and diversity, and providing strategic thought partnership.
Who We Are: Companis
Companis makes our community healthier, safer, and more just by fostering skilled volunteer service. We match volunteer professionals and nonprofits to bridge the gap in delivering vital services in King and Snohomish counties. In the last two years, we have grown our placements and partner organizations by 28%, expanding into Snohomish county, and expect to continue this growth trajectory as more people seek to find community and make meaning by sharing their skills.
Everything we do starts and ends with relationships. That means getting to know our volunteers and our nonprofit partners personally. Here’s the secret: we listen.
We listen closely. For the things that you say loudly, and the things that are a little bit quieter. The things we learn from you, about you, are how we make the right connections at the right time.
Mission: To make our community healthier, safer, and more just by fostering skilled volunteer service. We build relationships and bridge the gap so that nonprofits can succeed in delivering vital services with the help of a Companis Worker
Vision: That every nonprofit has the person-power they need to serve and succeed, and that every person moved to serve their neighbors has the opportunity to do so in a way that facilitates personal and professional growth, relationships, a sense of purpose and community. Our vision is a world where compassion meets action.
Our Values:
Compassion
Service
Inclusion
Relationships
Reflection
Our Commitment to DEI and Anti-Racism
We believe that racism affects the conditions of our work - with our community, with our agencies, with our volunteers, and within our organization.
Inherent in its creation, history, and present strategic plan, is the intention of Companis to support and promote diversity, work for equity, and to model inclusiveness – to counteract the effects of oppression. We are committed to fighting racism because we recognize the pervasive and deep disparities faced by people of color. We act on the knowledge that challenging interpersonal, institutional, and structural racism is essential if we are to make our community healthier, safer, and more just. Please read our full Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as well as our Organizational “Why” Statement to learn more about how our commitment to anti-racism guides our work.
The Opportunity
“Where compassion meets action.” Companis’ programs are built on interpersonal connection. The Associate Executive Director for Programs position is an opportunity to build on our 30-year legacy of Where Compassion Meets Action. Engage your leadership skills with this inspiring mission and small team, helping steward strategic aims and goals, support incredible volunteers in long-term placements, and introduce our work to new communities in our service area. We await not only your experience, but we invite your creativity, too! You will have a direct role in shaping Companis’ future direction in partnership with our team. This role serves as our lead matchmaker between volunteers and nonprofits.
Key Priorities & Primary Responsibilities Include:
The Associate Executive Director for Programs will lead the effort, in close collaboration with the Executive Director and other program staff, to sustain, grow, and improve Companis’ programs.
The Associate Executive Director for Programs reports to the Executive Director, and manages the Snohomish County Program Manager, as well as occasional interns, volunteers, and contractors as needed to accomplish our activities. They will also work with Companis board members in service of our organizational goals, including regular attendance at board meetings to showcase our work.
Leadership & Strategy
- Collaborates with and supports the ED and Board of Directors in setting organizational strategy and monitoring outcomes of our efforts
- Encourages cross-functional collaboration and acts as a thought leader on the team
- Manages, supervises, and supports the work of Companis staff in all aspects of our work
- Actively participates in agency-wide efforts to center our work in racial equity, antiracism, and multi-cultural inclusion
- Acts as a spokesperson and advocate for Companis at fundraising and large community events, and is comfortable in talking about the Companis mission and our place in addressing social justice needs facing our greater community
Program Operations & Relationship Building
- Develops, executes, and evaluates program goals and strategies that support our strategic plan
- Grows and stewards relationships with Companis nonprofit agency partners and works with the Companis team to recruit potential agency partners
- Liaisons, screens, and places Companis Workers with agency partners requesting assistance, including agency site visits and in-person volunteer applicant meetings in the office and in our service area
- Builds supportive relationships with volunteers, including regular check-in meetings
- Plans and facilitates Worker Support retreats and events
- Evaluates programs and generates reports (quarterly and annual) of accomplishments, effectiveness, and outcomes, through data tracking and surveys
Storytelling & Communications
- Listen for stories of impact and the power of relationships throughout all our activities
- Translates the impact and accomplishments of Companis Workers and partner agencies for both internal and external audiences
- Help shape how we communicate our message, accomplishments, goals, and programs to the community at large
In addition, the Associate Executive Director is part of the Companis team. Our team members:
- Assist program staff with various projects including surveys, uploading applications to the website, and designing development-related documents.
- Participate in building a culture of inclusion and anti-racism, including professional development opportunities and work groups.
We are looking for someone who is passionate about building relationships, and who believes we can make our communities healthier, safer, and more just by fostering skilled volunteer service. As a values-driven organization, we also seek someone who shares the values that are central to our identity: Compassion, service, inclusion, relationships, and reflection.
You will find the Associate Executive Director for Programs role to be an excellent opportunity if you are a leader with at least 4 years of experience in social-services related programming, volunteer management, or similar who understands and is energized by the unique opportunities of leadership in a small organization.
Our ideal candidate is…
- An exceptional relationship builder with high emotional intelligence who believes that a rising tide lifts all boats.
- A strategist who can see the big picture, and understands how to build and implement plans that get us to our goals, together.
- A highly skilled communicator who can foster trust and inspire people to take action.
- Equally comfortable making a phone call or initiating an in-person engagement as they are sending an email, and prioritizes customizing their approach to each volunteer or agency based on what we know about their preferences.
- Someone who excels at and enjoys storytelling - because this role requires a lot of it!
- A reporting and data aficionado who understands how to create and maintain program tracking systems so we can tell the story of what we do. (We use Excel, Google Workspace, and Little Green Light currently.)
- Invested in integrating equity and anti-racism into our processes and practices, and has a strong personal commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
You might fit one of these profiles…
- You’re an accomplished nonprofit program professional in social services, healthcare, food insecurity, or other basic needs-related missions; OR
- You’ve been a nonprofit executive, deputy director, or similar in the past, with at least 3 staff and a growing budget; OR
- You have extensive experience in for-profit people-related service spaces, and want to bring your skills to a values-driven nonprofit mission.