President, Management

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Full Time Senior Management Spokane, WA, US

Salary Range: $ To $ Annually

The Spokane Business Association (SBA) is the advocacy voice of Spokane's business community. Formed in 2024 by a group of prominent local business people, the SBA takes public positions on issues important to making Spokane a place where businesses and their employees can thrive, including issues such as public safety, a clean and welcoming downtown, housing, taxes and fees, and the fiscal health of the City and County.

We research, publish and promote what we find, and press elected officials and other community leadership to act.

The President is the SBA's chief executive and public face. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the President runs the organization day to day, sets the advocacy calendar, speaks for the business community before the Mayor, City Council, Board of County Commissioners and other public and governing bodies, and keeps members informed, engaged and ready to act. This is a hands-on role: the President communicates daily, delivers testimony, runs issue campaigns and does the analysis, with a small staff and an engaged Board.

The SBA's founding President is retiring, but will work to transition and introduce the new President to members, elected officials, partner organizations and the work in progress.

Highly skilled in communication, persuasion, and advocacy, the right candidate will possess a mix of seasoned business savvy with an understanding of how to effectively interact with city and county government. The President must be comfortable taking a public position, defending it in print and in person. Strong organizational skills, fundraising, creativity, enthusiasm.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Advocacy and Public Policy

• Represent and advocate for the business community of the City of Spokane before the Mayor, City Council, Board of County Commissioners, Spokane Transit Authority, and the other boards and commissions whose decisions affect business.
• Act as the primary spokesperson for the SBA, in public meetings, in the press, and in op-eds and editorials under the SBA's name and the President's own byline.
• Set and keep an advocacy calendar tied to the City, County, and State activities.
• Research and analyze the issues the SBA takes on: pull the public records, run the numbers, and publish briefings, policy papers and position statements that officials, members and the press can rely on.
• Run issue and ballot-measure campaigns, for or against, as directed by the Board: messaging, coalition building, earned media and member mobilization.
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with local and regional elected officials (Mayor, City Council, BOCC, etc.) and their senior staff, and relevant partner and government organizations.
• Work with allied organizations (Downtown Spokane Partnership, Greater Spokane Inc., neighborhood business associations, regional chambers and others) where interests align, and lead where the SBA is best positioned to lead.
• Create and implement position statements, action plans, campaigns and other tools to support key initiatives, as approved and/or assigned by the Board of Directors.
• Build the SBA's visibility and credibility through the quality and consistency of its public work: regular member communications, a current website and resource pages, and a steady presence in local media.

Member Engagement and Communications

• Engage with SBA members to understand and identify business community needs, ideas and opportunities for support.
• Educate members, policymakers, business partners and other stakeholders on key issues.
• Publish regular member communications and issue alerts that explain what is happening at City Hall, the County, and across the community, and what it means for business, and what the SBA is doing about it.
• Activate the members as needed to advocate for effective policy. Provide members with the necessary direction, tools, and education for successful advocacy, talking points, testimony templates, meeting requests and timely calls to action. Actively engage with local association partners and other organizations where appropriate.
• Ensure regular communication and opportunities for collaboration and involvement in the SBA's activities and initiatives, including the Annual Dinner and member briefings.
• Convene members and partners quickly to…