Event Planner

ABOUT US 

Inatai Foundation is a growing 501(c)(4) philanthropic organization committed to working with communities to shift the balance of power to ensure racial justice and equity across Washington and beyond. We are hiring an Event Planner to join our expanding team. 

Cultivating a staff team that embodies the diverse experiences of Washington communities is essential to these aspirations. We strongly and sincerely encourage applications from people of color; individuals who are immigrants, bilingual, and multicultural; d/Deaf people and people with disabilities; members of LGBTQIA+ and gender non-conforming communities; and people with other diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. 

Visit our About Us page to learn more about our work, approaches, and values. You may also browse our Join Inatai page to understand our hiring process, work culture, and benefits.  

POSITION SUMMARY

The Event Planner supports the planning and execution of internal and external events across the foundation, ensuring they reflect the organization’s values of equity, inclusion, and community. This role provides project management and logistics support for events of all sizes, from staff retreats to public convenings. The Event Planner independently leads on-site execution, managing relationships and communication with venues, vendors, attendees, and internal teams to ensure seamless, accessible, and mission-aligned experiences. 

The Event Planner plays a key role in supporting cross-functional collaboration on large-scale events while independently leading the planning and execution of smaller gatherings such as board meetings and team retreats. Serving as a foundation-wide resource, this role provides expert consultation on venue and vendor selection, contract negotiation, travel coordination, budgeting, and event systems, ensuring events are well-organized, inclusive, and ensuring alignment with the Foundation’s 50-Year Vision, which centers racial justice, equity, and building power across Washington State. 

This is a full-time, exempt position. Inatai is proud to be a statewide organization, and we know there are talented leaders everywhere in our state. As we grow and learn, we know that we are better partners to communities and more strategic grantmakers when we have team members rooted in place and bringing their lived and learned experiences to our work. We are prioritizing the following geographies to ensure we are fully living up to our commitments to geographic equity.  

• The Olympic Peninsula, with special attention to Jefferson, Clallam, and Grays Harbor counties 

• North Central Washington, with special attention to Douglas, Chelan, Okanogan, and Kittitas counties 

• Northeastern Washington, with special attention to Pend Oreille, Stevens, Ferry and Lincoln counties 

In addition to these regions, we would like to give priority to candidates based in Adams, Asotin, Cowlitz, Lewis, Mason, Skagit, Skamania, and Whitman counties.  

We currently have offices in Seattle and Pasco. Team members connected to an office are expected to work in the office. Team members may be permitted – with supervisor approval – to work remotely up to two days per week. Periodic early morning, evening, and weekend hours will be required, and statewide and regional travel should be expected. 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Coordinate Internal Meetings and Events 

• Lead equitable and accessible logistics planning for up to five internal meetings annually. Responsibilities include developing inclusive planning timelines, coordinating site and vendor selection with a DEI lens, arranging accessible travel and accommodations for all attendees, and overseeing on-site execution with attention to hospitality and cultural sensitivity. 

Event Consultation and Support 

• Serve as a collaborative partner to staff planning internal events and retreats. Offer support with venue and vendor sourcing, food and beverage (F&B) planning that honors dietary and cultural considerations, inclusive contracting practices, and thoughtful budget development and reconciliation. 

Support Larger Internal and External Events 

• Work alongside the Events Manager to plan and implement larger gatherings, including public convenings and community-facing events. Help ensure accessibility and cultural responsiveness in technology sourcing, registration systems, room blocks, F&B, and vendor selection and oversight. 

Manage Equitable Vendor and Venue Relationships 

• Build and maintain respectful, values-aligned relationships with hotels and vendors across the state. Negotiate fair contracts and curate inclusive travel and lodging options for staff and community partners. 

Travel Coordination

• Manage Inatai’s relationship with our travel management company, ensuring services reflect the foundation values and equity aspirations. Develop inclusive travel procedures for guest, and support staff through onboarding, training, and trouble shooting. 

Accessibility Consultation  

• Consult on the equitable use and operations of Inatai’s internal event spaces. Support inclusive vendor sourcing, draft guidance that centers dignity and ease of use for all staff and guests, and advise on venue management logistics including storage, catering, and accessibility. 

Other Responsibilities 

• Contribute one’s own ideas, perspectives, and lived experiences to the emerging culture of the Foundation 

• Assume other responsibilities and explore new opportunities that arise with the evolving needs and aspirations of the Foundation 

Requirements

Work experience 

Required 

• 3-5 years of experience in corporate, nonprofit, or organizational event managements.  

• Proficient in contract negotiation and review  

• Demonstrated ability to develop detailed event cost estimates and port-event budget reconciliation  

• Skilled in create and managing event documentation: event plans, budgets, timeliness, workback, staffing plans, show flows, and post-event reports  

Preferred 

• Certified Meeting Professional certification (CMP)  

• Hospitality experience in sales and catering 

Other Skills

• Ability to work independently and problem-solve with customer service approach.  

• Work effectively across departments to align event strategy with organizational goals 

• A deep commitment to equity and racial justice and strong alignment with our organizational values and 50-year vision 

• Ability to authentically connect the Foundation’s mission and aspirations with one’s own personal experiences 

• Demonstrated ability to cultivate relationships and work effectively and respectfully with politically, ideologically, culturally, and geographically diverse people and communities 

• Humility and curiosity, and an understanding of how these qualities are connected to success in this role 

• Demonstrated capacity for self-reflection 

• Strong verbal, non-verbal, and written communication skills combined with the ability to listen deeply and authentically 

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint) and Adobe (Acrobat DC) and ability to adapt to new technologies 

• Willingness to take part in occasional meetings and events outside of core business hours 

• Enthusiasm for traveling throughout Washington and engaging with communities that may be different from your own (travel is estimated at 30-40% for this position) 

Benefits

COMPENSATION

In addition to a positive and flexible work culture, we attract, retain, and motivate exceptional people with an equitable and competitive compensation package. Salary ranges are set according to an explicit compensation policy, and relevant data are reviewed when setting ranges for each position. The salary range for this position is $82,000 to $110,000. A compensation enhancement is provided to employees with indigenous or advanced language proficiency in more than one language that they utilize to advance the Foundation’s work across Washington.  

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes fully paid medical/dental/vision coverage for employees and dependent children (and partial coverage for partners and spouses), a 10% retirement contribution, generous time off (29 days of flexible paid time off, eight paid holidays, and a year-end office closure from December 25 to January 1), paid family and medical leave (12 to 18 weeks), a transit pass (where available), and support for ongoing professional development.  

TO APPLY

Please submit your resume and a cover letter expressing your specific interests through our online application portal. Priority will be given to applications submitted by Monday, September 15th, 2025. You will receive an automatic acknowledgment of your application once you submit your materials, and you can expect updates from the Foundation every two to three weeks once the priority deadline has passed. 

We are committed to creating conditions where all candidates are able to fully express their talents and potential and invite you to let us know if there are any accommodations that we can provide to support you in your pursuit of this role. 

Thank you for your interest in joining Inatai Foundation!