Anchor Community Initiative (ACI) Coaching & Improvement Manager

Over 13,000 unaccompanied young people are surviving homelessness on their own in Washington state at disproportionately higher rates for Black, Indigenous, and other youth of color and young people identifying as LGBTQ+. Lack of housing stability, supportive connections and necessary services significantly impacts a young person’s transition to adulthood leaving their economic, social, civil, and political rights unrealized. But what can be done? Is it possible to not just prevent but ultimately end youth and young adult homelessness in Washington?

A Way Home Washington answers that question with an unequivocal “yes.”

Who We Are

A Way Home Washington (“AWHWA”) is a statewide movement to prevent and end youth and young adult homelessness prioritizing the existing disproportionality of homelessness rates among young people of color and LGBTQ+ youth. We partner with communities, agencies, young people, and leaders across Washington state to realign local and state youth serving systems to meet the needs of young people in ways that matter most to them and result in safe and stable housing. By engaging on a local level and creating a statewide network, we connect communities and provide opportunities to discuss common barriers and solutions for ending youth and young adult homelessness.

The heartbeat of our mission is the Anchor Community Initiative (ACI). The ACI is an innovative, data-driven, and equity-focused campaign to house youth and young adults who are experiencing unaccompanied homelessness. With local leaders on the ground, AWHWA brings all parts of each community to the table and supports their efforts to functionally end and prevent homelessness.  The ACI serves as proof of concept, using data to inform strategies, performance, and modifications to the ACI approach.

Throughout our history, we have focused on integrating evidence-based practices and applying Continuous Quality Improvement to test, learn from, and develop further innovative solutions. Ending youth homelessness won’t be achieved by maintaining the status quo; we think outside the box resulting in cutting-edge initiatives. We know that young people believe “nothing about us without us” and as a result, we have a duty to ensure that youth and young adults hold key roles in shaping and influencing effective systems change that leads to ending homelessness.

A Way Home Washington is a fiscally sponsored organization of TSNE (tsne.org).

What We Need

AWHWA is currently seeking an ACI Coaching & Improvement Manager, to provide direct support and guidance to communities participating in the ACI. The ACI Coaching & Improvement Manager guides assigned local community leaders towards success in ending youth and young adult homelessness by consulting on best practices in the field, making connections with local and national partners, and providing technical assistance to local teams. 

In team sports, the players achieve victory through the guidance and instruction of the Coach. The Coach guides the players on winning strategies and how to apply those strategies on the field as a team, but Coaches don’t play the game. The efforts and successes of the ACI are achieved on the ground, in the community, by the community. The ACI Coaching & Improvement Manager’s role is not to take direct action on the local goals, but rather to guide the community to success through coaching, consulting, and facilitating.

Responsibilities of the ACI Coaching & Improvement Manager include:

• Serve as the primary contact and improvement advisor for assigned Anchor Communities, coaching and consulting community leaders to develop and achieve local plans to end youth and young adult homelessness (reaching “Functional Zero”);
• Facilitate community engagement opportunities (such as peer sharing, webinars and presentations) sharing subject matter expertise and best practices for community leaders to apply towards their goals and action plans. Encourage leadership development opportunities for community leaders through co-facilitation;
• Collaborate with the ACI Project Director and Data & Evaluation Team to develop data infrastructure and performance management tools to monitor progress towards project goals;
• Partner with the Data and Evaluation team to help communities collect and use data to develop, test, and implement changes that will reduce the number of youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. Leverage collected data to provide coaching/technical assistance support to community leaders towards applying data insights into community action plans;
• Participate in ongoing strategic planning and implementation for the ACI with the ACI Project Director and Executive Director reinforcing successful strategies or course correcting when needed;
• Provide direct supervision, coaching, and support to the ACI Coordinators;
• Ability to travel to visit and support Anchor Communities in-person in Pierce, Walla Walla, Yakima, Spokane, Jefferson/Clallam, Whatcom, Skagit, Thurston and Clark counties.

Who You Are

We recognize that no one person will embody every quality and attribute that defines success for this position. Examples of professional and personal abilities a successful incumbent has, or can demonstrate the ability to obtain, include:

• Belief that preventing and ending YYA homelessness in Washington state is possible.
• Experience providing system support services directly to communities. Direct service experience within homelessness and/or youth-serving systems preferred, but not required.
• Strong coaching instincts, specifically knowing what questions to ask to guide coaches towards solutions and problem-solving. Demonstrated coaching experience in professional settings appreciated but not required.
• Experience as a change agent of applied equity within community and/or institutional settings.
• Willingness to learn and become a subject matter expert on issues pertaining to YYA homelessness. Existing knowledge of related issues appreciated, but not required.
• Ability to build strong, trusting partnerships with YYA most impacted by AWHWA’s work.
• Emotional intelligence and trauma-informed sensibilities pertaining to professional interactions in a work environment shared by those with lived experience.
• Strong facilitation skills, specifically the ability to effectively and respectfully lead community engagements staying on topic and focus. Demonstrated facilitation experience preferred.
• Excellent communication skills, specifically the ability to understand the needs of your audience and adapt your communication style accordingly.
• Strong critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
• Motivated by creativity and contributing forward-thinking, innovative strategies towards AWHWA’s mission.

In the spirit of “nothing about us without us,” we strongly encourage BIPOC, persons with disabilities, persons with lived homelessness experience, and LGBTQ+ individuals to apply. We are a non-discriminatory workplace and equal employment opportunity employer committed to building an organization reflective of the community it serves. We believe that everyone has their own superpower that brings niche expertise into their work. We value the unique lived experiences of every individual, and we hope you’ll share your superpower with us.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those for this position. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. Work is performed in an office environment and in close proximity to other workers.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to:

• Handle, or feel objects, tools or controls;
• Reach; traverse; sit (usually for longer periods of time); occasionally ascend/descend; and position self (to) move;
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds;
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate;
• Job is not subject to significant occupational or environmental hazards;
• Likelihood of personal injury would be relatively slight;
• Environmental and work hazards are not present to a measurable degree.

Compensation and Benefits

Location: Work will be primarily performed remote in Washinton State or Seattle, WA. Work is eligible for remote work.

Compensation: The starting salary range for this position is $77,250 - $92,700 annually, dependent on experience and internal equity within AWHWA. The full salary range possible within the role in the future is $77,250 - $108,150, dependent on experience and performance.

Benefits: This position is eligible for a full benefits package including:

• Generous Paid-Time-Off (PTO): 12 paid holidays, 3 weeks vacation, 1 week personal holiday, and health leave time for full-time staff;
• 80% Employer-paid, offering some $0 deductible Health Insurance through Harvard Pilgrim along with several low-deductible plans;
• Low-cost Guardian Dental and Vision;
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for Health and Dependent Care;
• Employer-paid Life, Long- and Short-Term Disability Insurance;
• Employer-paid Pension through TIAA;
• ...and more!

How To Apply

If this job sounds like a fit for you, please submit your application via the “Apply for this job online” button at the top of the TSNE page. A complete application includes a resume and cover letter. 

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and selected candidates will be contacted for interviews as applications are received and reviewed over the next few weeks. While we hope our open application process allows candidates ample time to prepare their application, we want to respectfully acknowledge that we will likely schedule fewer interviews with new applicants as we get further along in the interview process.

TSNE/AWHWA strives to achieve excellence through a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment that embraces all of our individual and collective differences. Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Middle Eastern and North African, Bilingual and/or Bicultural candidates, and LGBTQ2SIA+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We value and honor the unique talents, learning styles, and lived experiences of each individual that enrich and strengthen our workplace culture, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

All employment conditions are based on an individual’s performance and job qualifications. TSNE/AWHWA prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, creed, color, religion, native language, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, race-based hairstyles, or any other protected characteristic stated by federal and state law. Regardless of any class’ protection under the law or lack thereof, TSNE/AWHWA celebrates diversity and values the strengths that come with having a diverse team of employees. It is represented in our workplace culture, and it is who we are.

TSNE/AWHWA's EEO statement extends to volunteers, interns, contractors, vendors, and clients.