Director of External Affairs

Company: Plymouth Housing Group
Location: Seattle
Posted on: February 17, 2026

Job Description:

Job Description Job Description Cover letter with application required. Director of External Affairs Salary: $136,261-$154,128 Location: Greater Seattle, WA (Hybrid) ABOUT THIS ROLE: The Director of External Affairs supports and advances Plymouth’s mission by overseeing, leading, maintaining, and coordinating relationships with lawmakers, government officials, community leaders and others to influence and advance Plymouth’s interests and strategic endeavors. The position participates in and influences community processes and policymaking relating to permanent supportive housing (PSH) and Plymouth’s mission to end homelessness. The position researches, pursues and organizes public funding sources and other program resources to support Plymouth’s work. The position advises the Executive Leadership Team on issues related to organizational advocacy and works in partnership with other leaders to achieve organizational goals. WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO BE DOING IN THIS ROLE AT PLYMOUTH HOUSING Policy and Advocacy Strategy Evaluate and develop advocacy strategies to impact housing and homelessness policy at local, regional and state levels of government and civic society. This requires experience in housing policy. Knowledge of and ability to develop strategies to prioritize and maximize public funding strategies. Prioritize and develop relationships with elected and community leaders to drive and influence policy and funding decisions to support and expand permanent supporting housing in the region. Build, maintain, and oversee relationships with lawmakers, government officials, and other decision makers. Community and Partnership Engagement Develop and maximize effective community partners by representing Plymouth and actively participating on subcommittees and workgroups that are relevant to Plymouth’s mission. Identify and act upon opportunities to raise awareness of Plymouth Housing with public funding entities, government planners, legislators, business leaders, community members, law enforcement. Establish and maintain ongoing coordination and agency liaison with public funding and planning entities. Actively engage in community planning processes as appropriate to Plymouth’s mission, e.g., coalitions, neighborhood relationship-building. Coordinate grass-roots advocacy on behalf of homeless individuals that deploys tenants, staff, board members, colleagues, and volunteers to appeal to policy makers and elected officials. Respond to community housing and human service agency requests for participation in collaborative initiatives. Organizational Leadership and Culture Support and advance an equitable and inclusive organizational culture that aligns with Plymouth’s goal of becoming an anti-racist organization. Depending on experience, this role may sit on the Executive Leadership team. This position will interact with the Board of Trustees and have responsibility over the Advocacy committee. Data, Reporting, and Administration Gather, analyze, and present essential data that drives decision-making about the direction of strategic initiatives. Prepare executive-level status reports on initiatives, project plans, progress, and results of relevant activities. Attend special events and represent Plymouth’s values and goals with professionalism and commitment. Build and manage related budgets. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES WE NEED FROM YOU Demonstrates the ability to work effectively and respectfully with people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences to support safe, welcoming, and inclusive housing communities. Knowledge of local and regional funding and policy making processes with specific focus on housing, homelessness and behavioral health. Demonstrated experience in data collection, management, and interpretation, with ability to create and adapt program needs based upon data results. Strong public speaking and ability to represent Plymouth’s vision and goals. Effective project management - both at a higher, visionary level as well as lower, detailed level, as needed. Highly organized with great attention to detail, planning, efficiency, and follow-through. Creative thinker and solution oriented with ability to maintain composure in stressful and fast paced environment. Excellent attention to detail and ability to balance multiple program budgets and needs. Experience with facilitating meetings and ensuring coordination/collaboration across multi-disciplinary teams. QUALIFICATIONS A minimum of five years of relevant and progressively responsible human services or government affairs management experience, including: Involvement with innovative programs addressing homelessness, behavioral health, or human services. Successfully competing for new and continuing human services funding for homeless housing or behavioral health programs. Established community leadership role within the region, including achievement in: Collaborating with professional colleagues to create community-wide advocacy agendas addressing homelessness housing, or other social issues. Advocacy or electoral campaign experience recommended. Proficient and experienced in the use of Microsoft Office applications; particularly Word, Excel, PPT and Outlook. Must be able to work efficiently and effectively to quickly analyze and assess policy and it’s impacts as it relates to local, regional, state and national governing bodies. EDUCATION AND/OR LICENSING Bachelor's degree in public policy, public administration or related field or equivalent work experience. WORKING CONDITIONS The working environment at Plymouth Housing is supportive and inclusive, fostering a culture of teamwork, empathy, and respect for all staff members and residents. The Director of External Affairs will spend a significant portion of their time working in an office environment, engaged in tasks such as communication, project management, budgeting, data analysis, and report preparation. This position will need to actively engage with various stakeholders, including lawmakers, government officials, community leaders, and decision-makers. This may involve attending meetings, participating in community planning processes, and collaborating with different organizations. The Director will be expected to attend special events representing Plymouth Housing's values and goals. This could involve public speaking engagements, networking events, or community gatherings. Some travel involved, especially for meetings with stakeholders or attending events outside of the office. This is a full-time position with benefits. Join us and be a catalyst for positive change! Plymouth Housing is an equal opportunity employer. We recruit, hire, train and promote employees based on merit and business needs, and without regard for race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, age, weight, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, marital status, veteran status, military status, political affiliation, or any other factor protected by law. The Job Description provided by Plymouth Housing outlines the essential functions and qualifications of the described role to the best of our ability. While it provides a comprehensive overview, it does not encompass every duty, responsibility, or qualification associated with the position. We recognize the need for flexibility and reasonable accommodation, and therefore, this document is subject to modifications to meet individual needs as appropriate. It is important to note that this Job Description does not constitute a contractual agreement.

Keywords: Plymouth Housing Group, Olympia , Director of External Affairs, Administration, Clerical , Seattle, Washington