Join the WSOS team!
Join a team of passionate individuals dedicated to transforming Washington state by building pathways to high-demand jobs that strengthen our communities and economy!
WSOS 101
WSOS is the first public-private scholarship program dedicated to building lasting pathways to secondary education and high-demand STEM, health care, and trade careers for all Washington students. We accelerate equitable change for historically excluded students and increase the local talent pool for Washington businesses.
Our unique scholarship model supports students beyond tuition dollars, providing career readiness training and mentorship opportunities. Student pathways to a career include four-year degrees, career and technical education, apprenticeships, certificates, and graduate school. Our impact is strengthened by our one-of-a-kind partnerships with local companies, like Microsoft and Boeing, and a dollar-for-dollar match from the state of Washington.
Mission:
We are on a mission to transform Washington state by building pathways to high-demand jobs that strengthen our communities and economy.
Vision:
We envision a Washington where all residents have access to our state’s best jobs, and our companies have the diverse, local talent they need to innovate for the world.
We know WSOS works.
Students that go through our program are ready to enter high-demand fields, and businesses are eager to hire them. Most Baccalaureate Scholarship graduates earn nearly $100K a year. Career and Technical Scholarship graduates earn four times what their families earned at the time of their application. After more than 10 years, we can clearly see the impact on students, businesses, and communities across Washington State.
We recognize systemic barriers.
WSOS recognizes the educational and socio-economic inequalities that exist throughout Washington state. We acknowledge that systemic barriers, institutional racism, and poverty exist — disproportionally affecting historically excluded communities. We are passionate about reducing barriers for Opportunity Scholars from diverse backgrounds.
We believe in building more diverse industries.
Innovative industries thrive when they reflect the communities where they’re based. We work to ensure that the college-to-career pipeline creates opportunities for women and students of color. The diverse population of Opportunity Scholars is thriving and finding success in their careers and their communities and are building more inclusive STEM, health care, and trades fields.
We believe Opportunity Scholars are the solution to the workforce shortage in Washington.
Washington needs Opportunity Scholars. We have far too few health care providers to meet demand even in normal circumstances, and we need more scientists, researchers, and technology innovators to meet the needs of our state now and in the years to come. As we work to solve the workforce crisis, our Scholars will be the ones who keep the lights on, our agriculture businesses thriving, our science innovating, and our tech sector powering solutions to our world’s most challenging problems.
“I love working alongside a team that is passionate about what they do, and I enjoy seeing Scholars move closer to their goals!”
Joanna, Senior Baccalaureate Advisor
“WSOS is an excellent place for people who like to own a project. You’re trusted and expected to make decisions and see them through.”
Jess, Event and Sponsorship Manager
Our Culture
We are very passionate about supporting Opportunity Scholars and Washington state. We believe the best way to do that is by uplifting our talented employees. We create a space built on trust where people can think creatively, voice their opinions, and take large steps forward to better our programs.
Our team is very collaborative and communicative, and we love getting to know our team members as humans. We celebrate the power of diverse perspectives and seek to understand and offer one another acceptance.
We ensure we are strengthening our communication as an organization by utilizing bi-weekly all-staff meetings, a staff retreat three times per year, and a “Watercooler” Microsoft Teams chat. This allows us to celebrate successes, share information about our projects, and build relationships with our teammates.
We give kind, honest feedback often. We believe both positive and constructive feedback are essential to the growth and development of our team and our programs. While feedback at any time is appreciated, we offer the opportunity for more structured feedback throughout the year. These opportunities allow team members of all levels the opportunity to give feedback to team members of all levels.
We are deeply invested in equity work and offer multiple ways for folks to engage in equity spaces. We provide optional caucus groups for employees to engage in, a Microsoft Teams channel where folks can share equity resources or celebrate affinity months, and regular equity learning opportunities for the team.
We create big goals and have high expectations for our programs and ourselves because we believe big goals help us stay focused on what matters – Opportunity Scholars and Washington state. With big goals also comes big support. We want every team member to feel supported as they strive to improve our programs and organization.
Join our Team!
The values that guide our work
Our values are at the heart of everything we do, and we ask our team to uphold them every day. Team members that embody these values serve Opportunity Scholars best and find success at WSOS.
Opportunity Scholars are our North Star
We are mission driven which means we prioritize serving Opportunity Scholars. We come to work to serve all Washingtonians, especially those furthest from opportunity. When weighing decisions, what’s best for Opportunity Scholars as a whole, long-term wins. Sometimes that comes at the expense of individual, current-day Opportunity Scholars, or staff.
People are our greatest asset
We value and respect our individual and shared humanity. Being human-centric means seeing the whole person, creating space where people feel valued, and unlocking people’s potential to do their best work. Leaders are responsible for empowering their people over their individual contributions.
