Executive Director (NYS)

Northwest Youth Services - Bellingham, WA; Bellingham (WA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental benefits

Retirement plans

Paid vacation/sick/holiday time

Parking provided

Job summary

Northwest Youth Services is seeking a dynamic Executive Director to lead strategic initiatives and nonprofit operations. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in nonprofit leadership, fundraising, and managing programmatic goals.

Located in Bellingham, WA, this full-time exempt role offers a compensation range of $90,000 to $120,000 along with benefits like health insurance and paid leave, ensuring a commitment to work-life balance.

Qualifications

• At least seven years of experience as the Executive Director or CEO of an organization serving people experiencing homelessness.
• Strong experience providing financial oversight to programs supported by government funding.
• Demonstrated success as a change agent in a complex organizational setting.

Responsibilities

• Stabilize the agency and ensure efficient operations.
• Develop and strengthen relationships with community partners.
• Support board member recruitment and orientation.

Skills

Nonprofit leadership

Fundraising

Strategic leadership

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in public sector, nonprofit or business management, or a related field

Job description

Executive Director Role

Northwest Youth Services seeks a visionary and strategic Executive Director who is well prepared to provide the inspired external and internal leadership required of this role. The successful candidate must have a background in proven, significant, and successful nonprofit leadership, including the ability to oversee fundraising, programs, overall management, and financial performance. The Executive Director works effectively with the board and staff leadership team to build on and strengthen our track record of innovation, collaboration, and mission success.

Priorities

• Stabilize the agency and grow into current opportunities ensuring increasingly efficient, effective, and equitable operations. Simultaneously and collaboratively with staff, attend to the implementation of our new initiatives: 22 North, The Ground Floor, and the integration of behavioral health protocols across all of our programs.
• Establish alignment, a solid partnership, and collaborative working style on the leadership team and across the organization to move the mission forward in sustainable and just ways. Get to know the staff, solicit their input, and build understanding for needed organizational changes.
• Support the development, engagement, and expansion of the Board of Directors by assisting with board member recruitment, orientation, and ongoing training. Help provide focus and clarity to the board’s governance and fundraising roles within the strategic plan and organization.
• Get to know our community. Develop and strengthen relationships with our public and private partners and supporters.

You Are

• Strategic and visionary, with a pragmatic, caring work‑style.
• A relationship builder – from young people to major donors, progressives to conservatives, on the street or at a cocktail party.
• A passionate ambassador for the mission, with compassion for and understanding of the life experiences of homeless youth, many of whom have been deeply impacted by racism, poverty, and transphobia.
• An inspired and inspiring fundraiser who enjoys working with a strong development team.
• A just and equitable leader committed to productively addressing dynamics of power, privilege, and marginalization within organizational and community contexts.
• A savvy nonprofit administrator who likes solving problems in the least complicated manner possible.
• A systems‑thinker, who looks across an organization, sees and hears what’s needed, and implements change with clarity.
• Able to strike a balance between preservation and innovation, and can influence others to embrace desirable change.
• A strong mentor who grows the strengths of others and develops their “bench.”
• An inclusive decision‑maker who genuinely considers the opinions and wisdom of others. Able to align teams and get them thinking and working together.
• A natural bridge builder and a great storyteller.
• Approachable with a warm, easy manner, a lively sense of humor, and a strong backbone.
• Wise and experienced enough to listen first and deeply, and then take action with confidence. A direct and open leader who speaks from the heart and listens without judgment.

You Bring

• At least seven years of experience as the Executive Director or CEO of an organization serving people experiencing homelessness in the nonprofit or public sector. Direct experience working with youth who are homeless, traumatized, or under‑supported is a plus.
• Fundraising success with individuals, governmental agencies, foundations, and events.
• A clear track record of building boards of directors, working successfully with them to guide the organization. Depth and breadth of expertise in financial management, human resources, and operations. This includes strong experience providing financial oversight to programs supported by city, county, state and federal funding.
• A commitment to and experience with equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Demonstrated success as a change agent in a complex organizational setting.
• Proven experience structuring and streamlining a rapidly growing organization in a time of major transition.
• Business acumen, strong administrative skills, and know‑how to collect and use data to make decisions.
• A keen understanding of how to empower, support and motivate staff of varying generations and cultural backgrounds.
• Experience building and empowering teams and organizational leaders while creating clarity about roles and responsibilities.
• Strong collaboration and partnership skills and a track record of working successfully in a highly collaborative community.
• A Bachelor’s degree in public sector, nonprofit or business management, or a related field.

You're about

• Compassion
• Transparency
• Vision
• Equity
• Cultural Humility
• Integrity
• Resilience
• Humility
• Perseverance
• Lifelong Learning
• Work‑life balance
• Humor
• Strong sense of connection to young people

Compensation

Compensation: This full‑time exempt position reports to the Board of Directors. The expected salary range is between $90,000 – $120,000 depending on experience and skills. Medical/Dental benefits, retirement, paid vacation/sick/holiday time and parking provided.