Hiring Organization Information
Position Information
Organizational Overview
Perinatal Support Washington (PS-WA) is a statewide non-profit committed to shining a light on perinatal mental health to support all families and communities. Mental health conditions are THE most common complication from pregnancy and birth and the leading cause of death for birthing parents in the first year postpartum. Untreated, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders can also compromise the emotional, cognitive, and physical development of a child. 1 in 5 birthing parents - 1 in 3 birthing parents of color - experience a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder, like depression or anxiety. In Washington state, that’s roughly 22,000 birthing parents every year. At PS-WA, we support people in the emotional transition to parenthood, including those experiencing depression, anxiety, loss, infertility, trauma, and more. We connect parents experiencing anxiety and depression with others who’ve been through it, educate providers to better identify and treat affected families, provide access to a network of trained clinicians, and raise awareness of this public health issue.
Our toll-free telephone support line, the "Warm Line", has been operating since 1991, providing peer support to parents in need. We also offer mental health therapy, free and low-cost new parent support groups, culturally-matched peer support in King County, training and consultation for health care providers, and education and advocacy.
Our work is powered by 14 full-time and five part-time staff members, and nine board members, plus dozens of committed volunteers. PS-WA has an annual operating budget of $2 million. While we are based in the Seattle metro area, our support resources are found all over our beautiful state of Washington.
Learn more about our work by viewing our Website; and our Theory of Change
Our Commitment to Our Community
At PS-WA we know that not all support is equal and that culturally appropriate support matters. The burden of marginalized people in navigating a health system that does not recognize their culture, language, or gender expression can affect births and the physical and emotional state of entire families. The trauma caused by racism and oppression exists. At PS-WA we know it is a struggle to find culturally informed services, which is why ensuring that our services are culturally relevant is so important to us. When providers and programs understand the importance of culture in aiding recovery, it will give their clients a better chance to understand themselves and maximize their access to treatment services. We empower programs that see resiliency in disenfranchised communities and represent the community and its needs.
Through our programs, the ultimate vision is to revolutionize perinatal mental health support, ensuring that every parent, regardless of their background, has access to the services and education needed for a transformative journey into parenthood. We aspire to break down barriers, especially in BIPOC communities where such support may be less accessible or normed. Our goal is to create a landscape where perinatal mental health is not only acknowledged but prioritized, fostering emotional well-being and resilience in all parents.
Opportunities and Essential Duties of the Executive Director
PS-WA is poised for a bright future as we aim to grow our presence across the state as the go-to organization supporting families during this tender stage of parenthood, especially families furthest from access to the services they need. PS-WA seeks an Executive Director ready to lead the organization into this next phase. The Executive Director will play a pivotal role in driving PS-WA’s vision and strategy, ensuring the organization's continued success in perinatal support, resource development, and growing and developing a committed staff team.
The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors and manages two direct reports: the Operations Director, and the Development and Communications Manager. Additionally, the ED will assess needs and available resources to shape a currently vacant Program Director position, and will oversee the program managers until this role can be filled. The new ED will spend their time on these key responsibilities:
- Vision and Strategy: Lead staff and Board to align around a vision, strategic priorities and cohesive programs that achieve the desired impact
- Staff Leadership: Lead a dedicated, values-aligned team that boasts a high degree of work/life balance, remote flexibility, and a culture of collaborative decision making
- Fundraising: Lead fundraising efforts to build the foundation for long-term sustainability that matches our growth. This includes developing and implementing a diversified fundraising strategy and personally cultivating and securing gifts from major donors, foundations and corporate partners
- Relationship Building and Raising Visibility: Serve as the chief spokesperson, relationship builder, and representative for PS-WA with key stakeholders
- Organizational Management: Ensure all operational aspects of the organization are running smoothly and effectively, including developing and supporting the staff team, and creating and managing the budget
- Advocacy: Build out burgeoning advocacy efforts for the organization and champion collaboration among perinatal health partners across Washington state to raise awareness and investment in our shared work
PS-WA is a fully remote team with office space available for occasional in-person staff meetings as needed. The ED can expect to work remotely, with frequent in-person meetings with community in the greater Seattle region.
The Ideal Candidate
At PS-WA we know that great leaders can come from diverse backgrounds and experiences, and we are excited to meet candidates who reflect the strengths, skills, and values outlined for this role. We seek candidates who possess many of the following qualifications and can recognize areas where they can further grow. Our next Executive Director will:
- Possess a strong track record of nonprofit leadership experience, with fluency in long-term financial visioning, oversight and strategic budgeting, as well as the ability to lead strategic planning to set vision, priorities and a diversified revenue strategy to drive impact.
- Be a people-centered manager with a demonstrated ability to foster a values-aligned culture that honors lived expertise, and promotes transparency, accountability, professional development, work-life balance, and deep care for staff who provide critical perinatal mental health services to families.
- Be a seasoned and fearless fundraiser with strong relationship-building skills, capable of leading efforts to diversify funding sources and building strategic partnerships that fuel growth. They will have exceptional communication and presentation skills to be an effective storyteller and inspire support of our work.
- Have deep experience managing staff and board relations, with the ability to build cohesive teams and connective tissue across the organization, lead collaborative decision-making structures, align staffing and roles to strategic goals, and partner effectively with a Board of Directors to build capacity and engagement.
- Have demonstrated skills in operationalizing anti-racism in an organization’s culture and in trauma-informed, culturally responsive services.
- Possess an understanding of the perinatal mental health landscape at the state and national levels, with the demonstrated ability to strengthen relationships with peer organizations, and build community partnerships and coalitions to advocate for systemic change and investments in perinatal mental health.
- A background in, or adjacent knowledge of direct service, social work, education, or early childhood systems is desired. Lived experience with perinatal mental health or related systems is a plus.