Director of Publishing Relations

Jew­ish Book Coun­cil is estab­lish­ing a new pub­lish­ing indus­try-focused ver­ti­cal to strength­en its work in the lit­er­ary and pub­lish­ing ecosys­tem. This senior role will lead the devel­op­ment and exe­cu­tion of that ver­ti­cal, dri­ving ini­tia­tives that:

• Build and sus­tain a robust pipeline to sup­port Jew­ish writers
• Forge and deep­en rela­tion­ships across the pub­lish­ing industry
• Expand vis­i­bil­i­ty, reach, and dis­tri­b­u­tion for Jew­ish and Israel-relat­ed books and authors

We are seek­ing an expe­ri­enced pro­fes­sion­al – ide­al­ly with a strong back­ground in pub­lish­ing and/?or the lit­er­ary field – who can oper­ate at the inter­sec­tion of advo­ca­cy, part­ner­ships, pro­gram­ming, and indus­try engage­ment. This posi­tion requires strate­gic vision, rela­tion­ship-build­ing exper­tise, and the abil­i­ty to design and imple­ment pro­grams that advance Jew­ish and Israeli lit­er­a­ture with­in the broad­er marketplace.

What you’ll do

Indus­try advo­ca­cy, part­ner­ships, and strate­gic response

• Serve as JBC’s pri­ma­ry liai­son to pub­lish­ing hous­es, lit­er­ary agen­cies, indus­try pro­fes­sion­als, and book­sellers in the U.S. and Israel.
• Devel­op a struc­tured frame­work to sup­port pub­lish­ing col­leagues, includ­ing net­work­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties, com­mu­ni­ty-build­ing ini­tia­tives, tar­get­ed com­mu­ni­ca­tions, men­tor­ship pro­grams, and prac­ti­cal resources.
• Man­age JBC’s Anti­semitism in the Lit­er­ary World report­ing hot­line by review­ing and triag­ing reports and imple­ment­ing prac­ti­cal reme­dies such as arrang­ing replace­ment events, pro­vid­ing venue refer­rals, and facil­i­tat­ing medi­at­ed outreach.
• Build refer­ral and response pro­to­cols with part­ner orga­ni­za­tions for inci­dent sup­port and pro­fes­sion­al navigation.
• Rep­re­sent JBC at key indus­try con­ven­ings such as AWP, ALA, Book­Con, Frank­furt, and region­al fairs, and help shape pan­els and con­ver­sa­tions to ensure that Jew­ish per­spec­tives (in the U.S., Israel, and beyond) are included.
• Devel­op quar­ter­ly indus­try newslet­ter and brief­in­gs that share resources, oppor­tu­ni­ties, and insights with Jew­ish pub­lish­ing professionals.
• Cre­ate indus­try-fac­ing mar­ket­ing mate­ri­als to sup­port engage­ment with Jew­ish Book Coun­cil pro­grams and initiatives.
• Devel­op new oppor­tu­ni­ties to pro­mote Jew­ish and Israeli writ­ers via Jew­ish Book Coun­cil chan­nels and part­ner organizations

Mea­sure­ment and learning

• Estab­lish and mon­i­tor KPIs across advo­ca­cy, pro­grams, grants, and dis­tri­b­u­tion to mea­sure impact and guide strate­gic decision-making.
• Pro­duce brief­in­gs for JBC’s lead­er­ship and board that cap­ture out­comes, risks, and rec­om­men­da­tions, and inform annu­al planning.

What you’ve done and what you bring

• Mid- to senior-lev­el pro­fes­sion­al with deep expe­ri­ence in the lit­er­ary world; pref­er­ence for can­di­dates with recent, rel­e­vant knowl­edge of the pub­lish­ing industry.
• Strong, active net­work across pub­lish­ing hous­es, lit­er­ary agen­cies, fes­ti­vals, and media.
• Expe­ri­ence design­ing pro­grams or con­ven­ings for authors or indus­try peers.
• Demon­strat­ed dis­cre­tion and judg­ment in sen­si­tive sit­u­a­tions, with clear com­mu­ni­ca­tion skills and prac­ti­cal prob­lem-solv­ing ability.
• Rela­tion­ship builder who can open doors and fol­low through to achieve outcomes.
• Clear writer and pre­sen­ter who can faith­ful­ly rep­re­sent JBC publicly.
• High­ly orga­nized with the abil­i­ty to devel­op sys­tems and track data effectively.
• Pas­sion for advanc­ing Jew­ish and Israeli lit­er­a­ture and creatives.

Logis­tics

• Reg­u­lar trav­el for con­fer­ences, retreats, and part­ner meet­ings is required.
• Start date tar­get­ed for Jan­u­ary 2026 or ear­li­er if available.