Program Manager

Humanities Washington opens minds and bridges divides by creating spaces to explore different perspectives. We hold events and programs led by cultural experts, scholars, and storytellers who discuss everything from Washington State history to philosophy, providing context for current social issues. We also support and partner with a wide network of communities, organizations, and individuals across the state. For further information, please visit humanities.org.

We’re looking for a Program Manager to join our team! We want to work with a collaborative, motivated, and creative individual who is eager to manage Humanities Washington’s Speakers Bureau, ensuring the program fosters deep and timely conversations throughout Washington State, with an emphasis on equity, diversity, and inclusion. Speakers Bureau reaches thousands of Washingtonians each year by partnering with organizations like libraries, museums, cultural centers, and schools to host our speakers. 

We encourage applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds, particularly those from historically underrepresented groups, whose professional and personal experiences will help us work toward our vision of a Washington that invites diverse perspectives, explores challenging questions, and strives for just communities. Humanities Washington prioritizes equity and inclusion in all aspects of its work and operations.  Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement can be found here. 

Essential Responsibilities  

• Maintain the daily functioning of the program, including: 
• Communicating with speakers, hosts, and other partners. 
• Conducting outreach to communities and organizations, especially those in rural areas, including proactive communications, presentations, and some in-state travel. 
• Working closely with a roster of 30+ humanities experts, including historians, philosophers, tradition bearers, and journalists, to reach every county in Washington state. 
• Creating and updating program materials, including brochures, website content, social media posts, and email communications in collaboration with the Director of Communications and Content. 
• In partnership with the Executive Director, conducting outreach to legislators and help nurture ongoing legislative relationships. 
• Developing and implementing strategies to reach new audiences, partners, and speakers. 
• Collaborating with Program Coordinator and providing supervision on Speakers Bureau-related tasks and other projects as assigned. 
• Build partnerships with key organizations throughout the state to achieve Humanities Washington geographic diversity and racial equity goals. 
• Provide coaching for speakers on topics such as public speaking, effective outreach, and presentation design as needed. 
• Lead statewide search for new Speakers every two years, including managing the review process. 
• Design online events featuring Speakers or potential Speakers to address important current events or cultural topics. 
• Report on programs to Humanities Washington’s Board of Trustees, external audiences, and other stakeholders. 
• Pending successful grant funding, plan and launch Speakers Bureau in schools initiative in 2025. 
• Maintain and track program records, budget, and impact in Salesforce. 
• Manage evaluation efforts and implement responsive changes to the program as necessary.  
• Collaborate with Director of Programs on special projects as assigned.  

Additional Notes 

• Some in-state travel is important for this role: attending HW Board of Trustee meetings, meeting with partners, conducting outreach, and ensuring quality assurance for our Speakers Bureau events. 
• Staff rotate their participation in the National Humanities Conference, with half of the staff attending every other year. These conferences are held in late October or early November. Locations rotate around the country; upcoming locations include Providence, Rhode Island; Detroit, Michigan; and Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Qualifications 

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications and behavioral competencies: 

• Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. 
• Three years of experience in a non-profit context, the public humanities, program management, teaching a humanities discipline, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experience. 
• Background and enthusiasm for the humanities and a deep understanding of its important role in the cultural sector and communities. 
• An eye for identifying engaging and intellectually rigorous topics, content, and speakers. 
• Sensitivity to different cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs. 
• Ability to generate event ideas and discussion questions that illuminate important topics and appeal to audiences. 
• Experienced and enjoys both the creative and logistical aspects of project management 
• Talented at balancing multiple projects and priorities, maintaining excellent organization and team communication. 
• Track record of managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. 
• Creative, intrepid, and organized, able to work independently, set and meet goals, and manage multiple projects. 
• Resourceful and collegial, especially in the context of a small, scrappy team. 
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, ensuring partners, audiences, and stakeholders feel informed and respected. 
• Robust verbal, writing, communication, and problem-solving skills. 
• Competency with Microsoft Office Suite. 
• Experience with Salesforce is a plus. 
• Fluency in a language other than English is a plus. 
• Experience with libraries, schools, and/or cultural organizations in Washington is a plus.