Impact isn’t by chance
We identify where we want to go and why and take steps to get there. We set bold goals centered in the mission and are strategic about how we focus our time, energy, and resources. We believe high performance matters for Opportunity Scholars, and we hold ourselves and others accountable. We believe high support enables high performance.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are superpowers
We have a responsibility to equitably serve diverse Opportunity Scholars, and we know diverse perspectives make us powerful. We value transparency – up, down and laterally – because we know it’s a key lever to drive equitable decision-making. While we deeply value equity and activism, partisan work is outside our legislative mandate.
Seek excellence
We strive for best-in-class outcomes, not perfection, because Opportunity Scholars and WSOS team members are worth the effort. Intentionality is more valuable than speed or process. While systems and processes exist to support efficiency, we adapt to stay focused on the intended outcome.
Be respectful, courageous, and honest
We say the hard thing, ask the hard question, and make the hard decisions in service of our mission. We all problem spot and help brainstorm possible solutions.
Iterate to great
We create a space built on trust where people can think creatively, voice their opinions, and create the conditions for our highest and best impacts. We focus on the few things that matter most rather than trying to do it all. We provide excellent coaching to help us all get there.
We is greater than we
Trade-offs and hard decisions are part of the job. We believe the person closest to the decision with the best information should make it. We disagree and commit. We believe in personal empowerment and accountability – own the decisions you make and their impact. We seek to understand individual perspectives, but we serve the collective.
Ready to join us?
The Hiring Process
Our goal is to attract diverse, qualified applicants and foster an equitable hiring process in which all interviewees feel respected and seen.
Depending on the position you’re applying for, you might experience any of the following:
Application
All applicants must apply for their desired position on our website. We require an application, resume, and cover letter.
During the review of applicant materials, identifiable information, like applicant names, is redacted to ensure our hiring process is equitable.
If you are selected to move forward in the hiring process, we will email you to schedule your first interview.
First interview
The first interview is a video chat and will help us get to know you more. We want to know why you want to support our mission and about your professional experience. It typically lasts 30 minutes.
Whether or not you are selected, you will receive an email from us.
Final interview
The final interview will go deeper into the topics discussed in our first interview. It will be around 60 minutes long and includes general and situational interview questions. It may happen in-person or virtually.
Whether or not you are selected, the hiring manager will contact you.
“The best part about WSOS is the impactful work. Impact isn’t by chance in our programming and Scholars are our north star.”
Nick, Baccalaureate Advisor
“It’s a rewarding place to work! We are mission-driven, have ambitious goals, and also value work-life balance. My colleagues are friendly, fun, and collaborative.”
Camille, Development Director
“The best part about working at WSOS is the people that I have the privilege of working with. Not only are they wonderful people, but they’re smart and compassionate colleagues who wholeheartedly believe in our mission. Everyone works hard to show up for one another in a collaborative way that embodies our #1 value that Scholars are our North Star.”
Courtney, Career & Technical Scholarship Advisor
Benefits
- Hybrid workplace: Team members are Washington state residents who work in our Seattle office and from home each week. Additional work-from-home opportunities are available.
- Work from home resources: Since team members work in a hybrid environment, we offer financial support to help set up and maintain your home office.
- Competitive pay: We are committed to transparently offering equitable compensation and reviewing each team member’s performance for merit-based pay raises annually.
- Wellness benefits: Health, dental, vision, and prescription coverage; long-term disability, short-term disability, and life insurance; Paid time off (PTO) and holidays.
- Retirement support: 401K with employer contribution — we contribute even if you don’t.
- Professional growth: A growth mindset is deeply valued by each member of the WSOS team, which is why each person has an annual professional development budget they can use to grow their skills.
Competencies that help us thrive at WSOS
Core Competencies: Our team actively works to improve these competencies every day. We believe working to improve these competencies will help us work better together and better serve Opportunity Scholars, our community, and our mission.
Our leadership and team members support each other as we improve our core competencies. We value growth mindsets, which means that even if one is underdeveloped now, we can work to improve it over time.
- Equity Mindset: Consistently brings an equity mindset to the organization’s work and workplace
- Solution-Centric Thinking: Able to identify challenges and then formulate and implement solutions drawing on the expertise and input of others
- Adaptability: Adapts and responds to change
- Collaboration: Willing to help their team as needed and communicate effectively to achieve shared goals
- Communication: Able to communicate effectively with all audiences, while demonstrating empathy and listening skills
- Growth Mindset: Views growth as important, demonstrates curiosity and eagerness to learn, and seeks out opportunities to expand skills
Competencies that help our leaders thrive at WSOS
In addition to the core competencies, we believe leaders at WSOS should actively work on expanding their leadership skills. We believe growth in these areas enables our leaders to cultivate a meaningful work environment and prioritize and strategize their work to advance the WSOS mission.
- Develops and motivates others: Motivates others and supports their development through strong coaching and mentoring
- Leads with strategic vision: Considers the future of the organization proactively and responsively; weighs diverse inputs to inform strategies; identifies innovative opportunities when relevant; leads with courage; and willingness to take risks in service of impact
- Initiative and results-driven: Makes and executes strategic plans to enhance intended impact, adjusting course as needed