Programs Director

Build the Programs That Help Communities Access Capital

Washington Builds is a new, government-funded nonprofit organization being built to expand access to capital for clean energy, energy efficiency, and related community investments.

Washington Builds believes that expanding access to clean energy requires more than capital. It requires trust, thoughtful program design, strong partnerships, and an understanding of the people and communities the financing is intended to reach.

We are creating practical financing solutions that can help more people and businesses participate in the clean energy economy, particularly communities and households that have historically faced barriers to affordable capital.

The Role

The Programs Director is a key member of the organization’s leadership team.  They lead the full lifecycle of Washington Builds' clean energy finance program offerings, from identifying market needs and developing new financing solutions through partner negotiation, launch, performance monitoring, and ongoing program improvement. 

This role evaluates where capital is not flowing effectively, develops relationships with lenders, utilities, public agencies, municipalities, contractors, and other partners, and works closely with the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer to structure programs that are commercially viable, operationally sustainable, and aligned with organizational mission and policy objectives. 

The Programs Director oversees program performance, business development, and outreach activities, supervises program support staff, and provides clear, actionable reporting to organizational leadership and the Board Program Investment Committee. 

We are looking for someone who can move comfortably between strategy and execution: someone who understands finance and credit, can build trusted relationships with community-centered financial institutions, can translate complex ideas into workable programs, and can organize people and projects to get things done.

This person must understand that how we do this work matters. Our partners will include credit unions, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), public agencies, utilities, contractors, community organizations, and other institutions serving people and communities. Cultural competence, humility, relationship-building, and the ability to work effectively across differences are essential skills for this role.

We are looking for a builder, collaborator, and practical problem-solver who believes that financial tools can be designed to serve people and communities while maintaining strong financial and operational discipline.

What You Will Do 

• Monitor market conditions, capital needs, policy developments, and emerging opportunities to identify where credit enhancement or other financing products could increase private capital deployment. 

• Develop and maintain partnerships across the financing and program delivery ecosystem, including credit unions, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), utilities, government agencies, municipalities, contractors, and installers. 

• Lead negotiations regarding partner economics, including fees, loss reserves, delinquency protocols, and related commercial terms, within credit parameters established with the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer. 

• Design program structures in partnership with the Chief Operating Officer, evaluating proposed terms against organizational procedures, operational requirements, policy objectives, grant requirements, and mission. 

• Establish appropriate eligibility criteria and program requirements that balance intended program impact with accessibility and ease of use. 

• Lead the launch and ongoing stewardship of residential and commercial financing and credit enhancement programs. 

• Drive capital deployment toward established organizational and program leverage targets. 

• Analyze program data and partner feedback in coordination with the Chief Operating Officer and recommend changes to program terms, eligibility requirements, structures, or operational processes when appropriate. 

• Lead engagement with the Board Program Investment Committee, including soliciting program design input and preparing clear performance reports and recommendations. 

• Manage business development and outreach activities designed to increase awareness, participation, and successful deployment of program offerings. 

• Supervise program staff and oversee day-to-day program support and development activities. 

• Support team development through clear expectations, coaching, feedback, and accountability. 

Skills & Capabilities We Are Looking For

• Experiential knowledge of clean energy finance, energy efficiency programs, community development financing, public-sector program administration, or closely related fields. 

• Practical understanding of how clean energy and energy-efficiency projects are marketed, financed, sold, and delivered, including the contractor's role as an origination channel in residential programs. 

• Strong understanding of credit structures and the ability to engage substantively with lending partners on loss reserves, delinquency treatment, coverage caps, recourse, and related credit considerations. 

• Ability to evaluate how partner economics, approval processes, application requirements, and program design affect participation and capital deployment. 

• Strong negotiation skills, advocating for organizational objectives while maintaining productive long-term partner relationships. 

• Strong analytical judgment: the ability to synthesize market information, portfolio performance, partner feedback, and policy developments, spot emerging challenges, and turn them into clear, workable recommendations and decisions. 

• Strong project and program management skills, with the attention to detail to plan, prioritize, and organize multiple partnerships, deadlines, and initiatives in a dynamic environment. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare executive-level materials (memos, program guidelines, term sheets, reports) and present clearly to varied audiences, from lenders, agencies, and contractors to leadership, boards, and committees, and explaining complex concepts plainly. 

• Ability to supervise, coach, develop, and hold team members accountable to performance expectations. 

• Self-motivated and adaptable, with sound judgment, professionalism, integrity, and a commitment to continuous improvement and ethical practice. 

Minimum Qualifications:

Candidates should be able to demonstrate the following through professional experience, community work, education, or other relevant experience:

• Seven or more years of experience in energy or efficiency program design, community development, public-sector program administration, clean energy finance, or a closely related field. 

• Direct experience originating, developing, or managing institutional partnerships. 

• Experience designing or administering a lending, credit enhancement, or incentive program, including development or administration of eligibility criteria. 

• Demonstrated practical understanding of clean energy and efficiency project delivery and the role of contractors and installers within the customer-origination process. 

• Working fluency in credit structures, including loss reserves, delinquency treatment, coverage caps, recourse, and related lending considerations. 

• Demonstrated experience negotiating commercial agreements while maintaining productive stakeholder relationships. 

• Experience presenting to boards, committees, agency leadership, executive leadership, or comparable decision-making groups. 

• Demonstrated ability to interpret portfolio or program data and communicate clearly what is working, what is not, and what changes may be warranted. 

• Strong professional writing experience, particularly involving memos, program guidelines, term sheets, reports, or comparable business materials. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working for or with a green bank, CDFI, credit union, or state or local government financing authority. 

• Familiarity with federal and state clean energy incentives and their impact on program eligibility, including HEAR and HOMES rebates, utility incentive programs, and Washington Climate Commitment Act programs. 

• Experience developing or managing an authorized contractor network, including quality standards, training requirements, and removal processes. 

• Supervisory experience, particularly building or developing a small team in an early-stage or growing organization. 

• Familiarity with Washington State's clean energy, housing, community development, or related policy and financing landscape. 

What Success Looks Like

During your first year, success will mean helping Washington Builds move from a budding organization to one delivering on its mission.

You will have:

• Helped translate organizational strategy and policy objectives into practical financing programs.

• Built productive relationships with mission-aligned financial institutions and other critical partners.

• Helped launch and improve programs that are accessible to the communities they are intended to serve.

• Created reliable processes for monitoring program performance and making evidence-based improvements.

• Built credibility with the Board Program Investment Committee and organizational leadership.

• Established clear expectations and effective working relationships within the program team.

• Helped create a culture where finance expertise, community knowledge, operational discipline, and lived experience are all valued.

• Contributed to measurable increases in responsible capital deployment and access to clean energy financing.

Equal Opportunity & Accessibility

Washington Builds is committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace. We welcome candidates with a wide range of professional experiences, educational backgrounds, and lived experiences.

We recognize that qualified candidates may have developed the skills needed for this position through different pathways. We encourage applicants to focus on demonstrating their capabilities and relevant experience. 

Reasonable accommodations are available throughout the hiring process for qualified individuals with disabilities.

How to Apply:

If you are excited about the mission and can demonstrate the skills needed to succeed in this role, we encourage you to apply.  Please submit your cover letter and resume here.