API Chaya Executive Director

API Chaya seeks a heart-centered, strategically-minded leader to guide our organization into its next transformative chapter. For over three decades, we've been a powerful force in supporting survivors of gender-based violence and human trafficking while building deep-rooted community organizing and advocacy. We're looking for an Executive Director who understands that the most effective solutions come from centering the voices of those with lived experience. We seek someone who can blend bold vision with grounded, relational leadership to amplify our impact across Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, Asian, and South Asian communities throughout the Greater Puget Sound region.

This is a pivotal moment for API Chaya. With a dedicated team of 30+ staff members, a $5M annual budget, and strong community trust built over decades, we're positioned to expand our reach while staying true to our grassroots roots. As Executive Director, you'll lead strategic direction and fundraising efforts, cultivate a culture of collective leadership and staff wellbeing, and strengthen our role as a movement leader in the anti-violence ecosystem.

If you're ready to lead an organization where trauma-informed practice meets systems change, where ensuring culturally relevant support drives every decision, and where your leadership can create lasting impact for generations of survivors and their families, we invite you to join us in building a future rooted in justice, healing, and collective liberation.

Organizational Overview

API Chaya is a regional leader in the grassroots anti-violence movement, created by survivors and for survivors. Founded in 1996 to address the critical need for culturally responsive support in Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Island communities, we have evolved into a powerful force serving communities affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.

Our mission is to empower survivors of gender-based violence to gain safety, connection, and wellness while building power by educating and mobilizing communities to end exploitation. We envision a world where people have the skills to move through conflict and harm, in which relationships, families, and communities remain intact, and where all people have robust support systems across their lifetimes.

Our approach centers those most impacted by violence—whole families, faith-based communities, queer and Trans BIPOC, people with disabilities, and immigrants. Our staff speaks over 25 languages, ensuring survivors can access support in the language most comfortable to them.

What We Do:

• Support Survivors: Comprehensive, free, and confidential wraparound services including intensive case management, safety planning, culturally relevant therapy, legal services, housing support, and direct financial assistance
• Cultivate Healing: Support groups, community gatherings, and holistic programming to tend to collective wellness and interrupt cycles of violence
• Build Accountable Communities: Leadership development through our flagship Natural Helpers model, training trusted community members to become anti-violence leaders

In 2024, we served 550 clients and family members, provided over 5,600 hours of survivor support, conducted over 80 community trainings, and hosted over 300 community events. API Chaya is creating a future where “survival” is a notion of the past because we have what we need to thrive.

The API Chaya Team

The API Chaya team has a collaborative and heart-centered work culture, where people genuinely care about each other and the communities we serve. We balance serious, transformative work with joy and connection. We work across diverse programs but share a unified commitment to survivor-led change and collective liberation. We are:

• Survivor-centered. We consistently partner with survivors to shape programs, policy, and organizational direction. Many of us bring our own lived experience to this work and understand that those most impacted hold the wisdom needed to create lasting change.
• Committed to equity and justice. We center the voices of Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, Asian, and South Asian communities most impacted by violence while actively working to dismantle oppressive systems.
• Collaborative and relational. We value open dialogue across all levels and departments, with a culture where everyone is accessible and relationships are central to our work.
• Mission-driven with heart. We work hard because we care deeply about creating systems-level change and building the communities we want for generations to come, while maintaining the collective care and joy that makes this challenging work sustainable.

Commitment to Equity

API Chaya recognizes that meaningful equity requires centering the voices and leadership of those most impacted by violence and oppression. We prioritize the leadership and wisdom of BIPOC communities, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, survivors, and others who have been systemically excluded. We understand that oppressive systems, from colonization to anti-immigrant policies, have long been used to divide and harm our communities, creating conditions that allow violence to continue. API Chaya is committed to trauma-informed, survivor-centered, and anti-oppression leadership that shapes our decisions, relationships, and organizational culture. We maintain formal accountability structures including staff race equity caucuses, affinity spaces, and a comprehensive antiracism continuum guiding our hiring, partnerships, and program delivery. Our statewide model incorporates in-person and virtual options to ensure accessibility for those who are disabled, incarcerated, experiencing homelessness, or in rural and tribal communities. This commitment to authentic power-sharing and collective liberation is fundamental to our mission and serves as the foundation for all organizational decisions.

