Director, Family Engagement

Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming, inspiring and saving lives in the Palm Beaches and 70 countries around the world. Each year, Jewish Federation inspires thousands of community members to contribute, volunteer and participate in programs that generate more than $30 million to leading a powerful impact in the community.

 Position Summary:

The mission of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County is to strengthen Jewish identity, energize the relationship with Israel and meet human needs that are uniquely the obligation of the Jewish community. Jewish Engagement and Education is a key priority for the Jewish Federation. It is the role of the Jewish Federation to empower and support the community, giving individuals and families the tools they need to live more vibrant and meaningful Jewish lives. Jewish Federation is making the investment in enriching our people, our families, and our communities, now and in the future. 

The Director, Family Engagement has overall responsibility for developing and implementing a community strategy for family engagement, that enriches and strengthens Jewish life throughout the greater Palm Beaches. The Director will offer compelling and creative pathways for Jewish life and engagement that strengthen meaningful and lasting connections to the Jewish community.  S/he will work with committee members, engaged and un-engaged families, professionals working in Jewish organizations/synagogues and Federation colleagues to maintain, develop and grow the overall strategic plan for family engagement.

 Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Elevates the status of family engagement throughout the community. Creates an infrastructure that promotes and encourages family engagement.
• Builds relationships with local Jewish agencies and synagogues. Collaborates with community partners and Federation departments. Lifts up what our partners are doing for family engagement.
• Connects families raising Jewish children to local Jewish organizations, synagogues, Jewish learning opportunities, programs and events throughout the community by publicizing programs being offered throughout the community.
• Develops outreach initiatives and opportunities to identify and engage unaffiliated families. Develops a Parent Connector Program. Connects with engaged and unengaged families.
• Incubates new ideas and then hands-off to local agencies/synagogues to sustain long-term.
• Reaches out directly, and identifies innovative ways for agencies/synagogues to reach out, to underserved populations, including LGBTQ+, Multi-Faith families, Jews of Color, etc.
• Coordinates and builds momentum from the Federation’s partnership with National Organizations such as OneTable, Jewish Grandparents Network, JScreen, Jewish Education Project, etc.
• Manages social media sites and curates content to share to further the connection with local families and community partners and as an educational tool with regards to living a Jewish life.
• Works directly with the Family Engagement Committee chairperson and manages the Family Engagement Committee, including planning and implementing meetings, member involvement, etc.
• Supervises the PJ Library Manager/Assistant Director of Family Engagement who implements PJ Library^® and PJ Our Way^TM throughout the Palm Beaches, including marketing the program, recruiting and enrolling families, coordinating communications with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) and managing the operational aspects of the program.
• Prepares and manages department budget.
• Serves in partnership with Friedman CJE professional development colleagues, as a resource to local educators, synagogues and community agencies to build their institutional and community wide family programming and strengthen Jewish family life.
• Works with professional development colleagues; creates and implements teacher education workshops, conference and other educator learning opportunities that help to maximize learning concepts related to goals of Jewish Family Life programming.
• Collaborates with development staff to maximize fundraising opportunities to support the agency at large, and to specifically support the programs of family engagement.
• Collaborates with marketing and public relations staff to maximize opportunities to build visibility for all family engagement programs and educational experiences.
• Other projects as deemed appropriate by the Chief Program Officer.

 Qualifications and Success Factors:

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Five or more years’ experience in related field or equivalent combination of relevant education, experience and skills required.
• A visionary, strategic leader who can inspire and motivate others; provide meaningful and relevant content and resources about cutting-edge family engagement strategies.
• Passionate professional with experience in family engagement, Jewish education and programming.
• Familiarity with day school, synagogue school, and early childhood Jewish education.
• Experience working in an organized Jewish community strongly preferred
• Strong knowledge of basic office computing, including MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams), Zoom and basic database skills required.
• Active understanding of the Jewish world, religion, tradition, and values.
• Supervisory skills for both full time and part time professionals, volunteers, and parent connectors.
• Someone who takes initiative, incubates new ideas, takes risks, is adaptable and can multi-task.
• Ability to work both independently and cooperatively within a team.
• Ability to build strong relationships with partners and can generate excitement as a community convener.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 25 pounds required.
• Must be able to pass Level 1 background check required.
• Must be able to work off-shift hours including nights and weekends, as needed.

 Work Environment:

Position is eligible to work from home occasionally in accordance with Federation policies. When working from home, employee must:

• Follow all Federation policies and procedures,
• Be available to other employees during Federation’s normal business hours,
• Not work from a public place (e.g. coffee shop, library, etc.) and/or join a public, unsecure wi-fi network when working with sensitive or confidential information,
• Coordinate with IT department to maintain appropriate computer equipment and connectivity.

 The Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

 The duties and responsibilities described are not a comprehensive list and additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time at the Federation’s discretion. Employment is at-will, and this job description is not an employment contract and nothing herein shall be deemed to create in any way whatsoever an employment contract.

 To apply online, please visit our career’s page. Or email your resume and cover letter to: [email protected].

 NO CALLS, PLEASE.