• South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International focused on providing affordable housing solutions in Thurston and Lewis counties. We believe that every person, no matter who they are, deserves a decent place to live. Our work includes building new, energy-efficient homes, preparing households for homeownership, guaranteeing affordable mortgages to homebuyers, performing critical housing repairs, and running two successful resale stores. It is an exciting time at South Puget Sound Habitat as our immediate goals for the future include three new developments and hundreds of repair projects, drastically outpacing our past production—and we are working to scale our operations to meet these goals.

POSITION SUMMARY

The senior program director champions and leads the strategic direction, implementation, and quality of all of South Puget Sound Habitat’s current and emerging programs. Leading 3-4 direct reports and a 10–12-person team and working closely with the CEO, the director works within an across teams to set and manage to organizational goals.

The director oversees the following program areas via directors or managers for each:

• Construction: Includes all steps from identifying property up to home handover (land acquisition and due diligence, design, pre-development including environmental reviews, infrastructure, construction, inspections, quality assurance). Also includes limited in-house warranty work as well as any necessary repairs to recycled homes (homes that come back to us programmatically).
• Repair Programs: Currently includes three programs in varying stages of development: critical repairs, energy upgrades, and aging-in-place upgrades. Components of each loosely include outreach, program qualification, scope setting, sub or in-house work, close-out.
• Homeownership: Includes guiding and supporting homeownership program participants from selection through closing, implementing education classes, and coordinating with community lenders. To be developed is a public center focused on homeownership counseling and resources.
• Volunteer Programs: Volunteers may be employed in all areas of the organization, but they are most heavily needed on the construction sites and the stores. Includes outreach, orientation/training, experience, communications, tracking, and appreciation.

WHO SHOULD APPLY

You are a forward-thinking champion of homeownership access and want to put your skillset to work for our neighbors in the South Sound. You’re comfortable with strategy as well as management, and you believe thoughtful design, policies, and systems - as well as well-supported team members - are the cornerstones of good results. And if you can work in some smart, coordinated tech solutions in the process, you’re all the happier. You bring with you insights and experience in programming, housing, construction, or adult education, but above all, you thrive on the responsibility of setting and reaching aspirational goals. Finally, you lead with curiosity and are willing to dig into and make sense of new things.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Key Responsibility: Direction Setting & Orchestration (25%)

The director is responsible for setting, driving, and evaluating the short- to long-term direction of current and emerging programs. Responsibilities generally include:

• Create aggressive, achievable, research-backed, multi-faceted annual program plans that support South Puget Sound Habitat's current needs and future growth.
• Integrate community and partner plans into overall program planning and deliverables, including building relationships, aligning goals, and expanding efforts as appropriate.
• Ensure multi-year planning advances in alignment with overall strategic direction.
• Direct and evaluate the effectiveness of all programs and investments in relation to annual/strategic goals as well as short- to long-term outcomes; establish and utilize assessment and reporting tools.
• Orchestrate routine planning and communications across teams to ensure cross-team dependencies are proactively accounted for and managed.

Key Responsibility: Program Design & Management (50%)

The director is responsible for reaching and maintaining best-in-class programming by collaboratively leading direct reports in intentional, considered design and implementation. Responsibilities generally include:

• Provide effective and inspiring leadership, as well as stewardship, by being actively involved in, and developing a broad and deep knowledge of, all programs and services.
• Implement and lead a continuous quality improvement process for all program areas, focusing on systems, process improvement, program participant experience, and safety; champion coordinated tech-forward solutions.
• Oversee overall design and operations, from day-to-day activities to strategic growth, for all current and emerging program areas.
• Ensure all areas of responsibility have documented, actively-used policies and procedures and comply with relevant Habitat International policies as well as applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.
• Coordinate the cohesive operations of all program teams and services to leverage strengths, maintain consistency, improve program efficiencies, and address challenges.
• Develop and standardize inclusive program environments that are free of discrimination, harassment, and stereotypes; coach and correct behavior as needed.
• Soundboard and troubleshoot programming needs and issues as needed.

Key Responsibility: Team Development & Communication (20%)

The director is responsible for building and nurturing a successful team as well as actively contributing to a healthy organization overall. Responsibilities generally include:

• Hire, manage, and mentor staff; prioritize work and offer direction and support that ensures both effective results and engaged employees.
• Work collaboratively with the leadership team to advance affiliate culture and staff competency; represent the programs team perspective for organization-wide decisions.
• Direct the preparation of all program-and project-related budgets; manage expenditures to budget and monitor overall budget health regularly.

