Project Manager, 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), and tikkun olam (repairing the world).

Together, our community is shaping Jewish life in the Bay Area by focusing on three main priorities. First, we’re working to foster and facilitate more impactful philanthropy. Second, we’re working to ensure security and resilience for local Jewish families. And third, we’re engaging the next generation of Bay Area Jews, so they too can find connection and meaning in the values and traditions of Judaism.

The Federation seeks highly motivated individuals with a variety of skill sets to build the next generation of Federation engagement. We are especially interested in forward-thinking, collaborative, and open-minded candidates who are willing to take risks, possess a high level of integrity, and model a positive attitude that inspires confidence.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Community Impact team builds partnerships with funders and Jewish organizations to drive the Federation’s impact and effect change in the areas of Jewish Engagement for young people (youth, young adults, and families with young children), and Community Resilience and Security.

The Federation’s investment in engagement is built around core principles of Relational Engagement and Cultures of Belonging to ensure that many more individuals and families find belonging and connection within Jewish life. Through our Culture of Belonging initiative, we partner with Jewish organizations (through communities of practice, training, and coaching) to shift from transactional to partnership models where people feel seen and valued for their unique strengths.

Within the Engagement portfolio, the Federation currently awards close to $2,000,000 annually in scholarships and incentive grants for Jewish preschool, day school, overnight camp, day camp, religious school, and Israel travel. Most of these are block-granted to partner organizations based on formulae, but Israel travel scholarships are awarded through individual applications hosted by an online vendor. This financial assistance is critical for Bay Area families navigating the high cost of living to access a rich array of Jewish experiences for their children. Scholarships and incentive grants are key tools in our strategy to help young people find meaningful pathways and connections within Jewish life.

Measuring the impact of the Federation’s work as a whole, not just through individual grants, has become increasingly important as we move to more focused and strategic approaches. We will be building a major impact evaluation framework over the next year to help us understand and communicate more precisely where and how we are making a difference.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Project Manager will administer the Federation’s portfolio of scholarships and incentive grants for Jewish engagement, including preschool, day school, overnight camp, day camp, religious school, and Israel travel. In addition to managing a complex system of grants, the project manager will communicate with partner organizations, respond to inquiries from families, and lead a review and revision of the scholarship policies and formulae to align more closely with our Engagement Initiative goals.

The Project Manager will manage complex projects as assigned, for example supporting the Culture of Belonging initiative, Camp Collective marketing implementation, and impact evaluation. This will include managing project plans and tracking progress, scheduling and planning events, coordinating contractor/consultant activities, implementing marketing and communications efforts, responding to inquiries, gathering and processing data, and helping create presentations.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE POSITION

Scholarships and Incentive Grants (60%)

• Manage the Federation’s scholarship grant cycle, including administering block grants to preschools, day schools, overnight camps, day camps, and synagogues.
• Work with scholarship vendor to process individual scholarships (currently Israel travel).
• Manage supplemental scholarship initiatives, such as COVID emergency scholarships, including the application process, interface with schools and camps, committee review, and award notification.
• Coordinate multiple funding sources for scholarship funds, assist with grant writing and reporting.
• Administer One Happy Camper and Israel Within Reach incentive grants.
• Coordinate marketing of scholarship opportunities (in partnership with the Marketing department).
• Respond to inquiries from families and applicants, and field their questions and concerns.
• Interface with grantees and organizations to gather data and understand their participants’ scholarship needs.
• Work with Community Impact colleagues and lay leaders to review and revise scholarship processes, policies, and funding formulae to align with new strategic direction and evolve based on the needs of the community. Flexibility and openness to change will be essential to long-term success.

Engagement Project Management (40%)

• Facilitate zoom trainings, meetings, and technology for Culture of Belonging (CB)  gatherings.
• Organize and manage the Culture of Belonging planning and tracking systems.
• Coordinate CB team activities, including scheduling, event planning, invoicing, etc.
• Manage CB communications including marketing, dissemination of tools, information sharing, etc.
• Help develop presentation materials and manage workshop/training content.
• Oversee implementation of the Camp Collective marketing plan in partnership with Federation Marketing department and local overnight camps; disseminate marketing assets in October – May to drive traffic to website and camps.
• Assist with Camp Collective quarterly convenings (with Managing Director of Community Impact).
• Partner with the Senior Program Officer overseeing evaluation to build internal and external management components for the evaluation work.

EDUCATION OR TRAINING EQUIVALENT

• Bachelor’s Degree required.
• Master’s degree a plus.
• 3-5 years of experience supporting or managing complex projects.

QUALIFICATIONS (SKILLS, ABILITIES, LICENSES)

• Exceptional organizational skills and systems management.
• Demonstrates ability to establish and meet objectives and performance standards on an agreed-upon schedule.
• Entrepreneurial mindset; proactive in taking initiative.
• Knowledge of and appreciation for the Jewish community, its customs, and practices.
• Strong interpersonal skills with proven ability to work collaboratively with many constituencies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• A positive attitude that inspires confidence and action.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite (especially Excel and PowerPoint), and project management software.
• Ability to manage a high volume of emails.
• Attention to detail.

Compensation range: $75,000 – $95,000 

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.

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