Principal Responsibilities:

Summary

The Contra Costa JCC (CCJCC) seeks an entrepreneurial hands-on leader and community builder to launch new programs with new partners and rebuild awareness of the CCJCC brand in order to increase the level of Jewish engagement in Contra Costa County. The CCJCCs JCC Without Walls model provides lowbarrier entry points into Jewish life to carry out its mission to create Jewish connections and community, make Jewish life more relevant and meaningful, and affirm and celebrate Jewish identity. The CCJCC currently partners and collaborates with other Jewish organizations to provide cultural and educational programs for adults along with some programming for teens and families with young children.

The board of directors recently completed a strategic planning process identifying a 3-year goal of expanding its current operating model to early childhood education and, eventually, day camp, and afterschool programs as the primary means of engaging and connecting Jewish families with young children in the county. The ideal ED candidate will be an innovative strategic thinker with experience in Jewish family programs and community outreach, have the skills and spirit to create and launch start-up programs, excel at building relationships with stakeholders, partners, and participants, and the ability to prudently build the team and necessary infrastructure to develop and execute the plan.

About the Position

The ED of the CCJCC will be an energetic and entrepreneurial leader who will partner with, and report to, the board of directors, engage key stakeholders and constituencies, build relationships with local Jewish and nonprofit organizations and businesses in pursuit of CCJCCs mission. In working with the board of directors to further develop the vision and strategic direction for the CCJCC, the ED will be responsible for creating a financially sustainable business model that is based on fee-for-service programs, fundraising, and endowment draw. Key opportunities will be expansion of the program portfolio coupled with outreach to Jewish individuals and families not connected to the Jewish community. The ED will be comfortable as a hands-on director in building the business of the JCC and generating growth in participation and revenue.

The ideal CEO candidate will exemplify the following leadership competencies:

Displays Visionary and Strategic Leadership

The ED will create and clearly articulate an exciting new vision identifying strategic opportunities to meet the needs of the diverse Contra Costa Jewish community. The ED will develop a business model to address both short- and long-term opportunities, beginning with a program strategy to serve families with young children. In developing the program vision and strategy, the ED will be guided by the principles of collaboration and partnership, seeking to leverage complementary programs in community synagogues and Chabad and creating new partnerships with innovative East Bay Jewish organizations not currently serving Contra Costa County. The ED will maintain awareness of community trends and identify obstacles that could impede the strategic direction. The ED will be an entrepreneurial change-agent who can envision and execute a plan for the future.

Provides Exemplary Executive Presence
The ED will be relentlessly optimistic in pursuit of the JCCs mission, while balancing aspirational goals with realistic expectations and accountability. The EDs sound judgment will permeate all significant aspects of planning, decision making, and problem-solving. The ED will be a highly accomplished relationship builder, comfortable with all levels of constituencies from the most seasoned lay leaders to new young leadership, diverse constituencies, and those not yet engaged. The ED will work in partnership with the board of directors in developing its governance capacity and building a pipeline of future lay leaders. A forward thinking, energetic individual, the ED will build a culture of innovation and inclusion to create ongoing excitement for the JCC and the community.

Creates a Culture of Philanthropy

The ED will work closely with the board of directors and key stakeholders to cultivate, nurture, and maintain relationships with prospective donors and funders and serve as the CCJCCs chief fundraiser. The ED will develop and implement a fundraising plan that identifies resource requirements and then actively seeks individual donations, grants from government and foundations, and support from business partnerships. The ED will develop the necessary systems and processes for maintaining fundraising records, acknowledging donors, and tracking results.

Represents the CCJCC in the Community

The ED serves as the primary ambassador and spokesperson to both educate and promote the CCJCC in the Jewish and broader communities in Contra Costa County and the Bay Area. The ED will actively cultivate strong and lasting relationships between CCJCC, other Bay Area Jewish and broader community organizations, donors, and other important stakeholders. It will be a priority for the ED to build and nurture effective collaborations and partnerships with local agencies, synagogues, and other organizations, both Jewish and secular for the benefit of the community.

