Northeast Regional Director J Street

Position

The Northeast Regional Director (RD) is the senior representative of J Street in the region, responsible for increasing J Street’s political and community strength by building a powerful base of support for J Street in Boston and in the broader Northeast region, from upstate New York through Maine. The RD’s primary goal is to build and demonstrate local political support for J Street to Members of Congress and candidates for federal office. Second, s/he will advance J Street’s relationships and influence in the Jewish and broader community. S/he will report to the National Field Director, supervise a regional field organizer, and work closely with other staff to achieve the organization’s goals in the Northeast region.

Organization

J Street is the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans working for the future of Israel as the democratic homeland of the Jewish people. The organization believes that preserving Israel’s Jewish and democratic character depends on achieving a two-state solution, resulting in a Palestinian state living alongside Israel in peace and security.

Launched in 2008 with four staff and a limited budget, J Street is now a $7 million organization with a national staff of 50. The organization is headquartered in Washington, DC, employing staff in 10 cities including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Tel Aviv. J Street has an expansive network of supporters engaged in pro-Israel, pro-peace activism in their communities, promoting active U.S. leadership to achieve a two-state solution.

J Street focuses its work in three main areas: (1) Advocating and demonstrating support for pro-Israel, pro-peace policies in Congress, the media and the Jewish community; (2) Endorsing and raising money for federal candidates who share J Street’s agenda; and (3) Educating the public and raising awareness of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the two-state solution.

The J Street family of organizations is comprised of:

J Street, a 501(c)(4) organization and registered lobby that seeks to complement the work of existing organizations and individuals that share J Street’s agenda through lobbying and advocacy efforts.

JStreetPAC, the largest pro-Israel political action committee in the U.S. and the first PAC formed to endorse and raise money for federal candidates who champion pro-Israel, pro-peace policies, including a two-state solution. In 2010, JStreetPAC distributed a record high of $1.5 million to 61 endorsed candidates which led to 45 electoral victories.

The J Street Education Fund (JSEF), a legally independent 501(c)(3) organization that works to open up the conversation on Israel in the American Jewish community, educate Americans and elected officials about the urgent need for a two-state solution, and organize Americans in support of active U.S. leadership to achieve this objective. JSEF’s operations include its national field, J Street U, rabbinic and educational programs.

The J Street national field program launched in February 2010 to amplify and organize around J Street’s mission at the community level and to build our national political movement through local action and outreach. The field team currently includes 8 staff led by the National Field Director, with 46 J Street local advocacy groups around the country.

Responsibilities

The Northeast Regional Director (RD) is the senior representative of J Street in the region, responsible for increasing J Street’s political and community strength by building a powerful base of support for J Street in the region. S/he will identify, train, cultivate and mobilize leaders to advance J Street’s goals and will directly build relationships with key political and Jewish community contacts in the region.

Specifically, the RD is responsible for:

●       Developing a regional strategy to align with J Street’s political, Jewish communal, public relations, and financial goals.

●       Coordinating all aspects of J Street’s local advocacy efforts, facilitating the development of trusted relationships with Members of Congress, candidates for office and their staff.

●       Building and facilitating relationships between J Street and key community contacts, including rabbis, Jewish community professionals, and local leaders.

●       Forming or strengthening J Street local leadership groups to increase J Street’s influence in each priority community or Congressional district.

●       Directing a strong volunteer leadership program, including leadership recruitment, training, and cultivation to build organizational strength and capacity.

●       Mobilizing local leaders to demonstrate support for J Street through participation in local educational events, fundraisers and advocacy actions, as well as in national initiatives such as the J Street annual conference in Washington, DC.

●       Publicly speaking on behalf of J Street and ensuring strong local representation in public forums and in the media.

The Northeast RD will lead the regional staff team of four to implement the Northeast region’s strategic plan, working closely in particular with the region’s Finance Director to help achieve J Street’s regional operating and political fundraising goals. The regional team also includes the Northeast Field Organizer (supervised by the RD) and the Northeast Campus Organizer.

Compensation and Hours

Salary for this full-time position will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Weekly and monthly hours and duties may fluctuate based on J Street event and staff travel schedules. Benefits include paid vacation and sick leave, paid time off on federal and Jewish holidays, health and dental insurance, company paid life insurance, 401k and flexible spending account. 

Qualifications

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Desired Skills and Characteristics

Applicants should have a demonstrated track record working with senior-level contacts in the political, Jewish community and/or nonprofit sectors and possessing these attributes:

●       A savvy approach to politics, including:

○       An understanding of how to generate influence with Members of Congress and candidates for federal office, and how to identify opportunities for advancing the organization’s agenda

○       Ability to operate effectively with local Jewish community leadership

●       Strong management skills with 10+ years professional experience, understanding how to both supervise and coordinate staff and volunteer leadership; highly organized and able to prioritize multiple tasks and work independently;

●       Personally engaging style and eagerness to work with leaders and staff, able to build and cultivate relationships with a broad range of activists, leaders, and community contacts;

●       Strong written and verbal presentation skills, including public speaking;

●       Comfort with technology, online communications, and data management;

●       Public relations experience, including media relations and special event planning;

●       Willingness to travel as appropriate to the position;

●       A strong commitment to J Street’s mission, including:

○       Support for a secure, Jewish and democratic future for Israel, and

○       Advocating an active U.S. leadership role to help achieve a two-state solution.

Direct prior experience working with the Jewish community and understanding how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict plays out in American politics is strongly preferred. While the RD is not directly responsible for fundraising, prior experience working with individual and foundation donors is a plus. 

Contact Details

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Contact:

Jon Grabelle Herrmann

Telephone:

2678888566

Email:

field@jstreet.org

Application Instructions

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To Apply for the Position

This position is available immediately. Interested candidates should submit by e-mail: 1) cover letter that explains why you are interested and qualified; 2) resume; and 3) list of three references to field@jstreet.org and indicate “Northeast Regional Director” in the subject line. 

J Street is an Equal Opportunity Employer.