The Japan-America Society of the State of Washington (JASSW) is a certified 501(c)3 non-profit organization that serves businesses, organizations and individuals across Washington State. The Society’s mission is to promote mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of Japan and Washington State by providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information.

Today, the Society maintains a diverse membership of Japanese and American corporations and individuals from throughout the state, and provides varied programs that build positive U.S.-Japan relations. The Society is one of 38 independent members of the National Association of Japan-America Societies. In 2023 the Society will be celebrating its 100^th year anniversary.

JASSW maintains a small professional staff.  Responsibilities sometimes change depending on workload.  Each member of the team contributes to the work of the others as needed.

• Office hours: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
• Work hours may vary due to JASSW events (JIS educational visits and other events occur sometimes after 5 pm and on weekends)
• Lunch Break: One hour unpaid (when regular hours are the same as full office hours)
• Paid break: One 10-minute break
• You may be required to help with any events scheduled (e.g. set-up/clean-up) unless the Executive Director specifies otherwise.

Primary Duties:

• Event Management / Office Tasks
  • Manage the JASSW Database and other systems
    • Member database, events calendar, program registrants/payments
  • Create marketing materials for upcoming events (flyers, emails, social media)
  • Attend and manage the JASSW information booth at community events, such as Japan Fair, Seattle Cherry Blossom Festival, Sakura Con, and others
  • Conduct community outreach with partner organizations
  • Provide excellent customer service to members, guests, partners via the phone, email, and in-person
• Fundraising Management
  • Procure items for holiday dinner auction (late November/early December)
  • Enter auction item information into auction software/website
  • Manage a successful silent auction online or in-person
• Education Coordination
  • Coordinate school visits between visit leaders, volunteers, and teachers
  • Manage and lead training sessions for student groups and volunteers
  • Update presentation content and volunteer manuals
  • Present the JIS lessons all year-round to students of various ages
• Small Business Program Assistance
  • Program assistance for the Small Business Empowerment Academy (SBEA)
  • Coordination of SBEA classes and events

Job duties may change as needed by the Executive Director.

JASSW Staff Required skills and qualifications:

• Eligible to work legally in the United States
• Able to drive in the State of Washington / Own or have access to a car
• Experience with Microsoft Office software
• Knowledge of modern office management systems and resources
• Understanding of basic bookkeeping principles
• Passion for U.S.-Japan relations
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
• Exceptional accuracy, efficiency, and follow-through on all tasks and projects
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks
• Positive personality and “can-do” attitude; friendly customer-service mindset
• Ability to work with little supervision, professional demeanor
• Able to work well with a diverse range of people

Desirable Skills

• Business-level proficiency in both Japanese and English
• Experience living, working, or traveling in Japan

Immediate Hire. Salary dependent on experience. Monthly stipend in lieu of health benefits. Retirement fund contribution after 1 year of work. If interested, please send a cover letter and resume immediately to: Dale Watanabe, Executive Director at dwatanabe@jassw.org.