Minimum Qualifications:

Key Skills & Qualifications

• 10 years of professional business experience (for-profit or not-for-profit).
• Prior P&L responsibility, strong business acumen, and ability to develop and manage a budget.
• Prior experience developing and/or overseeing programs targeted at families with young children.
• An authentic passion for the CCJCCs mission.
• Attentive listening skills and an ability to react to stressful situations with diplomacy and tact.
• Enjoys collaborating with people and having a hands-on approach to creating success.
• A track record of securing funds or an aptitude for fund development, including knowledge of and success in attracting individual, corporate and foundation resources.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills including public speaking.
• Excellent personal organizational skills with the ability to effectively prioritize and direct the flow of multiple projects and tasks simultaneously.
• Self-starter and high ability to work independently.

Compensation

A competitive compensation package with a salary of $175,000 plus and benefits is available for the successful candidate.

To Apply

Qualified candidates can apply for this position by sending a resume and cover letter to executivesearch@jcca.org.

Salary:

$175,000

Agency Information:

About the Contra Costa JCC

The CCJCC serves the vibrant, pluralistic, and diverse Contra Costa Jewish community that is geographically spread throughout the county by operating as a JCC Without Walls. The CCJCC serves the community grounded in its core values of being inclusive, dynamic, catalytic, and collaborative. The CCJCCs premier cultural and educational program, Under One Tent, partners with local synagogues and Jewish organizations in providing innovative and engaging events, classes, film screening, lectures, and other programs both on-line and in-person. The CCJCC offers teen programming through its Project Impact, A Tikkun Olam Program for Ages 10-18 in partnership with East Bay NSCY. In response to community interest, the CCJCC has recently launched Young Families Programming to engage more families with young children. The CCJCC also makes programming available in the county through grantmaking to other local Jewish organizations.

The CCJCC shifted from a facility-based center in 2011 when it closed its operations and then eventually sold its building and land. Since then, it has been led by its board of directors and volunteers with the support of part-time professionals who work remote. The board has committed the necessary resources to position the CCJCC in a larger leadership role within the Contra Costa Jewish community and expand its program portfolio, with a priority focus on serving families with young children. It will designate a portion of its approximately $9M in unrestricted endowment funds to support the hiring of an ED and provide sufficient funding to develop and launch its priority programs.

About Contra Costa County and its Jewish Community

Contra Costa County is located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The East Bay region is comprised of Contra Costa, Alameda, and Solano counties. Contra Costa County is home to more than one million residents and is comprised of 19 cities and many unincorporated areas. Many families and young professionals live in the county with housing costs significantly less than in San Francisco which can be accessed by the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge or multiple Bay Area Rapid Transit stations. Contra Costa offers restaurants, theater, and other attractions, and is an outdoor enthusiasts delight with more than 1,200 miles of hiking trails within dozens of parks spread across the county. Nearby San Francisco is a wonderland of museums, restaurants, theater, and additional outdoor recreational activities.

The San Francisco Bay Area is home to a Jewish population of about 350,000, making it the fourth largest Jewish community in the country. About 35% of the Jewish population lives in the East Bay which includes a total of 33,000 Jewish households, about 11,000 of which are in Contra Costa. It is estimated that there are 3,800 households with children ages 0-5 in the county, currently served by only three Jewish preschools. There are also over 4,600 children in grades K6 with only two Jewish day camps serving approximately 200 youth in the county. Over 60% of the Jewish population in the county does not belong to a synagogue, minyan, or chavurah. The Contra Costa Jewish Day School serves approximately 150 students in grades K-8 and is located in Lafayette. Collaboration is a primary operating model for the vast majority of Jewish organization and the CCJCC partners with the Jewish Federation of San Francisco and many synagogues and other organizations to serve the community.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Contra Costa JCC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It does not discriminate against any job candidate or employee due to age, race, religion, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, medical condition, family history, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, parental status or pregnancy, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law or ordinance or regulation. In our workplace, we prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind.