Walla Walla Main Street is Hiring a new ED!
Aug 22, 2016
The Downtown Walla Walla Foundation is seeking an Executive Director. The Executive Director reports on a monthly basis directly to the Downtown Foundation Board that consists of thirteen (13) members of the Walla Walla community. The Executive Director supervises the staff of three as well as any part-time staff or volunteers who do work for the DWWF. The Executive Director maintains records and reports for the DWWF, establishes technical resource files and libraries, participates in personnel and project evaluations and prepares regular reports for the State Main Street program and the city of Walla Walla. The Executive Director monitors the annual program budget on a day-to-day basis and works with executive committee to prepare an accurate picture of the progress and success of the organization WORK OBJECTIVES The Executive Director is responsible for the development, conduct, execution and documentation of the DWWF. This person is also the principal on site staff person responsible for overseeing the coordination of all program activities as well as representing the community locally, regionally and nationally as appropriate. The executive director helps facilitate the maintenance of a vibrant, economically viable downtown area by using the National Trust for Historical Preservation’s comprehensive Main Street methodology and structure and encourages cooperation between individuals and groups to accomplish the organizations goals RANGE OF DUTIES
- Develop, in conjunction with the DWWF Board of Directors, strategies for downtown economic development utilizing the community’ human and economic resources.
- Become familiar and develop productive relationships with individuals and groups directly or indirectly involved in the downtown commercial district.
- Initiate and develop an actual action plan for implementation that are focused on design, historic preservation, promotion, organization/management and economic restructuring.
- Develop and maintain a close relationship with city officials and staff to insure that all aspects of downtown revitalization efforts are compatible with the goals and objectives of the city’s comprehensive plan.
- Coordinate the activities of the DWWF committees and ensure the communication between committees is well established while assisting the committees with the implementation of their work plans.
- Coordinate and participate in ongoing public awareness and educational programs designed to enhance appreciation of the downtown’s architecture and other assets and to foster and understanding of the DWWF’s goals and objectives. Through speaking engagements, media interviews, and appearances keep the DWWF viable in the community.
- Help build strong and productive working relationships with other non-profit economic development associations and governments to benefit the economics of the valley. The groups include the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance, The Walla Walla Valley Chamber of Commerce, Visit Walla Walla, the County of Walla Walla and the Port of Walla Walla.
- Assess the management capacity of major downtown stakeholders groups and encourage participation in such activities and/or undertake joint activities such as promotional events, advertising, uniform store hours, special events, business recruitment, parking management, etc.
- The Executive Director should have education and/or experience in several of the following areas: architecture, historic preservation, economics, finance, public relations, design, journalism, planning, business administration, public administration, retailing and/or volunteer or non-profit administration.
- Entrepreneurial, energetic, imaginative, well organized, and capable of functioning effectively in an independent situation
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work with a variety of individuals and organizations, and to work toward consensus among people of diverse backgrounds.
- Experience recruiting and managing volunteers
- Experience working with boards or commissions
- Experience in the use of computers and basic software applications
