POSITION TITLE: Program Director

BACKGROUND:

Thurston Thrives is a community-driven initiative committed to eliminating health disparities and ensuring optimal health for all individuals in Thurston County. Our primary goal is to close the health equity gap between historically marginalized communities and the broader population in the region. Using a collective impact framework, Thurston Thrives organizes action teams around the social determinants of health—conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play that affect their health outcomes.

Thurston Thrives focuses on eight key areas: Clinical & Emergency Care, Community Design, Education & Resilience, Economy, Environment (including Climate & Clean Energy), Food, Housing, and Public Safety & Justice. As a collaborative network of community partners, we aim to influence regional policies and develop innovative actions, ensuring Thurston County is a thriving, healthy place for all residents, both now and in the future.

The Thurston County Chamber of Commerce and its Foundation serve as the backbone organization for the initiative, providing coordination and facilitation. The Program Director will report directly to the President/CEO of the Chamber and will be responsible for leading and managing the Thurston Thrives Initiative.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

Thurston Thrives is seeking an inspiring, passionate, and dynamic Program Director to lead this critical work. The Program Director will be an experienced and results-oriented individual capable of convening, coordinating, facilitating, and motivating a regional effort focused on health equity. This role includes driving both internal and external functions, including strategy development, community engagement, communications, and administrative duties, while serving as a champion for Thurston Thrives' mission and vision.

WORK SCHEDULE:

Full-Time, 40 hours per week; evening and weekend work may be required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Program Director will be responsible for advancing the Thurston Thrives initiative, overseeing strategic planning, day-to-day operations, and collaboration across diverse stakeholders. Key responsibilities include:

• Lead and facilitate interdisciplinary and cross-sector teams, ensuring diverse perspectives and equitable representation in decision-making.
• Collaborate with initiative partners to advance a common agenda focused on health equity.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with initiative partners, decision-makers, and funders, prioritizing equity and inclusion in all interactions.
• Conduct outreach to historically underserved communities, ensuring their voices are included in the work.
• Develop and implement a communications plan to transparently share progress and outcomes with diverse external audiences.
• Utilize the collective impact model to sustain and evolve the initiative's framework, ensuring all voices are heard and valued.
• Provide organizational and facilitation support to action teams, ensuring their efforts are aligned with Thurston Thrives' goals.
• Address data collection, analysis, dissemination, and reporting needs, ensuring that data is used to drive equitable solutions.
• Oversee the creation of briefing documents and communications that keep community stakeholders and funders informed.
• Develop and manage an annual budget, ensuring fiscal responsibility and equity-focused allocation of resources.

QUALIFICATIONS:
The ideal candidate will be deeply committed to the mission and vision of Thurston Thrives and possess the ability to inspire others in this shared vision of health equity. They should demonstrate:

• A preferred college degree, although equivalent work, community, and life experience will be considered in lieu of formal education.
• At least 5-7 years of progressively responsible experience, including work with equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives and projects.
• Strong facilitation and presentation skills, with the ability to engage diverse audiences.
• Strategic thinking abilities, with experience planning for both organizational and systemic change.
• Experience managing complex projects and collaborating with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong existing relationships with, or the ability to build relationships with, a wide range of cross-sector stakeholders, communities, and individuals.
• A deep understanding of how diversity—encompassing language, culture, values, race, gender, socioeconomic status, geography, education, sexual orientation, religion, and historical context—shapes policies and health outcomes.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to build authentic relationships across diverse communities.
• Comfort with ambiguity and ability to thrive in a fluid, entrepreneurial environment, with a willingness to go beyond formal job responsibilities to meet the needs of the work.
• Familiarity with Thurston County and its communities.
• Knowledge of trends in health, social equity, and community revitalization.
• Strong commitment to the principles of collective impact and health equity, with a preference for familiarity with the collective impact model.
• Ability to interpret and analyze community health data, identifying trends, gaps, and opportunities to inform program development and policy recommendations.

COMPENSATION:

Salary: $75,000 - $95,000 annually, commensurate with experience. A comprehensive benefits package is included, offering medical, dental, vision, paid vacation, sick leave, and a 401(k).

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Thurston Thrives is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We encourage individuals from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to apply, especially those from underrepresented and historically marginalized groups. We believe that diverse perspectives and experiences enrich our work and are essential to achieving our mission.

Please submit a resume and cover letter to HR@thurstonchamber.com with the subject line: "Thurston Thrives Program Director Application."