Volunteer Coordinator

The Volunteer Coordinator is a vital member of the Northwest Maritime Events team, responsible for stewarding our extensive volunteer program and creating experiences that bring our community together. If you love connecting people with meaningful opportunities, this role puts you at the heart of the region’s most beloved maritime events, including the Wooden Boat Festival and Adventure Races. Your workload will shift in tandem with the ebb and flow of our activity rhythms throughout the year, in partnership with the Events team and in support of cross-departmental efforts to ensure our year-round volunteer community feels connected, valued, and motivated.

We love working with team members who:

• Enjoy welcoming, supporting, and inspiring a diverse community of volunteers collaborating on a variety of NWM activities and events
• Are community-centered and navigate changing tides with ease
• Want to create a fun, inclusive, and safe space for our participants
• Bring their best selves to the work—showing steadiness, good judgment, and positivity

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Recruit, engage, schedule, and steward a team of 600+ volunteers for our peak events: Wooden Boat Festival, Adventure Races, Navigator Night Out, and more
• Cultivate and maintain volunteer leadership (Captains), including professional development and engagement events
• Work with staff to identify volunteer opportunities across NWM, and recruit volunteers for both year-round and event-specific roles, including Welcome Center, Boat Shop, Programs, Marine Thrift, and others as identified in collaboration with NWM teams
• Measure volunteer satisfaction and collaborate with NWM departments to refine effective volunteer recruitment, training, and management across departments
• Manage the Volunteer data systems and help maintain the Event team’s organizational systems
• Act as an ambassador for NWM, welcoming and engaging new volunteers and community members in our mission and programs
• Collaborate with Events team colleagues and other divisions to plan and implement activities throughout the year

GENERAL OPERATIONS

While the primary focus of this position is stewarding our volunteer program, the Volunteer Coordinator works as part of the entire NWM team, ensuring smooth operations. As a growing non-profit, we all pitch in for the heavy lifting, whether it's participating in all-hands projects and events, assisting visitors, or occasionally doing some literal heavy lifting.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Ability to adapt communication style for diverse audiences
• Willingness to take initiative to proactively solve problems and make thoughtful decisions in alignment with the mission
• Strong computer skills and willingness to learn new systems
• Strong customer service or hospitality experience
• Proficient in data management and filing systems
• This position will require the ability to lift up to 50 lbs and will require extended periods of movement during the execution of events

HELPFUL QUALIFICATIONS

• Comfort with Google Suite and/or Salesforce
• Training or certifications in volunteer management
• Comfortable and experienced at leading and speaking to large groups
• Some experience managing elements of large-scale events (5,000 to 15,000 people or multiple-day events with larger crowds)
• Enthusiasm for maritime culture/wooden boats/local marine trades

APPLICATION PROCESS

• Submit your resume with the online application
• Deadline for applications: Open until filled, application review begins January 5, 2026

WORK LOCATION & SCHEDULE

• Position will require mostly on-site work, with some occasional remote work
• NWM main offices are located at 431 Water St., Port Townsend, WA 98368
• Position is full-time, averaging 30 hours/week with increases during peak events
• Reports to: Festival Director

WAGE RANGE & BENEFITS

• $23.50 - $28 per hour, non-exempt
• 100% company paid Health, Dental, Vision, and Life insurance + contributions to HSA account
• Matching contributions to a SIMPLE IRA retirement fund after 1 year of employment
• Paid time off: accrues 2 weeks of vacation per year, 17 paid holidays in a calendar year, & 1 hour of sick time accrued per every 25 hours worked
• Flexible schedule & employee discounts
• Full details on benefits

• 100% company paid Health, Dental, Vision, and Life insurance + contributions to HSA account
• Matching contributions to a SIMPLE IRA retirement fund after 1 year of employment
• Paid time off: accrues 2 weeks of vacation per year, 17 paid holidays in a calendar year, & 1 hour of sick time accrued per every 25 hours worked
• Flexible schedule & employee discounts
• Full details on benefits