Deputy Director

North Star is a private operating foundation based in Portland, Oregon. We create spaces for collaboration where civic leaders can work across differences to develop visionary solutions to complex public-interest challenges. We focus on democracy and shared prosperity — because we believe that these are the building blocks for a hopeful future.

In 2025, North Star launched Bull Run Center to serve senior-level, cross-sector leaders from government, philanthropy, business, and community in Portland. The Bull Run Center is a member-led relationship, strategy, and action group, currently serving 158 members from 136 organizations, businesses, and local governments.

We seek an outcomes-oriented and collaborative leader to support North Star Civic Foundation's mission and the next phase of growth for the Bull Run Center.

The ideal candidate will be a “civic generalist” with strengths in effective communications and coordination, community-led policy making, coalition strategy, and planning meetings and events. This role reports to the Executive Director, and works in close partnership with the Research Director and Special Projects Coordinator. It’s a small team; everyone does a little bit of everything.

The deputy director should be deeply familiar with Portland’s political and policy landscape, and comfortable navigating the ecosystem of diverse stakeholders. This is not a traditional advocacy or government relations role, but experience with the policy making process will be helpful for this position.

The Bull Run Center’s ethos is informal, positive, and grounded in radical hospitality. The backbone of this role is engaging Bull Run Center members to strengthen relationships with each other and the communities they serve, represent, and convene. From this foundation, we invite members to refine strategies and align action for the future of Portland. The Deputy Director is essential to that strategy and action work, and supports member-led committees in values-centered and cooperative policy research, problem solving, and report writing.

In this role, your primary purpose is serving the Bull Run Center, but you will occasionally support other North Star priorities, including communications, project coordination, or report writing for state-level projects or national grantmaking priorities.

Please learn more submit your application with a one-page letter of interest and resume by March 9th at 7 pm. We will reach out to qualified candidates on a rolling basis for first round interviews during the week of March 9th.