Job  Board

About Willamette Falls Trust Willamette Falls Trust (the “Trust”) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving an unparalleled Willamette Falls experience, fostering year-round connections to the magnificence of the Falls. Our mission includes providing historical and cultural interpretation, maintaining a healthy habitat, creating public open spaces, and amplifying Tribal voices and interests in the Falls and its waterway. The leadership of the Trust includes tribes with historic and current connections to the Falls, which include the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Our Project, the Willamette Falls Inter-Tribal Public Access Project, aims to create spaces for the public to gather near the second-largest waterfall in North America. As such, the Director of Tribal Affairs plays a pivotal role, helping the organization navigate inter-Tribal interests, multi-community and organizational needs, while advancing the project and the organization’s overall mission during this time of increased engagement. The Position The Director of Tribal Affairs will report directly to the Executive Director, providing strategic and operational support for Tribal Affairs programming and leadership. The successful candidate will have the organizational sophistication needed to center Indigenous voices within the Trust’s activities. The Director of Tribal Affairs works collaboratively with Trust Leadership, staff and board, Tribal Leadership, and key contractors and vendors. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in managing up, and strong organizational skills. Experience with and in Native communities is required. Core Responsibilities You will serve as the primary Tribal liaison to the Trust’s Member Tribes, building and managing relationships. You will help the Trust staff team implement Indigenous-centered initiatives, including policy development, board coordination, project support, planning, and training. You will be the primary source of outreach with Tribal communities. You will be the primary lead on strategy and coordination of government affairs. You will establish and maintain favorable relationships with government, nonprofit, and private project constituents. You will serve as an internal subject-matter expert on Indigenous-related initiatives. You will collaborate with the Trust staff team around philanthropic initiatives and strategies. Tribal Policy and Government Affairs Lead Trust community engagement efforts that center a collaborative and culturally informed community engagement approach. Develop and maintain partnerships and intergovernmental relationships as they pertain to Tribal Policy and Indigenous Affairs. Lead alignment of Trust strategy and tactics with Tribal and local policy and protocols to align Tribal interests and needs with programming direction. Lead public relations efforts to center Indigenous community engagement. Coordinate events, proposals, and solicitations with the Director of Development to appropriately represent Indigenous communities. Represent and present on behalf of Willamette Falls Trust in community settings and events. Collaboratively develop strategy and lead community engagement closely with Trust leadership. Programming Plan Development Lead Trust programming vision development that centers multi-community engagement. Build and maintain positive relationships with Tribes and the urban Indigenous community. Lead Indigenous engagement for the Willamette Falls Inter-Tribal Public Access Project. Communications Deepen and refine all aspects of communications to center Indigenous voice;coordinate all external communications with the Director of Communications and campaign staff, including email updates. Collaborate on messaging and social media with the communications team. Additional Responsibilities Attend and support 6-12 Trust fundraising events annually. Participate in on-going professional development. Perform other related duties as needed and assigned. Co-lead and/or attend project site tours as needed. In collaboration with the Director of Development, prepare targeted proposals and solicitation requests to prospective donors and supporters. Statewide, regional, and national travel required. Required Qualifications Lived experience and cultural understanding of Indigenous communities and lifeways. Strong culturally informed approach to navigating many spaces and communities. Minimum of 5 years of professional experience. Proven project management experience. Prior experience in a comparable leadership role. Collaborative, adaptable, and innovative approach to organizational development. Ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people. Responsible, passionate, integrity, positive attitude, mission-driven, self-directed, and independant idealism. Ability to pass a background check. Knowledge & Skills Experience working with Indigenous communities. Commitment to culturally relevant practices. Strong analysis of DEI. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines. Ability to function well in a high-paced and at times stressful environment. General knowledge of office administration, clerical procedures, and recordkeeping systems. Extremely proficient with Google Suite, Microsoft Office Suite or similar software with the ability to learn new or updated software. High tolerance for ambiguity, changing work priorities and deadlines, and a willingness to take on responsibilities and to prioritize work on multiple projects. Highly detail-focused and results-oriented. Team-player attitude. Excellent organizational, planning, and implementation skills. Commitment to professional reflection and ongoing collaboration. Passion for the Willamette Falls Trust mission. Preferred Qualifications At least a bachelor's degree. Certification/LLM in American Indian policy or something similarly related. A masters degree in American Indian policy or something similarly related. A JD or other equivalent professional degree. Working Conditions Occasional evening or weekend work is required to carry out events and meetings. Frequent travel is required largely within the region (Oregon and Southwest Washington) to participate in and facilitate meetings, events and professional development training. Work can be fast-paced with multiple projects and objectives in motion and will sometimes require moderate physical activity. Prolonged periods of working on a computer will be required. Salary & Benefits $105,000 - $122,000, plus benefits: health, vision, and dental insurance with premiums paid by employer;up to 6% employer matched retirement;3 weeks starting PTO;7 holidays and 4 floating holidays;generous maternity/paternity leave;and a flexible schedule with a hybrid work model. Willamette Falls Trust is committed to its work in improving its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and fostering an environment where all people are welcome. We encourage applications from a diverse pool of applicants. Willamette Falls Trust provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity. Application Instructions & Hiring Timeline Please provide a resume with a brief cover letter that tells us how your skills, experience and background would be best suited to this position, why this position is of interest to you, and how you would describe your approach to leadership. Application materials should be emailed to justin@willamettefallstrust.org in “.pdf” format. Position is open until filled with the ideal candidate starting mid-February to early March.