Humanities Washington
Seattle, WA
Anticipated Start Date: February 1, 2027
Description
What does it mean to be human? These days, few questions feel more urgent and few organizations are better at helping people explore them together. For more than 50 years, Humanities Washington has gathered neighbors around big ideas. In small-town libraries and museum galleries, people come to hear scholars and storytellers speak on everything from Washington history to artificial intelligence, and then stay to talk it through. Families read and discuss books together, master artists pass cultural traditions on to apprentices, and our State Poet Laureate brings poetry to communities across the state.
Last year, more than 33,000 people joined us in 118 communities from Bellingham to Walla Walla. Now with a new strategic plan beginning in 2027, a larger Seattle office, and a curious, collaborative team that loves this work, we’re reimagining how Washingtonians find and connect with the humanities. We’re looking for a storyteller to help write what comes next.
As the first Director of Marketing & Advancement for Humanities Washington, you’ll shape how Humanities Washington tells its story and who hears it, from brand and storytelling to video, podcasts, and new audiences. You’ll also lead our revenue team. You’ll supervise our Fundraising Manager and hire a new Business Development & Partnerships Manager, so that marketing, fundraising, and earned revenue tell one story worth funding. You don’t need to be a career fundraiser, but you know how great communications grows support. This is a rare chance to help a beloved institution reintroduce itself to the state. If you love big questions and bold plans, consider this your invitation.
Responsibilities
The Director of Marketing & Advancement is a new senior role. It was created to shape how Humanities Washington tells its story and shares its mission with the world, and to grow the resources that sustain its work. This leader reports to the CEO, joins a four-person leadership team, and will bring marketing, fundraising, and earned revenue together into one integrated strategy. It’s a builder’s role for someone who takes initiative, enjoys autonomy, and is excited to create something new at a pivotal time.
Key responsibilities include:
Define How Washington Sees Us: Lead Humanities Washington’s positioning, brand, and marketing strategy, from brand standards and unified messaging to a marketing calendar and clear measures of what’s working. Establish the organization as a trusted voice on why the humanities matter to civic life and community well-being. Direct contractors and vendors for day-to-day communications so you can focus on strategy.
Reach New Audiences: Grow Humanities Washington’s visibility beyond those who already love the humanities, including younger Washingtonians, the business community, and a politically diverse cross-section of the state. Turn stories from programs across Washington into video, podcast, and social content, and help design new ways for people to find and engage with our work. Travel the state to meet partners and trustees and see the work firsthand.
Build an Integrated Revenue Strategy: Bring marketing, fundraising, and earned revenue together into one coordinated plan for a stable, diversified revenue base. Support the CEO and Fundraising Manager as they work toward an organization-wide goal of $800,000 or more in contributed revenue. Serve as a creative thought partner on campaigns and the case for support, and explore new models such as membership.
Launch a New Earned Revenue Line: Lead the effort to turn 50 years of program expertise into new earned income, such as programs for companies, consulting and facilitation, and services for other humanities organizations. Shape the new Business Development & Partnerships Manager role, lead the hiring process, and set realistic, shared goals that protect the integrity of our mission and our commitment to accessible programming.
Lead and Grow the Team: Supervise and coach the Business Development & Partnerships Manager, helping each succeed and surface opportunities for the other. Partner with program staff to gather the metrics, impact data, and stories that fuel revenue work, and clarify roles as the new structure takes shape.
Help Shape Our Next Chapter: Serve on the leadership team and help guide organization-wide strategy, including the 2027 strategic plan. Help colleagues embrace new audiences, earned revenue, and clear goals as part of our next chapter.
Requirements
Humanities Washington is seeking a creative, strategic, and collegial leader who is equally at home with big ideas and bottom lines. The ideal candidate is a builder and an optimist who can see what the organization could become and bring others along. While we don’t expect any single candidate to bring every quality below, we are looking for:
Marketing and Brand Expertise
A strong track record of building integrated marketing strategies that raise visibility and grow audiences, especially younger and newer ones, and those that reflect the full diversity of the communities we serve. Fluency in digital and social media, and experience getting results with limited resources and outside contractors. Strong writing and storytelling skills, and an ear for a voice that is friendly and accessible, not academic.
Revenue Acumen
A working knowledge of fundraising, membership, and earned income, and enough fluency to partner with revenue colleagues. You don’t need to be a career fundraiser, but you have grown a diverse base of supporters and know how to make a compelling case for support that resonates across communities. You’re comfortable using data to guide decisions.
Leadership Through Change
Experience supervising and developing staff. A results-oriented leader who can hold goals even when it’s uncomfortable, and who leads change with patience, listening, and respect for what already works. The confidence to bring current best practices and offer respectful pushback.
Humanities Fluency
An understanding of what the humanities are and the ability to explain why they matter to many audiences, including skeptics. A curious, empathetic outlook and comfort engaging people across the political spectrum. Cultural fluency and experience connecting with communities historically underrepresented in the humanities. A background in the humanities or a related field (museums, libraries, cultural organizations, or civic communications) is a plus, as is experience communicating with public officials.
Relational Presence
A warm, optimistic, and genuine presence, with the relational skill to build trust quickly with staff, board, partners, and donors. A strong sense of self, comfort working autonomously, and a playful spirit that fits a close-knit, collaborative team.
Ability to Connect Across Washington
A willingness to learn Washington’s places and people, from urban centers to rural towns and tribal communities, and to discover what resonates with each. You don’t need to be from here, just ready to get to know the state and build relationships across it. We know great candidates may not check every box, and that strong leaders come from many backgrounds, sectors, and paths. If this role excites you, we encourage you to apply.
Salary Range and Employee Benefits
This is a full-time, salaried exempt position.
The expected salary range is $110,000-$130,000, depending on qualifications and experience. The role includes some evening and weekend commitments, balanced by flexibility during the week, and occasional travel throughout Washington State.
Humanities Washington offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:
Health and security: Medical, dental, and vision insurance (90% of employee premiums covered), fully paid life and long-term disability insurance, and optional FSAs.
Retirement: A 403(b) with an automatic 3% employer contribution plus up to a 3% match.
Time off and flexibility: Vacation starting at 10 days and growing to 20 with tenure, 12 days of sick and safe leave, 8 paid holidays plus a winter break from Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day, and 3 personal holidays. A hybrid schedule with three days a week, and a monthly internet and phone stipend.
How to Apply for this Job
About the Organization
Founded in 1973 as Washington’s affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Humanities Washington is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit that brings scholars, storytellers, tradition bearers, and communities together to reflect on our shared past, present, and future. Our work centers on the idea that the humanities help us understand one another.
We envision a state where all people seek a deeper understanding of others, themselves, and the human experience, in order to discern and promote the common good. If you’ve read a book, talked through an idea with a friend, attended a talk, or paused to wrestle with a big question, you’ve taken part in the humanities. They give us context, connection, and sometimes even comfort. As polarization grows and AI raises new questions about what makes us human, people are looking for places to gather in person and think through those questions with their neighbors. That is what we create.
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