Managing Director, Engagement, Community Impact

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

At the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund (the Federation), we envision diverse, dynamic Bay Area Jewish communities, deeply engaged in Jewish life and doing good locally, in Israel, and around the world. We create opportunities for people in the Bay Area to connect with and contribute to their communities. Our work is guided by the timeless Jewish values of kehilla (community), tzedakah (giving with just intention), tzedek (pursuing justice), and tikkun olam (repairing the world).

Like the diverse and multicultural community that we are, and in the long history of Jewish peoplehood, we are ever-changing and adapting. We celebrate and embrace all individuals who make up the fabric of our community, representing all races, ethnicities, religions, denominations, gender identities, gender expressions, sexual orientations, ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, abilities, and national origins, among other identities. Our many identities are an asset as we build stronger, vibrant, and joyful communal belonging and a resilient ecosystem in which we all thrive, together.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Community Impact Department builds and implements a range of impact initiatives, overseeing grantmaking from multiple funding sources to further the Federation’s vision of diverse and dynamic Bay Area Jewish communities, deeply engaged in Jewish life and doing good locally, globally, and in Israel. The Community Impact team focuses on Jewish living and thriving, primarily through existing and agencies and strategies and by innovating toward new strategies and markets. Working closely with agency leaders, we identify areas of potential communal growth and corresponding investment opportunities. Working closely with the Federation’s volunteer leaders, we set goals for growth and evaluate our impact against those goals. We fund and catalyze, maintain and seed, helping Jewish individuals and families thrive.

POSITION SUMMARY

The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most creative and diverse Jewish communities in North America. Its relatively low rates of traditional affiliation are balanced by the entrepreneurialism and innovation of the area, which are imprinted also on Jewish life. In response, the Federation has built a significant portfolio of investments in Jewish engagement, all rooted in concepts of belonging and relationship. The Federation’s evolving body of grants, direct programs, technical assistance, and thought leadership are meant to push at the shape of Jewish communal life, developing and expanding new paradigms and supporting legacy institutions to respond to this moment. The Managing Director for Engagement will refine the vision and lead the strategy and implementation of existing experiments and will build new experiments that achieve growth in engagement in Jewish life and community. The Federation’s work is implemented currently through grantmaking, technical assistance, and also direct program. Following Federation’s evolution over the last decade, the direct program may evolve in the near future into collaborative work with partner organizations implemented through closely supervised grants. The new Managing Director will be intimately involved in envisioning and implementing this change.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Shape the Federation’s foundational engagement ideas, helping legacy organizations move from relying on constituents’ loyalty to building belonging with constituents, and catalyzing new Jewish communities that subscribe to twenty-first century concepts of identity and meaning
• Integrate these ideas about engagement into the Federation’s grantmaking and technical assistance strategy, designing methodologies to engage more teens, young adults, and emerging families in Jewish community and life, including in a relationship with Israel. (This is currently a portfolio of about $5 million.)
• Identify and implement new grant and technical opportunities that will challenge the ecosystem to establish connections with new audiences or deepen connections with existing audiences
• Supervise team members to convene “collaboratives” of like actors in each Jewish communal sector (JCCs, Hillels, camps, etc); help to make these collaboratives a place of deep organization-Federation communication and trust and the source of landscape analysis and collaborative strategy development
• Set and pursue engagement targets, through robust, long-term strategic plans for each area of work; more generally, supervise a robust system of assessment and evaluation and build a collaborative learning culture with partner organizations rooted in data
• Liaise with Philanthropy team to ensure that donor intent is represented in engagement work and that Philanthropy leads have what they need to catalyze resource development
• Liaise with Marketing team to ensure that data and stories are used appropriately in the Federation’s communications materials
• Work closely with Board, Executive Committee, Community Impact Committee, Endowment Committee, Chair (EGC) and other volunteer leaders to engage them as strategic partners in impact work and grantmaking. Develop meeting agendas, presentations and structures for thoughtful decision-making and input; recruit, onboard and engage committee members; and generally create a collaborative lay/professional committee culture
• Work collaboratively with the Chief Impact Officer and senior leaders of the Community Impact team to lead the team toward outcomes, interdependence, and efficiency, through focused team meetings, team systems, work on morale, and other tools
• Supervise the early childhood team (5.0), young adult team (2.0), DEI lead (1.0), and teen team (4.0), be primary contact for the Belonging lead (.4), and help to manage the relational Connector team (15+, all part-time)

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

• Creative, visionary team leader, with capacity to ideate and manage people toward a new, unproven idea
• Outstanding manager, focused both on mentoring and on accountability
• Strong knowledge of grantmaking as a tool of change a plus
• Demonstrated ability to establish and meet objectives and performance standards
• Skills in, knowledge of, and experience with the complexity of organizational and communal change management
• Knowledge of and appreciation for the Jewish community, its customs, and practices
• Proven track record of success with project management
• Experience working with volunteer leaders at a senior level preferred
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Proven ability to work collaboratively in a highly motivated, goal-oriented team environment
• MA degree required, preferably in Jewish professional leadership, public administration, or related fields
• Experience with Jewish innovation sector required

Compensation range: $170,000 - $180,000

TO APPLY

Please send a copy of your resume with a cover letter to hr@sfjcf.org. All applications and inquiries will receive a response and will be kept strictly confidential.

WHAT WE OFFER

Excellent benefits — including medical, dental, vision, vacation, sick pay, holidays (including Jewish), and retirement plan.

*The Federation requires COVID-19 vaccination for new hires.

Please send a copy of your resume with a cover letter to hr@sfjcf.org. All applications and inquiries will receive a response and will be kept strictly confidential.