Tribal Liaison (Management Analyst 4) - INTERNAL ONLY

Job Description

Tribal Liaison - INTERNAL ONLY
(Management Analyst 4)

Who We Are:The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC) seeks to engage our audiences in the appreciation of art, history, and culture of the Inland Northwest and beyond, through collection stewardship, exhibitions and programs that enrich and inspire. Established in 1916, the MAC is the oldest cultural organization in Spokane, Washington, and serves over 100,000 visitors each year from around the region. The museum collections contain over 63,000 objects, including the largest known collection of Plateau tribes art and artifacts.

About the Opportunity:
As the Tribal Liaison, you will serve as the primary government-to-government link between the MAC and federally recognized Tribal nations, leading early, meaningful consultation and building lasting, respectful relationships. In this vital role, you will provide strategic policy leadership to agency executives, ensuring all initiatives, programs, and decisions align with legal requirements, cultural expectations, and trust responsibilities. You will design, implement, and integrate agency-wide policies governing Tribal relations, while managing public educational programming that centers Tribal perspectives in alignment with the museum's mission of cultural preservation and inclusion. Additionally, you will drive complex outreach efforts across diverse stakeholders and strengthen workforce readiness by delivering essential training to staff and volunteers on Tribal history, government relations, and respectful engagement.Some of What You'll Enjoy Doing Includes:
• Serve as the primary government-to-government liaison to lead early, meaningful consultation and maintain ongoing communication and partnership development between the MAC and federally recognized Tribal governments.

• Lead the American Indian Cultural Council (AICC) by coordinating meetings, recruiting members, and preparing agendas, while participating in internal agency workgroups to represent Tribal perspectives.

• Consult on all initiatives involving Tribal engagement, including programs, collections, and grants, while providing strategic planning, progress reporting, and insight to agency leadership.

• Lead the development, integration, and evaluation of agency-wide policies, consultation standards, and procedures to ensure respectful engagement with Tribal governments and compliance with Centennial Accord, federal cultural resource protection, and statutory reporting requirements.

• Advise executive leadership on complex operational decisions affecting Tribal rights and resources, integrate Tribal considerations into long-term strategic planning, and provide coaching and structured learning to build staff capacity for effective engagement.

• Manage, develop, and oversee all aspects of public Tribal educational programming and events, ensuring they reflect Tribal perspectives and directly support the MAC's strategic plan and mission of cultural preservation and inclusion.

• Coordinate closely with education, curatorial, and collections staff to develop accurate Tribal program content and establish strategic interpretive goals, objectives, and procedures.

• Evaluate Tribal programming routinely to identify key opportunities to refine, expand, or improve public offerings and overall educational impact.

• Lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive Tribal outreach and engagement strategy, aligning agency priorities with Tribal interests, legal requirements, and cultural expectations while balancing diverse, competing stakeholder priorities.

• Collaborate with internal marketing, education, and collections teams to align content across platforms, while engaging external partners and peer institutions to identify emerging issues and best practices.

• Other duties as needed.

Required Qualifications:
• Ability to move or transfer thirty (30) lbs.

• Eight (8) years of experience and/or education demonstrating the ability to perform the following:
• Analyze complex, ambiguous issues with competing priorities and multiple stakeholders to develop data-driven recommendations that inform executive decision-making.

• Advise senior leadership on policy, program, and operational matters while navigating and balancing internal and external stakeholder interests to achieve collaborative outcomes.

• Develop, implement, and evaluate organizational policies and procedures to ensure strict alignment with legal requirements, strategic goals, and diverse community needs.

• Independently plan, prioritize, and execute workloads while leading cross-functional, multi-departmental initiatives to ensure alignment with broader organizational objectives.

• Demonstrate exceptional oral and written communication skills alongside strong cultural competency, specifically in providing effective services to tribal governments and members.

• NOTE: Qualifying education may substitute the experience requirement, year-for-year. Qualifying education will be in public administration, political science, American Indian/Indigenous Studies, environmental policy, or closely related field.

Preferred Qualification:
• Lived experience within a Tribal community, including personal, cultural, or community based experience that informs understanding of Tribal perspectives, governance, and government to government relations.

How to Apply: Interested? We would love to hear from you! Click "Apply" at the top of this page to start your application. You can save the application and come back to it, if needed. Be sure to complete the application fully to include a full work history and responses to the supplemental questions.

Please provide the following documents in order to be considered; failure to do so may result in you not being considered for the position:

• A letter of interest that shows your personality and voice to describe why you are the successful candidate and how you meet the specific qualifications for this position

• A current resume, detailing experience, and education

• A current list of at least three (3) professional references with current contact information

Do not attach additional documents that are not listed above, or any documents that include photos or private information (social security number, year of birth, etc.).

Please Note: By submitting these materials, you are indicating that all information is true and correct. The state may verify information. Any untruthful or misleading information is cause for removal from the applicant pool or dismissal if employed. A resume will not be substitute for completing the "duties summary" section of the online application. Please do not refer to the resume for detail or your application may be disqualified.

Additionally, the hiring authority reserves the right to offer the position at any time after the required posting period, and during the recruitment process. It is to the applicant's advantage to apply as early as possible.

Background Check Notice: Prior to any new appointment into the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC), a background check including criminal record history will be conducted as a condition of employment. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant's suitability and competence to perform in the position.

Washington Fair Chance Act:
We are committed to providing equitable access to employment opportunities. If a criminal background check is required for employment at an agency, it will occur only after a conditional offer of employment has been made and accepted. Applicants are not required to disclose criminal history during the hiring process prior to a conditional offer. Criminal history will not automatically exclude an applicant from consideration and will be reviewed on an individual basis consistent with applicable law and the requirements of the position.

Learn more about the Washington Fair Chance Act: Washington Fair Chance act guide.

Opportunity for All:
The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC) celebrates our differences and we are committed to a workplace that supports equal opportunity employment and inclusion regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity diversity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local laws.

You are welcome to include the name and pronoun you would like to be referred to in your materials and we will honor this as you interact with our organization.

Contact Information:
For questions about this recruitment or to request a reasonable accommodation in the application process, contact George Deguzman via email at jobs@des.wa.gov. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call through the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.