JEWISH FEDERATION OF EASTERN CONNECTICUT: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The Jewish Federation of Eastern Connecticut (JFEC), a 501 (c)(3) founded in 1975, is seeking a visionary, hands on Executive Director, who will work collaboratively with all facets of the Jewish community and the community at large.

This individual will lead the Federation’s efforts to preserve, perpetuate, and enhance Jewish life. The Executive Director will build a culture of collaboration among donors, key stakeholders, lay leaders, professional staff, volunteers, and area congregations.
The Executive Director is accountable to the Board of Directors and its elected Board President. The successful candidate will have demonstrated a record of accomplishments in fundraising and community engagement. The candidate must be an effective general manager of operations, an action-oriented relationship builder, and a collaborative and energetic leader.

The Executive Director will be familiar with Jewish traditions and values and will understand contemporary Jewish life in terms of demographics, patterns of communal activity, and the roles of Jewish communal institutions and agencies in today’s world.

In each of the following areas, the successful candidate will have demonstrated the ability to lead a not-for-profit organization:

Strategic Planning
• Communicate a compelling vision for the JFEC's role in the local Jewish community and translate that vision and mission into a strategic plan, objectives, activities, programs and deliverables in ways that engage a broad community constituency
Fiscal Resource Development | Fundraising Skills
• Set the strategic direction and manage the JFEC's fundraising activities, including the Annual Campaign.
• Be a successful fundraiser by engaging directly with major donors, building, and sustaining relationships with them and their families, and helping them to realize their philanthropic goals for the community and constituent agencies
• Identify new donors, develop new strategies, new donor engagement opportunities, and new grant and foundation funding opportunities
• Implement strategies to attract new endowed gifts and provide oversight and support of the JFEC Endowment
• Recruit, organize, and inspire fundraising volunteers to engage in donor cultivation and solicitation

Community Outreach & Engagement
• Build personal and trusted relationships with major donors, volunteer leaders, stakeholders, JFEC professional staff, key community leadership, clergy, and civic leaders
• Take responsibility for integrated community outreach planning efforts that support the mission of JFEC, particularly the development of short term and long-term strategies in relation to area synagogues and other community organizations
• Maintain membership as an agency of the United Way
• Articulate and demonstrate passion for the JFEC's mission
• Maintain a positive presence and serve as a dynamic spokesperson for JFEC in the Jewish and non-Jewish Eastern CT. communities
• Provide oversight and support for all JFEC programs, events, Holocaust Resource Center, Youth Group activities, Jewish Family Services programs, and Jewish Community Relations
Israel Outreach and Engagement
• Advocate and encourage close ties with Israel.
• Sustain on-going initiatives such as the Young Israeli Emissary program, Partnership with Afula-Gilboa region, The Israel Desk, and Missions to Israel.

Marketing and Communications
• Initiate and maintain a strong communications program to all constituents in the community, providing honest, informative, and transparent updates and messaging
• Oversee the creation of overall messaging and marketing campaigns for JFEC that will result in greater awareness of the benefits that JFEC brings to the local Jewish community and Jewish communities throughout the world
• Provide oversight and support of all JFEC communications and the Jewish Leader publication
Business Leadership and Management Skills
• Work with the Board, its committees, and professional staff to manage a governance structure that fosters effective partnerships
• Recruit, develop, and support paid and volunteer staff.
• Provide oversight and work collaboratively with the Board of Directors to integrate budgets, programming and operations into the JFEC’s overall mission and strategic plans

Qualifications: This position requires a broad range of abilities. The Executive Director must be energetic, with the ability and the desire to promote the vibrancy and unity of the Jewish Community. The successful candidate will have management experience working for a for-a profit and/or not-for-profit organization. Priority will be given to candidates with potential to lead the organization and recruit and manage professional staff and community volunteers to develop and carry out programs and fundraising. The individual selected will have an understanding of and familiarity with Jewish community culture, holidays and activities, and be willing to be active in cultivating and participating in the Eastern Connecticut Jewish community and its institutions.

TO APPLY
Candidates should submit a resume and cover letter including relevant education and employment history to:
Ron Leeser
Chair, JFEC Search Committee
All inquiries will be kept confidential.

ABOUT JFEC
Our headquarters are located in New London, CT, and our service area extends beyond New London County into the entire Jewish community of Eastern Connecticut and Southern Rhode Island. The Jewish Federation community is small only in its population of approximately 3,000 members. We are a vibrant, active Jewish community that does big things. Our organization footprint includes seven synagogues, four Hillel chapters, and an active Hadassah. We operate the second largest food pantry in Eastern Connecticut, publish an award-winning bi-weekly newspaper, The Jewish Leader, and provide social services and interesting and unique programming for all ages from seniors to infants.

Situated on the Long Island Sound, the region is surrounded by stunning natural beauty and all of the amenities of area waterways. We are located 45 minutes from Hartford, New Haven or Providence, two hours from Boston and two and a half hours from New York City.

To learn more about JFEC, please visit our website: www.jfec.com