Historic Preservation Support Specialist

  • Department: Historic Preservation
  • Location: 4Culture, 101 Prefontaine Pl S, Seattle, WA 98104
  • FLSA Status: Regular, Full-Time (37.5 hours), Exempt
  • Salary Range: Starting range is anticipated to be $26.99 - $33.65
  • Reports to: Dana Phelan, Historic Preservation Program Director
  • Apply by: Friday January 17, 2025, 5:00 pm PST
  • Anticipated Start Date: March 1 or 16, 2025

About Us

4Culture is an independent public agency, chartered under state law and King County ordinance in January 2003, after 35 years as the King County Office of Cultural Resources. The ideal candidate for this position champions public support for arts, culture, science, and technology and has demonstrated sustained commitment to advancing racial equity and social justice. As the cultural funding and services agency for King County, Washington, 4Culture works to make the region vibrant. The organization’s five program areas—Arts, Heritage, Historic Preservation, Public Art, and Science and Technology—put public resources to use all over King County.

Guided by a vision of a King County in which every person has what they need to explore and create culture, we’re working to become an actively anti-racist organization. We know that this work is urgent and ongoing; as a public agency, we’re committed to being transparent about our successes and failures. 4Culture is part of the system of white supremacy that has historically disadvantaged Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color. We are working to understand systems of structural racism, dismantle them with the tools available to us, and build up something equitable that supports and recognizes the value in cultural expression of all of people, especially those in King County.

About the Role

We are seeking qualified candidates for the position of Preservation Support Specialist II. The Support Specialist will provide administrative support for the work of Historic Preservation and Launch programs, with an emphasis on coordinating grantmaking processes and supporting capacity development of cultural and science organizations.

 The Historic Preservation program at 4Culture focuses on protecting and sustaining historic places across King County, administering several grant programs and initiatives to support the preservation field and to rehabilitate local landmarks. The Launch program, housed within the Preservation Department, is a new, multi-disciplinary initiative funded by Doors Open revenue. Launch is focused on new and emerging cultural or science organizations in King County, with a goal to ensure that all geographic areas of the county and all communities in the county have access to cultural experiences.

You will be most successful in this position if:

  • You are familiar with King County history and its built environment. You are prepared to support the stewardship of historic places, along with preservation advocacy and education. You are committed to advancing equity in the field of historic preservation.
  • You are committed to assisting and championing cultural organizations and individual practitioners, especially those historically underinvested by cultural philanthropy and grantmaking. 
  • You have the ability to prioritize tasks and meet multiple varied deadlines.
  • You have experience with data management, and enjoy working in a support capacity for programmatic work.

Additionally, you will be prepared to take on this role if you have following experience, abilities, commitments, and skills:

Committed to:

  • Advancing racial equity and social justice in how you conduct your work.  
  • Supporting cultural organizations, historic preservation professionals, grassroots advocates, and owners and stewards of historic places.
  • Building trust, credibility, and collaborative relationships with all stakeholders, including 4Culture staff, advisory and board members, county and city partners, and community leaders.
  • Excellent customer service and communication

Experienced with:

  • Working directly with a range of constituents from diverse racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds.
  • Providing excellent customer service and support to constituents, especially to grant applicants
  • Working collaboratively with interdisciplinary teams and integrating feedback from multiple perspectives

Skilled in:

  • Supporting several complex projects simultaneously, often in a deadline-oriented environment requiring creative and flexible solutions
  • Data entry, management of data, and reporting
  • Effective written and oral communication with both internal and external stakeholders

Have the ability to:

  • Provide tailored support to individuals, community groups, and new nonprofit organizations in building their capacity to successfully apply for and manage 4Culture grants.
  • Remain detail-oriented while managing multiple timelines and tasks In the context of a larger goal
  • Learn new digital systems, software, and other technology
  • Advocate for yourself and others including communicating your needs
  • Work independently and collaboratively in an open office environment (this position is part-remote, part in-office)

Supervisory responsibilities:

  • This position has no supervisory responsibilities but may occasionally oversee interns and volunteers.

