Jobs Board

Director of New Emerging Leaders Fellowship

The Wexner Foundation is seeking a highly qualified candidate to serve as the director of a new leadership initiative (yet to be named) focusing on the leadership development of emerging professionals working in Jewish organizations.

WHO WE ARE

The Wexner Foundation develops and inspires leaders in the North American Jewish community and public service leaders for the State of Israel. Through diverse, cohort-based educational programs, the Foundation invests in promising professionals and volunteers, giving them tools to exercise transformative leadership. Working in partnership with other foundations, philanthropists, and local communities, the Foundation develops visionary, purpose-driven, and collaborative leaders. For more information, please visit the Wexner Foundation website.

A NEW PROGRAM FOR A NEW GENERATION OF LEADERS

For nearly four decades, the Wexner Foundation has invested in emerging Jewish professionals in North America through the Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholars Program (WGF/DS), focusing on full-time graduate students preparing for professional roles in the North American Jewish community. Over this period, we have seen significant changes in the field of higher education, professional trajectories, expanded opportunities for training/certification, and a growing list of professional development options within Jewish communal professional life. Our approach to leadership development has evolved over time, and we have come to believe that it is most effective when fellows apply their learning to their lived experience in professional settings. To that end, we are designing a new leadership initiative for talented emerging career professionals from across the spectrum of Jewish denominational and organizational life. This new initiative will complement our existing investment in more established Jewish professionals through the Wexner Field Fellowship (WFF). The new program will convene select cohorts of younger, emerging leaders currently employed full-time in a Jewish organization in North America. This initiative will be a three-year program focusing on building and strengthening core leadership competencies through an Adaptive Leadership framework and will incorporate Jewish learning competencies and leadership skill building. Fellows completing the active phase of the new program will join our robust alumni network that includes alumni of WGF/DS and WFF.

WHO YOU ARE

The Foundation is seeking a creative, strategic, visionary professional to serve as the founding director of this new leadership initiative. This position offers a unique opportunity to build, shape, and direct a transformative experience for the next generation of Jewish leaders. We seek a lifelong learner eager to mentor talent in this sector. As a core member of the Foundation’s Education Team, the director will work closely with the directors of the Wexner Field Fellowship and the Wexner Professional Alumni Network. Reporting to the vice president, the director will implement the design and launch, and manage all aspects of the program.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

The director of our new emerging leaders fellowship program will be expected to:

• Design and plan all elements (curricular, programmatic, and structural) of the program with support of colleagues.
• Oversee the program’s launch, outreach, and recruitment of applicants.
• Manage the selection process, including a web-based application.
• Develop and lead the program.
• Design and coordinate program institutes (2-3 per year).
• Recruit and hire faculty, coaches, and educators to work with fellows.
• Guide and mentor fellows and serve as a professional role model.
• Develop and implement program policies and expectations.
• Supervise aspects of the program coordinator’s work with program-related logistics and back-end support.
• Take part in Foundation-wide activities and collaborate on them, when appropriate.
• Work in coordination with our Foundation partners.

WHERE YOU SHINE

We seek a colleague who is:

• An exemplar of the leadership qualities valued by the Wexner Foundation, including humility, excellence, collaboration, curiosity, creativity, and humor.
• An agile team player who can work in a dynamic environment.
• Passionate about Jewish life and leadership in North America, committed to Jewish pluralism, and comfortable operating within the diversity of the North American Jewish community.
• Able to articulate and implement an educational vision.
• A thoughtful mentor, adept at guiding emerging professionals toward excellence.
• A lifelong learner well versed in Jewish life and learning, and an experienced educator.
• Familiar with budgets and financial statements.
• A strong communicator, orally and in writing.
• A professional with a growth mindset.
• Patient and calm under pressure.
• Organized and attentive to small details and the big picture.
• Willing to travel a minimum of 5 times per year for 3-5 days at a time.

WHAT YOU BRING

• Experience in leadership within a Jewish communal organization. We are open to a range of experience. Our goal is to find the right person. Regardless of your experience, we will invest in your success and growth.
• A graduate degree or equivalent preferred.

WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE

• Salary range of $130K-$140K commensurate with expertise and/or experience.
• Generous benefits package including medical, dental, and retirement plan.
• Meaningful work with skilled and caring colleagues.
• Professional development support.
• Relocation costs to Columbus, OH (if applicable).

This position is based in Columbus, OH and the Director will work in the Foundation’s New Albany, OH office. Start Date: Spring 2023.

HOW TO APPLY

Please send resume and a 1–2-page cover letter to Trisha Taylor, Program Coordinator at jobs@wexner.net