Director of Engagement, PJ Library

Background

PJ Library, a flagship program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF), was launched with a humble beginning in 2005 in Western Massachusetts, sending children's books about Jewish holidays, culture, and values. Today, PJ Library has grown into an internationally recognized, $40M global cultural literacy venture that partners with philanthropists and Jewish communities around the world to provide families raising Jewish children ages 0-12 with the gift of free, high-quality children's books and other resources that foster a deeper connection with Jewish life.

The Position

HGF is seeking a Director of Engagement to lead the team tasked with nurturing an ecosystem of opportunities for families to connect to each other and to Jewish community. The Director will play an integral role on the PJ Library management team and lead the evolution and articulation of the program's family engagement strategy. Around the world, more than 200 partner organizations and at least as many professionals and parent connectors are connecting the next generation of families with Jewish life under the PJ Library banner.

The Director of Engagement will build upon an already successful engagement framework, with the goals of:

Deepening professional development for local professionals and parent connectors.
Clarifying and deepening the role that HGF plays in engaging families directly.
Expanding opportunities for families to connect with another step on their Jewish journey.

The ideal candidate thinks strategically, communicates with clarity, empowers a professional team, and shares a passion for relational engagement. A deep understanding of early childhood education, experiential education, global Jewish communities, and the Jewish philanthropic landscape is an asset.

This is a fulltime position, reporting to the Managing Director of PJ Library.

Regular presence in the HGF home office in Agawam Massachusetts, USA is preferred. Remote candidates will be considered, with a preference for candidates in the Northeast USA able to commit to regular visits to the home office. The Director will frequently represent HGF and PJ Library externally in various settings, with some travel required.

Responsibilities

Oversee and manage the engagement team (seven FTE), responsible for:
- Coaching and supporting nearly 200 North American community partners, in coordination with the HGF advancement team
- Designing and offering professional development opportunities for local professionals
- Awarding and stewarding a portfolio of organizational grants
- Implementing the Get Together micro-grant program
- Engaging families online
Hold direct responsibility for:
- A portfolio of community relationships
- Annual PJ Library International Conference program content
- Global Russian-speaking Jewish (RSJ) engagement strategy, and management of relationship and reporting to funding partner
Work with trustees and stakeholders to articulate an innovative, dynamic family engagement strategy.
Identify and pursue partnerships with external organizations to advance this strategy.
Partner with the Managing Director to lead diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Partner with the Director of Content to ensure that content and engagement strategies and activities are mutually enhancing.
Partner with the PJ Library marketing team to increase the number of families enrolled in the program.
Support fundraising efforts as needed. This will likely include 1:1 meetings, group presentations, and contributing to grant proposals and reports.
Represent PJ Library externally, including media requests and at professional gatherings.
Maintain open and collaborative relationships with directors and engagement leads for PJ Library programs in other regions of the world, including Israel, Latin America, Europe & Africa, Australia & New Zealand, and the Former Soviet Union.
Work closely with the Managing Director to set and manage the annual program budget and track income and expenses.
Regularly report program activity to the Managing Director and HGF Board of Trustees, as requested.
Foster a supportive and collaborative work culture across the engagement team.

Qualifications

10+ years of non-profit management or related experience
A commitment to PJ Library's goals
Experience with relational engagement, ideally with a young family audience
Deep knowledge in the areas of Jewish tradition and the breadth of Jewish practice
Experience in managing a team, including remote staff
Skill in strategic planning and strategy implementation
Excellent communication skills (written and oral), including superior public speaking ability
Ability to work collaboratively and foster teamwork
Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment
A history identifying and leveraging data to inform key-decisions
Demonstrated success in maintaining meaningful lay leader and donor relationships
Preferred to have the following:
- Existing relationships with Jewish educational and communal organizations
- Experience with Salesforce CRM
- Familiarity with global Jewish communities, inclusive of Israel
- Familiarity with early childhood education and/or experiential education
- Experience with Jewish federation planning and allocations process.

Compensation

Competitive salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Benefits:

Health insurance
Dental and vision insurance
Short- and long-term disability insurance
401(k) retirement plan with employer match
Paid sick, holiday, vacation, and personal time
Flexible work policy with hybrid in-person/remote work

To Apply

HGF has partnered with Boyden to conduct this search. Please contact Wendy Wilsker at wwilsker@boyden.com to apply or learn more.

*Vaccination against COVID-19 is a condition of employment. The selected candidate will be required to provide proof of vaccination to Human Resources prior to start date. Reasonable accommodations will be considered on a case-by-case basis for exemptions to this requirement in accordance with applicable law.

The Harold Grinspoon Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are invited to apply. For more information about the foundation and its programs, visit www.hgf.org.

About The Harold Grinspoon Foundation

Founded in 1991 by real estate guru and successful businessman, Harold Grinspoon, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) is one of the most entrepreneurial and business-oriented non-profits in the nation. Based in the Greater Hartford, CT/Springfield, MA area, HGF employs over 130 employees and offers national and international philanthropic programs that range from enhancing Jewish life throughout the US and the globe, to sustaining and strengthening nonprofit Jewish camps by providing free professional consulting services and grant-matching opportunities, to supplying over 680,000 free books monthly to children throughout the world.

The Foundation offers the stability of a thirty-year established organization, while also offering the creative, exciting, and fast-paced nature of a start-up, and the long-term growth opportunities inherent in an endowed Foundation committed to serving its target markets for decades to come. Needless to say, HGF is not your average non-profit! That's why we are seeking a results-oriented, accomplished Director of Content to join our dynamic PJ Library team.