Executive Director

About Jewish Voice for Peace
Jewish Voice for Peace is a national grassroots organization with over 70 chapters, 17,000 members and 500,000 on-line supporters, a staff of approximately 30, and a budget of $4 million, dedicated to a US foreign policy towards Israel/Palestine that promotes full equality and human rights for all.

The Opportunity
JVP is seeking an experienced, dynamic and visionary Executive Director (ED) who will work closely with the board, staff and grassroots leadership to lead JVP to its next level of impact.  The ED will lead a diverse and high-performing staff, while developing and supporting leadership at all levels. They will excel at balancing ethical, effective internal management while driving external impact and visibility. They are an outstanding communicator who can connect with, inspire, and listen deeply to the broad range of JVP’s constituencies, stakeholders, and potential supporters. They possess a keen analysis of the ways that racism and other forms of oppression impact the work, both internally and externally, and have experience working towards racial equity in an organizational context. As leader, strategist and manager, they are flexible and open-minded in their thinking, and willing and able to shift course or change their mind when circumstances warrant. They welcome feedback, and use failures or setbacks as an opportunity to learn, both personally and organizationally.

Position Overview and Responsibilities
Reporting to a highly-engaged Board of Directors, and directing and working in collaboration with a talented and committed staff, the Executive Director is responsible for JVP’s consistent, effective, and sustainable achievement of its mission, strategic vision, values, operations, and financial objectives:

Strategy and Programs 

• Embrace grassroots organizing as JVP’s core strategy for building power and making change, while working to integrate grassroots movement-building and direct political strategies for Palestinian rights and more through leadership of both (c)3 JVP and (c)4 JVP Action work.
• Ensure programs are in alignment with JVP’s strategic plan, strategic filters, and guiding principles. Provide guidance, analysis,  input, and overall oversight on JVP’s  campaigns and programmatic goals.
• Actively monitor and evaluate  programmatic activities and campaigns for impact.
• Ensure that the organization is meeting its strategic and operational goals, reprioritizing or pivoting when necessary.

Leadership and Management

• Accountable for guiding the development and implementation of JVP’s strategic direction and plans; and for effectively carrying out all aspects of JVP operations and programs.
• Directly supervise senior staff, currently including 2 Deputy Directors who play a major role with the ED in JVP’s senior leadership team.
• Ensure JVP’s continued high performance, through the hiring, management, development, support, and retention of  a diverse and talented staff.
• Develop annual operating goals and plans with staff.
• Ensure staff accountability on progress toward goals and objectives.

Fundraising, Resource Development, and Fiscal Oversight

• Work closely with Development staff to lead the organization’s fundraising program.
• Actively and directly engage in fundraising by making major financial solicitations, and cultivating relationships with individual donors and foundations. This includes responsibility for building, maintaining and deepening relationships with a large portfolio of JVP’s biggest supporters.
• Ensure JVP’s financial practices are sound, compliant, and support JVP’s financial sustainability and resilience.
• Work closely with the board, board Treasurer, finance committee,  and finance and fundraising staff to develop long and short-range financial plans including an annual operating budget that balances program needs with revenue capacity, as well as  making major financial decisions for the organization, and providing regular updates to the Board on financial matters.

Board of Directors Partnership

• Work in partnership with the board to set JVP’s strategic direction, ensure its financial sustainability, and lead long-term thinking and planning.
• Meet with the board, board Executive Committee, and board chair on a regular basis, and with other board committees or working groups as relevant.
• Keep the board informed  of relevant programmatic, operational, policy and personnel issues or developments, including organizational or financial risks.
• Serve as effective liaison between board and staff.

External Communications and Relationships

• Promote the mission, objectives, and programs of JVP to external stakeholders, including movement allies, policymakers, donors, supporters, other Jewish communities, and news media.
• Serve on panels, deliver talks, and represent JVP at events and in national, and international media.
• Serve as one of JVP’s key spokespersons at public events, and to the press.
• Build strong, trusting mutual relationships with strategic allied organizations in the US and abroad.

Compensation: This is an exempt full time position. The salary range is $120k to 140k, depending on experience, with a generous benefits package.

Qualifications and Core Competencies
Recognizing that no one candidate will bring all the qualifications listed here, these are some of the key competencies and qualifications the search committee and board will consider as part of the interview and decision-making process:
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• Alignment with JVP’s mission, vision and values. The ED understands and commits to JVP’s Guiding Principles. They embrace JVP’s identity as a Jewish organization, and are comfortable with its broad range of Jewish identities and practices.
• Highly developed, nuanced political analysis, with the ability to translate it into organizational strategy. The ED is deeply committed to Palestinian rights and knowledgeable about Israel/Palestine. This knowledge or experience may be more or less strong in a range of the following or other areas of expertise: US policy and politics regarding Palestine-Israel, the Palestinian rights movement and how it links with other US and global movements (including progressive Jewish and anti-racism movements), strategies of organizing and/or advocacy, antisemitism and how it’s weaponized against the movement, and/or supporting grassroots movements to be political powerhouses.
• Proven leadership ability. The ED role requires prior experience and success in a senior leadership position in a comparable or complementary organization, including effective supervision of staff.  They are able to delegate and prioritize multiple activities and responsibilities, inspire collaboration, and function decisively while building consensus. They take pleasure in developing leadership in others, while also demonstrating  a high level of personal accountability.
• Organizational management and systems thinking. The ED is a systems thinker who can thrive in complexity. They believe in the importance of organizational planning and process and their central importance  to healthy relationships, clear roles and decision-making, and equity--without being rigid in their application or execution.
• Exceptional communication skills. The ED excels at relationship-building, and is able to connect with stakeholders across a spectrum of roles, political orientations, and identities. They possess excellent oral and written communication skills, including deep, engaged listening, and the ability  to compellingly communicate JVP’s mission and vision to members, allies, partners, donors, staff, board, elected officials, media, and the public.  They must be able to deftly and succinctly articulate JVP positions in a rapidly-changing external environment.
• Leadership on racial equity. The ED possesses a strong, nuanced analysis of race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, and class, along with the embodiment of practices that recognize and seek to address how interlocking systems of oppression operate within ourselves, our organizations, our communities, and our work.  Specifically, the  incoming ED will be committed to the central importance of the racial justice transformation process underway at JVP, and will ensure  its continued prioritization.  The ED is attuned to racial justice issues particular to the Jewish community and the primacy of anti-racism work within the Palestinian rights movement.
• Experience with coalitions, networks and/or membership organizations. The ED has an understanding of the dynamics of coalition-building, and an understanding of and commitment to the principles and values of grassroots-led change.  Experience in a membership-based organization is a strong plus; they will need to understand the nuances of member and chapter leadership and autonomy while still working to build both local and national power and holding strong to their own executive function.
• Acumen and enthusiasm for fundraising and financial management. Ideally the ED will come to JVP with prior experience in direct major donor cultivation and solicitation, and foundation engagement. The ability to effectively cultivate relationships with individual and institutional donors is a critical facet of the role. The ED should also have experience developing and/or overseeing an organizational budget and effectively managing resources.
• A deep belief in the possibility of transformation. JVP at its core has always been unafraid to change course, focus and positions when necessary.  The ED will have the ability to lead, steward, and support organizational change, while ensuring JVP’s sustainability and resilience.
• Ability to travel. As a national organization with staff based throughout the country, travel for annual or biannual staff retreats, board meetings, donor meetings, and public presentations will be required. Depending on the ED’s location this is estimated at 15-25%.