DESCRIPTION
The Harold Grinspoon Foundation is seeking a dynamic Director of Family Experience Projects, PJ Library (PJL) to lead and manage key initiatives within the Family Experience department, ensuring the successful implementation of a diverse portfolio of projects. This role is integral to advancing the mission of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF), and the Family Experience departmental goals. More than 250 unique titles bearing the PJ Library logo are distributed annually across a growing number of markets, each an opportunity to engage the next generation of Jewish families in Jewish life. Above all, HGF wants a Director of Family Experience Projects whose love of Jewish stories and engagement shines through in everything they do, and who has a willingness to share that enthusiasm with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and PJ Library families across North America and the world. This position is an opportunity to work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment on a program that is making a significant, positive impact on the lives of children and families around the globe, while offering meaningful work, the chance to work with phenomenal colleagues, and an attractive compensation and benefits package. If you feel strongly that you’re a great fit, we want to hear from you!
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
PJ Library, a flagship program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, was launched with a humble beginning in 2005, sending books to children in western Massachusetts about Jewish holidays, culture, and values. Today PJ Library has grown into an internationally recognized $40M+ global cultural literacy venture. We partner with philanthropists and Jewish communities in more than 40 countries to provide families raising Jewish children with the gift of free high-quality children's books and resources that foster deeper engagement with Jewish life. PJ Library currently distributes approximately 680,000 books monthly and will continue to grow as we reach even more children around the world.
ABOUT THE POSITION
The Director will report to and work closely with the Director of Family Experience and collaborate regularly with various departments - including marketing, books, advancement, growth and partnerships, and international teams - as well as with the Director of Community Partnerships, the Director of Digital Content, the Creative Director, and Deputy Director of PJL. This position will liaise at depth with the Community Partnerships team’s Program Officers to manage and execute projects.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Grandparents and Parenting Programs:
- Work closely with the Family Experience Director to develop the strategic vision and execute key, multi-departmental initiatives related to parenting and parenting resources.
- Work closely with the Family Experience Director and Creative Director to make sure that PJ Library’s content arc and suite of accompanying materials is maximally leveraged.
- Work closely with the Family Experience Director and Advancement team on the development and execution of a comprehensive strategy to engage grandparents across all strata of PJL operations.
- Work closely with the Director of Community Partnerships to pilot, observe, and better understand the opportunities for grandparent engagement at the community level.
- Utilize data analytics to inform decision-making and improve project outcomes.
- Work with team members to audit current data collection and use.
Get Together:
- Hold the departmental vision and administrative wizardry of the hallmark Get Together program, working with the Get Together Project Manager to drive and optimize the program for maximum expansion and efficacy.
- Work within and across departments—including closely with the marketing team and Get Together Project Manager—to constantly assess and iterate the Get Together program for continuous improvement.
- Build a strategic plan for the next five years of Get Together growth and efficacy.
- Become an expert in best-practices in connection with micro-grant programs, in-home Jewish content, and havurah movements across North America.
Conference & Professional Development:
- Work closely with the Director of Community Partnerships and Program Officers to help manage learning opportunities for executives and directors of development as part of the executive stewardship plan.
- Assist in planning and coordinating discrete aspects of the annual PJ Library Conference in collaboration with the Director of Family Experience. Serve as a liaison to the Events team or broader conference planning team, and work with the Family Experience department to make sure the team is able to develop world-class content that relates to the broader arc of professional development and offers unique and value-added opportunities for stakeholders.
- Working with the Project Manager, administer Family Experience logistics, content development, and participant engagement for successful conference execution.
- Work with the Director of Community Partnerships, Program Officers, and other Family Experience team members to audit and craft a streamlined professional development strategy and determine who should design and deliver professional development and training experiences, drawing on a deep pool of internal talent and interests. Ensure that opportunities are engaging, relevant, impactful, and, most importantly, deeply tied to PJL’s books, book flaps, holiday guides, and HGF’s values and commitments. Collaborate with educational experts and the Program Officers to ensure content and curricula resonates with diverse audiences.
- Utilize data analytics to inform decision-making and improve project outcomes. Work with team members to audit current data collection and use.
Onboarding, Parent Connectors and Communities of Practice (COPs):
- Leverage data from the field and the expertise and talent of the Director of Community Partnerships and Program Officers so that they can develop and deliver world-class materials and programs to parent connections across North America.
- Work with Program Officers to support the development and maintenance of Communities of Practice to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing.
- Work with the Project Manager and entire Family Experience team to facilitate the creation and updating of bespoke onboarding videos, materials, and protocols to help the engagement team welcome and onboard executives, development professionals, program professionals, and parent connectors to the work of PJL
- Utilize data analytics to inform decision-making and improve project outcomes. Work with team members to audit current data collection and use
National & Military Communities
- Work with Director of Community Partnerships and Engagement Manager to utilize data analytics to inform decision-making and improve project outcomes.
- Work with team members to audit current data collection and use.
Digital Content
- Work with Director of Digital Content to optimize team resources, tackle digital content project management challenges, apply project-planning strategy and best practices, and help ensure that multi-channel departmental communication keeps information and systems flowing.
Liaison Duties:
- Serve as a liaison with the marketing, books, advancement, growth and partnerships, New York, and international teams to ensure cohesive messaging and alignment with goals.
- Work closely with members of the Books department and the Creative Director to make sure that content (including from books and book flaps) and themes (such as windows and mirrors) are being deployed strategically across all Family Experience work, and that rather than reinventing the wheel, the engagement team has timely and deep access to the wealth of PJ Library materials and is maximizing their use in the field.
- Work closely with the Director of Community Partnerships to coordinate efforts and maximize impact between the engagement team and other PJL teams.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Deep love of stories, especially Jewish stories
- A “do-er”, ready to roll-up their sleeves and get the job done, but also strategically delegates
- Takes pride in their work and has strategic vision, but leaves ego at the door in pursuit of collaborative excellence, synthesizing and raising up great ideas from all levels of an organization
- Proactive, resilient team-player with excellent communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills
- Possesses a driving desire and ability to work with diverse teams and stakeholders
- Welcomes challenges and possesses fantastic time-management and prioritization skills
- A bachelor’s degree in a related field. Advanced degree or certification(s) preferred
- Minimum of five years of experience in project management, program development, or a related role, ideally at least partially in a nonprofit setting
- Proven leadership and supervisory experience
- Experience with budget management and a track record of responsible spending and reporting
- Possesses a strong understanding of Jewish education and family engagement principles
- Energized by data-driven decision-making, and has proficiency in data gathering and analysis
- Deep passion for enhancing family experiences and commitment to the mission of HGF
- Hybrid (3 office – 2 remote) if within 50 miles of Agawam, MA or NYC. Remote otherwise.
- Travel for work four-to-six times a year, including but not limited to attendance at the annual PJ Library conference, home office visits (if remote), team retreats, and the opportunity to represent HGF to external stakeholders. These travel opportunities may range between two days and a week.
COMPENSATION
Salary
$100,000 - $110,000 annually
Benefits
Comprehensive benefits to include:
- Health Insurance
- Vision & Dental Insurance
- Flexible Spending Plan
- Short Term Disability Insurance
- Long Term Disability Insurance
- 401(k) Plan with Employer Match
- Paid Sick, Holiday and Vacation Time
- Beautiful offices with ample off-street parking
TO APPLY
Email letter of interest and resume to Brenda Wishart at: Brenda_Wishart@aspensquare.com.
HGF is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are welcome to apply.