Deputy Director

Job Title: Deputy Director

FLSA Classification: Salaried/Exempt

Reports to: CEO

Department: Administration

Job Location: Tacoma, WA; In-person work required.

Salary: $90,000 - $100,000 /year

Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision insurance; LTD; Term-Life Insurance; HRA; Pension Plan; 160 hours of Paid Time Off and 60 additional hours of sick leave each calendar year (prorated in the first year); 11 paid holidays per calendar year (prorated in the first year).

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Organizational Overview

Established in Tacoma in 1906, YWCA Pierce County has devoted over a century to creating opportunities and ensuring safety for adults and children in the greater Tacoma community. As a pioneer in the domestic violence service field, YWCA Pierce County opened Washington State’s first emergency shelter for domestic violence survivors in 1976. This milestone established YWCA Pierce County as a leader in providing comprehensive support services for domestic violence survivors.

As an inclusive non-profit organization, YWCA Pierce County offers crucial assistance to domestic violence survivors and their children. Our services are accessible to all survivors, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, religion, or sexual orientation. To overcome language barriers, our bilingual staff and interpretation services ensure smooth transitions for all clients. Annually, YWCA Pierce County supports over 5,000 adults and children affected by domestic violence, providing them with essential resources and support.

YWCA Pierce County is committed to transforming lives through safety, healing, and empowerment. Our comprehensive domestic violence support services include emergency shelter, legal assistance, support groups, and community education programs. Join us in our mission to end domestic violence and empower survivors in the Tacoma community.

Job Summary

The Deputy Director is responsible for the oversight, integration, and continuous quality improvement of all survivor-facing services at YWCA Pierce County, including emergency shelter, advocacy, counseling, legal advocacy, and children’s programs. This role ensures that services are trauma-informed, survivor-centered, culturally responsive, and outcomes-driven while remaining compliant with Washington State, federal, and funder requirements.

The Deputy Director serves as the senior operational leader for programs and partners closely with the CEO to advance the agency’s mission to support survivors of domestic and sexual violence through safe, ethical, and high-quality services.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Strategy

• Provide executive-level leadership for all direct service and prevention programs, including shelter, advocacy, counseling, legal advocacy, and children’s services.
• Translate organizational strategy into programmatic priorities, goals, and measurable performance metrics.
• Ensure consistent program standards across all sites and service lines.
• Serve as the senior program leader in the absence of the CEO

Trauma-Informed Service Quality & Survivor Safety

• Ensure all programs operate within trauma-informed, survivor-driven, empowerment-based service models.
• Monitor fidelity to best practices for domestic and sexual violence advocacy.
• Lead responses to critical incidents, safety concerns, and ethical situations involving survivors.
• Oversee confidential recordkeeping, survivor rights protections, safety planning, and mandated reporting compliance under Washington law.

Program Compliance, Funding & Performance

• Ensure compliance with Washington State licensing standards, regulations, and grant requirements.
• Oversee data collection, outcomes tracking, and continuous quality improvement efforts.
• Prepare for and lead funder monitoring visits, audits, and site reviews.
• Partner with Development and Finance teams to support program sustainability and accurate grant reporting.

Leadership, Supervision, & Workforce Development

• Directly supervise Program Directors, Clinical Supervisors, and/or Program Managers.
• Provide coaching in trauma-informed supervision, performance management, and corrective action.
• Support leadership development, succession planning, and professional growth.
• Promote accountability while maintaining compassion in high-stress and high-acuity service environments.

Cross-Program Integration

• Ensure coordination across shelter, advocacy, counseling, legal, and children’s programs.
• Promote seamless survivor access to services and reduce barriers to safety and stability.
• Partner with Operations, HR, and Finance to align staffing models, scheduling, and resource allocation.

Community Partnerships & Systems Advocacy

• Represent the agency within coordinated community response systems.
• Maintain partnerships with law enforcement, healthcare systems, housing providers, courts, and culturally specific agencies.
• Advance systems-level advocacy to improve survivor access, equity, and safety throughout Washington State.

This is a general description of the responsibilities of this position, and it is not inclusive of all job duties; other associated duties may be assigned. Work situations are varied and require organization and prioritization. Position requires the ability to work independently. Internal contacts include all levels of staff and management. External contacts may include federal, state, and local public agencies, vendors, and community organizations.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Commitment to YWCA vision, mission, and values.
• Ability to demonstrate leadership, vision, and a value for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Strong working knowledge of trauma-informed care, survivor-centered advocacy, confidentiality, and victims’rights.
• Demonstrated ability to lead in high-risk, high-acuity environments.
• Ability to proactively solve problems, create solutions, and efficiencies across agency programs.
• Ability to interpret and discuss specific accounting terms and results in layperson’s language to leadership, staff, and board.
• Ability to practice cultural humility and to collaborate with others who are significantly different in their identities, views, or life experiences.
• Ability to consistently demonstrate ethics, trust, and integrity.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks under tight deadlines.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in a timely and professional manner.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, the board of directors, and the general public.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office

Supervisory Responsibilities

The Director of Finance supervises the Finance Assistant. As a Director, this position is responsible for carrying out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the agency’s policies and applicable laws. These responsibilities include staff development, training, supervision, consultation, and performance evaluation. This position designs and develops the roles of the supervised staff and directs and redirects their work as needed. This position resolves staff conflicts and/or challenges as they arise.

Required Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, Counselling, Psychology, Public Health, or related field. (Master’s degree is preferred.)Work experience may be considered in lieu of formal education.
• 5-7+ years of progressive leadership experience in domestic violence, sexual violence, behavioral health, or related social services.
• Experience with emergency shelter operations and 24-hour crisis response.
• Experience managing Washington state-funding programs, including compliance and reporting.

Other Qualifications

• Must have the ability to transport oneself within Pierce County. If that includes driving your own vehicle, then you must possess a current and valid Washington State Driver’s license and insurance
• Acceptable criminal history record
• Completion of required new employee training and onboarding within the first 90 days of employment

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The work environment is typical of an office setting. The physical demands of the position are typical of an office position: computer work, phone calls, meetings, presentations, and occasional travel. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, talk, or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus. The employee is occasionally required to lift and/or move up to 40 pounds.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for pregnant people and individuals with disabilities, including in the application process. If you need reasonable accommodations to participate in the application or interview process, please send an email with the subject line “Reasonable Accommodation Request” to bbaker@ywcapiercecounty.org

Commitment to Inclusive Hiring

Research indicates that members of marginalized communities tend to underestimate their qualifications and apply only when they meet all the criteria in a job posting. If you are excited about this opportunity but are unsure if your past experience aligns with the job description, we encourage you to apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to review your application and consider how your talents and experience can add value to this role.

YWCA of Pierce County is an equal opportunity employer and we do not discriminate in hiring or employment based on race, color, religion or belief, gender, pregnancy, national origin, height and weight, citizenship, marital or domestic partnership status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, military or veteran status, physical characteristics such as height and weight, or any characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. YWCA of Pierce County recognizes and values the benefits of a diverse workforce.

Medical, dental, and vision insurance; LTD; Term-Life Insurance; HRA; Pension Plan, 160 hours of Paid Time Off and 60 additional hours of sick leave each calendar year (prorated in the first year); 11 paid holidays per calendar year (prorated in the first year).

Must read, write, and speak English fluently. Other language skills are a plus, but not required.