Opportunities and Essential Duties of the ED

Strategic Vision & Heart-Centered Leadership You will guide API Chaya's strategic direction and priorities, serving as a powerful champion for survivor-centered approaches and community-driven change. Your responsibilities will include:

• Setting organizational vision and strategic priorities in collaboration with staff, board, and community members
• Leading the implementation of our strategic plan with emphasis on sustainable growth, organizational resilience, and expanded impact
• Strengthening API Chaya's role as a movement leader by deepening partnerships across advocacy, philanthropy, and grassroots networks

Financial Stewardship & Resource Development You will ensure API Chaya's operational and financial sustainability while maintaining our commitment to values-driven, community-centered work. Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading API Chaya's fundraising strategy as the primary driver of development, securing and growing diverse, values-aligned funding streams through grant acquisition, donor cultivation, corporate partnerships, and legacy giving
• Stewarding our approximately $5M annual budget with strategic oversight, fiscal accountability, and sound financial management

People & Culture Leadership You will cultivate a culture of collective leadership, care, and accountability, ensuring staff feel empowered, supported, and aligned with our mission. Your responsibilities will include:

• Championing trauma-informed leadership, embedding wellness into organizational practices, and facilitating conflict resolution with care while strengthening internal systems and communication
• Investing in staff leadership development and professional growth for our 30+ member team, ensuring a collaborative and growth-oriented culture
• Partnering with the Board of Directors and committees to advance the organization's mission and strategic vision

Community Power & Movement Building You will stand at the intersection of advocacy, culture, and systemic change, ensuring API Chaya continues to be a beacon of safety, belonging, and empowerment. Your responsibilities will include:

• Engaging and uplifting survivor leadership, ensuring those most impacted by violence are centered in decision-making
• Serving as a compelling storyteller and communicator, crafting narratives that showcase API Chaya's community impact and leveraging these stories for public advocacy, strategic communications, and fundraising
• Reclaiming our grassroots organizing identity and boldly showing up as an advocacy partner through coalition-building and movement work

The Leader We Seek

We are seeking a courageous, empathetic, and collaborative leader who believes in the power of community-driven change. The ideal candidate brings both strategic vision and deep relational skills, balancing decisiveness with inclusive leadership and courage with care. They bring a commitment to justice, an ability to navigate complexity, and a passion for sustaining grassroots movements.

• Deep commitment to survivor-centered, trauma-informed leadership You lead from a place that consistently centers survivors, shares power authentically, and builds trust across communities. You demonstrate deep cultural humility and credibility with immigrant and API communities, honoring lived experience as central to decision-making.
• Confident and experienced fundraiser You serve as the primary driver of fundraising with first-hand experience across diverse funding streams, making a compelling case for support and stewarding donor relationships. You design revenue strategies that ensure sustainability while maintaining alignment with community-driven values.
• Strong people and culture management experience You excel at cultivating a joyful and accountable workplace culture where people are supported and empowered. You set clear expectations, foster professional growth, and lead with humility in navigating conflict. You prioritize staff wellbeing and understand how to rebuild healthy culture after turbulence.
• Visionary and strategic nonprofit leadership You have led vision and strategy at the senior level, guiding organizations toward clear priorities. You bring experience aligning operations to strategic direction and providing strong financial leadership including oversight of complex budgets and nonprofit administration.
• Dynamic, compelling ambassador and movement builder You are a powerful relationship-builder who excels at mobilizing support from funders, partners, and policymakers. Familiarity with the ecosystem of immigrant rights and anti-violence work is not required, but would be a plus.
• Clear, decisive, and accountable leader You provide clarity, direction, and follow-through while sharing power and creating ownership. You lead with courage and conviction, especially in volatile political climates, while holding space for complexity and keeping the organization aligned with clear values.

A strong candidate embodies a grounded and adaptive leadership style that promotes resilience, creates clarity, builds trust, and fosters shared ownership. You actively recognize and harness the wisdom already present within our staff while supporting their leadership and professional development.

This is a full-time salaried position based in Seattle, WA, with flexible work arrangements available. The hiring range is $165,000-$195,000, depending on qualifications and experience.

API Chaya offers a competitive compensation and benefits package that reflects our commitment to collective care and staff well-being. This includes 100% employer-paid premiums for Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance for the employee and their first dependent, generous paid time off including 2 weeks of vacation with increasing accrual, 2 weeks of sick leave, 13 paid holidays, and office closure from Christmas through New Year's Day. We also provide a Simple IRA plan (with 2% employer match), life insurance, a transportation stipend or Orca card, wellness benefits, an employee assistance program, and professional development opportunities to support ongoing growth.

You'll work in a mission-driven, values-aligned environment where love, justice, and healing guide our daily work, and where collective care and staff wellness are organizational priorities.