Inatai Foundation

Program Manager

ABOUT US
• Inatai Foundation is a growing 501(c)(4) philanthropic organization committed to working with communities to shift the balance of power to ensure racial justice and equity across Washington and beyond. We are hiring a Program Manager to join our expanding team.
• Cultivating a staff team that embodies the diverse experiences of Washington communities is essential to these aspirations. We strongly and sincerely encourage applications from people of color; individuals who are immigrants, bilingual, and multicultural; d/Deaf people and people with disabilities; members of LGBTQIA+ and gender non-conforming communities; and people with other diverse backgrounds and lived experiences.
• Visit our About Us page to learn more about our work, approaches, and values. You may also browse our Join Inatai page to understand our hiring process, work culture, and benefits.
POSITION SUMMARY
• The Program Manager (PM) is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of Inatai Foundation’s grantmaking activities, ensuring that program officers and grantmakers across the organization are well-supported in building strong, effective relationships with leaders of community-based organizations throughout Washington state. This role ensures the quality, consistency, and timeliness of grantmaking by managing projects, delegating program responsibilities, and developing and documenting policies, processes, and practices that reflect Inatai’s values and commitments.
• The PM supervises a team of Program Associates and fosters a collaborative and supportive team culture that enables internal staff—and the grant-funded organizations to whom Inatai is accountable—to have clear, joyful, and successful experiences with the foundation. The PM also supports the management of contractors and vendors related to grantmaking operations and is responsible for ensuring responsive, thoughtful communication with external partners, including managing general email and phone inquiries. This role significantly impacts Inatai’s ability to advance its grantmaking efforts, ensuring alignment with the Foundation's 50-Year Vision focused on racial justice, equity, and a statewide power building approach.
• The Program Manager oversees day-to-day operations and administration across the Grantmaking division, ensuring consistent and efficient processes that support Inatai’s mission. They provide strategic and operational support to the Vice President of Grantmaking, the Grantmaking Operations Director, Portfolio Directors, and Program Officers through project planning, forecasting, and coordination. The PM also leads process improvements and documentation efforts to strengthen grantmaking systems and practices. Their work enhances internal collaboration and ensures a smooth, equitable experience for community partners.
• This is a full-time, exempt position. Inatai is proud to be a statewide organization, and we know there are talented leaders everywhere in our state. As we grow and learn, we know that we are better partners to communities and more strategic grantmakers when we have team members rooted in place and bringing their lived and learned experiences to our work. We are prioritizing the following geographies to ensure we are fully living up to our commitments to geographic equity. 
• The Olympic Peninsula, with special attention to Jefferson, Clallam, and Grays Harbor counties
• North Central Washington, with special attention to Douglas, Chelan, Okanogan, and Kittitas counties
• Northeastern Washington, with special attention to Pend Oreille, Stevens, Ferry and Lincoln counties
• In addition to these regions, we would like to give priority to candidates based in Adams, Asotin, Cowlitz, Lewis, Mason, Skagit, Skamania, and Whitman counties.
• We currently have offices in Seattle and Pasco. Team members connected to an office are expected to work in the office. Team members may be permitted – with supervisor approval – to work remotely up to two days per week. Periodic early morning, evening, and weekend hours will be required, and statewide and regional travel should be expected.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Standardization and Process Implementation: Collaborate with the stakeholders across the Grantmaking division to document, communicate, and implement standardized grantmaking processes that reflect Inatai Foundation’s values and priorities; Ensure grantmaking operations align with internal accountability standards and support organizational transparency and consistency.
• Training and Customer Service: Develop and coordinate training for team members on grantmaking systems and protocols, and maintain a high standard of customer service that centers Inatai’s accountability to grantee organizations in a way that builds internal trust in our tools, workflows, and the Grantmaking Operations team.
• Process Improvement and Strategic Guidance: Lead continuous improvements in grantmaking processes, incorporating feedback to streamline operations and increase impact; Serve as a strategic advisor on operational enhancements that support equitable, responsive, and transparent grantmaking.
• Team Oversight and Support: Supervise and guide the daily work of Program Associates, ensuring high-quality support for all grantmakers across multiple grant portfolios; Provide coaching, mentorship, and clarity of expectations to support team development and excellence.
• Organizational Culture and Leadership: Act as a culture bearer of Inatai’s philanthropic approach and grantmaking values, reinforcing equity-driven practices within the grantmaking division and across the organization; Be a model for Inatai’s values in decision-making, fostering collaboration and mission alignment, in both internal and external interactions.
• Information Management: Oversee grantmaking file management, ensuring accurate record-keeping, secure access, and appropriate confidentiality within Microsoft Teams and SharePoint environments; Promote practices that uphold compliance, accessibility, and transparency in data management.
• Budget and Policy Input: Contribute to the development and oversight of the grantmaking operations budget, identifying operational needs and supporting effective use of resources; Review and revise grantmaking policies, systems, and procedures to reflect evolving best practices and team needs.
• Team Leadership and Division-Wide Support: Foster a collaborative environment where all Inatai grantmakers understand their roles and responsibilities in the grantmaking process; Lead, mentor, and support a team of program associates, modeling a culture of care, accountability, and continuous learning rooted in community power and racial justice; Develop and execute great practices for onboarding new team members to the grantmaking division at Inatai, partnering with Human Resources to strengthen and organize onboarding materials; Oversee the training of the program management team.
• Communications with Internal and External Stakeholders: Maintain a high quality of customer service that prioritizes Inatai’s accountability to grant-funded organizations and strengthens internal team members’ trust in Inatai’s processes, tools, and that of Grantmaking Operations as a whole; Ensure external communications from grant applicants, grant-funded organizations, and other community members are routed appropriately and responded to quickly, with kindness and clarity; Maintain accountability for the grants@inatai.org and sponsorships@inatai.org email addresses, and any other communications channels that may be required to support the organizations that Inatai is accountable to; Document and update responses to frequently asked questions and common topics that Inatai receives from internal and external stakeholders; Lead internal communications about grantmaking processes and the status of grantmaking efforts with internal stakeholders including executive team members, leaders of various grantmaking funds, and other teams throughout the foundation.
• Project Management and Coordination: Partner across departments to ensure scheduling, planning, and communication are aligned, transparent, and supportive of Grantmaking goals.; Build and oversee cross-training across teams on grantmaking processes and workflows; Stay aware of trends in program and project management, and apply this knowledge to changes in policy and practices.
• Other Responsibilities: Support team gatherings and meetings for the Grantmaking Operations and Program Management team.; Perform other duties as assigned.; Prepare memos, briefs, reports, and research presentations for Vice Presidents, Grantmaking staff, and cross departmental team members  ; Optimize the functionality of the project management processes and systems through regular check-ins for improvements ; In partnership with the Vice Presidents of Programs and other directors on the Program team, help shape, improve, and perpetuate the culture of the team ; Develop strategies to bring Inatai’s strategic Approaches to life through daily action and through processes that ensure the Programs team’s planning and work remains rooted in the Foundation’s Approaches and grantmaking philosophy ; Use data analysis and visualization tools to support the grants team ; Contribute one’s own ideas, perspectives, and lived experiences to the emerging culture of the Foundation ; Assume other responsibilities and explore new opportunities that arise with the evolving needs and aspirations