Job Responsibilities:

  • Provide support for Preservation and Launch funding program administration, including assistance with application and guideline development, applicant outreach, panel process support, meeting coordination, contract administration, program evaluation, and other tasks as assigned.
  • Assist with coordination of on-site peer reviews of organizations supported by Launch and Preservation funding.
  • Work with Preservation Department and Launch Program Manager to support and strengthen the cultural sector locally by participating in outreach events as well as preservation-related events and meetings.
  • In alignment with 4Culture’s mission focus on racial equity, work with other 4Culture staff and partners to conduct outreach and reduce barriers to accessing 4Culture support, to expand the base of organizations and individuals who apply for and receive support.
  • Act as Preservation Department liaison to Communications Department, providing content for marketing and communications. This includes organizing grant recipient photography and using a digital image management system.
  • Support logistics for internal and external meetings for Preservation and Launch programs, as well as meetings of the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee.
  • Participate in the development of work plans and program budgets.
  • Contribute to the overall health and welfare of 4Culture by participating on internal sub-committees that address overarching issues affecting the operations of the agency.

4Culture leadership has the right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time to ensure the success of the organization.

Minimum Qualifications:

We are looking for candidates that can demonstrate they have the skills listed above through a combination of their work, education, and life experience as demonstrated in their resume, and cover letter.

  • Two years’ experience working within nonprofit cultural organizations; historic preservation or cultural resource consulting; public agencies or departments focused on cultural funding, planning, and/or preservation; historic site stewardship; or in related professional roles.
  • Experience with Salesforce or other customer relationship management software, and MS Office 365 including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and SharePoint. 

Desired Qualifications

  • Degree in historic preservation, history, public history, architecture, urban planning, public administration, or equivalent combination of education and experience in related fields.
  • Moderate fluency (written and spoken) in languages other than English.

Work Environment

  • Position works a 37.5 hour work week, Monday–Friday. 
  • This position will primarily be onsite 4Culture at 101 Prefontaine Pl S, Seattle, WA. Seattle. This position is hybrid (3 days in the office/2 days remote). 
  • Occasional early morning, evening and/or weekend hours are required.  
  • Alternative work arrangements may be considered and will be based on operational needs. 
  • Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

Compensation:

The pay range for this position is between $26.99 - $40.38. Starting range is anticipated to be $26.99 - $33.65. Salary will be negotiated and based on the selected candidate and their experience and includes a competitive package of benefits. It is classified as Regular Full Time, non-exempt.

Benefits of Working at 4Culture

Working at 4Culture provides the chance to support and learn from the cultural community that makes King County a vibrant region to live in. Our mission affirms a deep commitment to racial equity as we work with our community to end institutional and structural racism. We work toward this goal, while supporting the physical and mental health of all 4Culture employees. Maintaining an appropriate work life balance is essential to our work, and 4Culture prioritizes staff wellness and the continual evolution of a healthy organizational culture.

The perks of working at 4Culture include:

  • A 37.5 work week, flex schedule
  • 12 days of vacation in the first five years of employment
  • 12 days of paid Holiday (including Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples’ Day)
  • Sick leave and 12 weeks of paid Family and Medical Leave after working over 1 year at 4Culture; access to a lactation room.
  • Orca transit card
  • Attractive comprehensive health insurance package consisting of medical, dental, vision, and basic life and long-term disability insurance for employees.

To Apply

Apply online no later than Friday, January 17, 2025, 5:00 pm PDT. You will need to log in or create a 4Culture account in order to access the application.

Apply online no later than the deadline. You will need to log in or create a 4Culture account in order to access the application.

Please contact  if you have any difficulty with this process.

The privacy of applicants will be respected and preserved until the last phase of the hiring process. For example, references will be checked during the process of interviewing the finalists and with the applicant’s knowledge.

No Discrimination in Hiring

4Culture is committed to upholding and promoting equal opportunity in employment. We recognize that diverse perspectives, ideas, cultures, and life experiences of all employees are critical to our success. We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace that reflects our residents, meets the needs of the communities we serve, and leverages the power of our employee's individual uniqueness. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to creed, age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical handicap, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability unless such limitations are necessary for the performance of the role and no less discriminatory alternatives are available.

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