Key Responsibility: Leadership, Teamwork, and Inclusivity (5%)

All team members are responsible for contributing to overall organizational health through positive collaboration, leadership, personal integrity, and a commitment to equity and inclusion. Responsibilities generally include:

• Maintain a “team first” outlook, supporting the success of the team and the mission in attitude, ideas, and actions; lead by example and with active, creative input for growing and improving the organization.
• Meet and endorse organization standards for record keeping and information sharing.
• Contribute to organization events, helping as necessary with set up/take down, management, networking, various tasks, etc.
• Participate in intentional learning efforts, including events relating to understanding institutional racism and building cultural competency.

REQUIREMENTS

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; additional education or training in related field(s) preferred
• Eight years of experience in community-facing service/program design and development, or related combination of experience
• Four years of experience in at least one of the following areas: construction development, real estate, mortgage industry, adult/financial education, or similar (may be a part of above)
• Four years in a leadership position with people management responsibilities (may be a part of above)
• Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• A goal-oriented personality who is resilient and creative when faced with shifting challenges and opportunities
• Strategic thinker with demonstrated ability to perform short- and long-range planning and strategy for small to medium-sized organizations
• Exceptional work ethic and track record of personal initiative and achievement
• Understanding of and successful history with any or multiples of the following: Habitat for Humanity operations, community development, land acquisition and due diligence, housing development, residential construction, residential repairs, affordable housing initiatives, government funding and regulations, mortgage underwriting, financial education, or capital budget and proforma development
• Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills characterized by the ability to listen, speak, and write well
• Strong leadership qualities; ability to prioritize, delegate, and lead by word and by example
• Excellent organization skills with a history of planning and delivering complex projects on-time and on-budget
• Competency with budget development and expense management
• Proven effectiveness with cross-party collaboration and communication
• Tech-savvy generally; high-level competency with Microsoft Office/365, project management tools, and constituent relationship management platforms
• Proven ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion
• Ability to pass a background and reference check
• Commitment to the South Puget Sound Habitat mission and core values

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Understanding of nonprofit operations and governance

CORE VALUES

Successful team members share the following core values:

• Diversity, equity, and inclusion: We value diversity and aim to make our workplace and services accessible and welcoming to all, especially those who are most often marginalized and misunderstood.
• People First: We consider the human impact of our decisions and prioritize well-being as well as closing equity gaps.
• Community: We understand that we are connected to one another and that we must root our efforts in trust and collective achievement.
• Future Generations: We strive for lasting change. Our plans, our designs, our decisions don’t just impact the here and now; they are opportunities to serve future generations as well.
• Integrity: We do what we say we will do, and we do it honestly, ethically, and equitably. We hold ourselves accountable for our actions.

DETAILS

• Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
• Supervises: Approx. 3-4 direct FTE, 8+/- indirect FTE, and 0-2 contract consultants
• Hours: 40 hours per week. Typical business hours with some flexibility for preferred schedules.
• Compensation: Salaried: Position range: $80,000-$125,000; expected hire range: $95,000-$108,000.
• FLSA Status: This position is exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA); it does not earn overtime for additional time worked.
• Benefits: 26 vacation/sick/personal days initially, increasing over time; 13 holidays; 85% employer-paid health, 50% employer-paid dental, 100% employer-paid vision; Simple IRA with 3% match.
• Environment: This position will be based in our office located at 910 5th Ave SE in Olympia. It can be reached by car or public transit. The building is accessible. This position will have a desk, computer, and phone line in a designated workspace. Some off-site, local travel is required. Limited regular remote work is acceptable.
• Conditions: This position will be regularly required to use a computer keyboard and screen, communicate with others, reach with arms and hands to file and use a phone, and sit for extended periods.
• Training: This successful candidate will be onboarded and initially trained through a combination of in-person, online, and written trainings; they are expected to take the initiative to review materials as needed and seek understanding of new developments in order to perform their responsibilities.
• Disclaimer: This job description is not to be construed as an exhaustive list of duties nor required skills. Employees may occasionally perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities to meet the needs of the organization.

APPLY

Submit your cover letter and resume through the portal found at: spshabitat.org/learn-more/careers by October 19, 2025. We will contact successful applicants for interviews.

South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity values a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage applications form individuals of all backgrounds, including those historically underrepresented.

South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity is an equal opportunity employer. This organization does not discriminate in employment and personnel practices on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability status, religion, national origin or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Updated: September 2025