Director, Civic Engagement & Strategic Partnerships

Passion. Purpose. Impact.

CJP is at the heart of Greater Boston's Jewish community, but our reach is felt around the world. Ranked by BBJ as Massachusetts' largest nonprofit organization, CJP is a philanthropic investor and mobilizer of people, resources, and skills that make a bigger difference locally and globally. We focus on making Jewish life and learning accessible to all individuals and families in Boston and beyond. We thoughtfully invest in the care and well-being of all community members. And we provide stability and growth to nonprofit organizations and institutions that underpin our community.

Our greatest resource is our people, the staff, volunteers, partners, and leaders who help make Greater Boston's Jewish community a welcoming home. It is this energy and commitment that drive CJP's mission.

CJP's Center for Combating Antisemitism (CCA) mobilizes partners and resources to make antisemitism in Greater Boston socially and politically unacceptable.

Position Overview:

The Director, Civic Engagement and Strategic Partnerships serves as a key member of CCA's team responsible for advancing CJP's civic engagement and community relations strategy through relationship-building, partnership development, and implementation of CJP's civic relationship management framework.

Reporting to the Associate Vice President, this role leads efforts to strengthen relationships with civic, business, nonprofit, faith, educational, and community leaders across Greater Boston. The Director will be responsible for implementing CJP's civic relationship strategy and infrastructure, stewarding key partnerships, coordinating engagement across stakeholders, and helping advance CJP's long-term vision for social and civic change.

Building on CCA's leadership as one of the first Federation-based initiatives to develop a comprehensive local strategy to address antisemitism, the Director will help deepen and sustain the relationships, infrastructure, and cross-sector partnerships needed to achieve lasting impact. The position will also contribute to CJP's growing role as a national thought partner and resource to other local efforts seeking to strengthen local civic engagement and community relations efforts.

CJP is not able to offer visa sponsorship for this position. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without visa sponsorship.

Essential Functions:

Civic Engagement and Community Relations

• Develop and implement CCA's civic engagement strategy in partnership with CCA leadership.
• Build, steward, and strengthen relationships with civic, business, nonprofit, faith, labor, educational, and community leaders throughout Greater Boston.
• Identify opportunities to expand CJP's network of strategic relationships and partnerships.
• Represent CJP and CCA in external meetings, coalitions, task forces, convenings, and community initiatives.
• Serve as a connector between CJP, community stakeholders, and external partners to advance shared priorities.
• Develop engagement strategies that strengthen trust, collaboration, and mutual understanding across communities.

Strategic Partnerships and Relationship Stewardship

• Lead implementation of CJP's civic relationship cultivation framework as a core component of CCA's civic engagement strategy.
• Develop and maintain systems for relationship stewardship, coordination, and strategic engagement.
• Partner across CCA, JCRC, and other CJP teams to strengthen coordination and clarify relationship ownership.
• Ensure relationship insights and priorities inform outreach, partnership development, and strategic decision-making.
• Partner with CRM, technology, and data teams to embed relationship management practices into organizational systems.
• Monitor and strengthen the overall health of CJP's civic engagement ecosystem.

Strategic Partnership Development

• Cultivate and manage civic partnerships that advance CCA priorities across workplace engagement, grassroots leadership, civic leadership engagement, K-12 education, higher education, and cross-community engagement.
• Support implementation of recommendations emerging from the Massachusetts Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism and related civic initiatives.
• Manage relationships with key partner organizations, consultants, grantees, and implementation partners.
• Identify opportunities for collaboration that advance CJP's strategic priorities and create greater collective impact.
• Support efforts to align and coordinate stakeholder engagement across the broader Jewish communal ecosystem.

Convenings and Civic Leadership Engagement

• Design and lead convenings, roundtables, briefings, and learning opportunities for civic, business, nonprofit, faith, and community leaders.
• Foster opportunities for collaboration among partners working to address antisemitism and strengthen civic relationships.
• Support development and implementation of workplace, grassroots, civic leadership, and community engagement initiatives.
• Convene stakeholders around emerging opportunities and challenges facing Greater Boston's Jewish community.
• Create opportunities for relationship-building and shared learning across sectors.

Learning, Evaluation, and Field Building

• Partner with CJP’s Research and Evaluation team to contribute to learning and evaluation efforts that assess the strength and effectiveness of CJP's civic engagement strategy.
• Identify emerging trends, opportunities, challenges, and partnership needs across sectors.
• Document lessons learned and promising practices from Greater Boston's experience.
• Share insights and best practices with Federation colleagues and peer communities nationally.
• Support CJP's role as a national resource and thought partner on local, relationship-driven approaches to combating antisemitism.
• Help advance the field's understanding of how civic engagement, community relations, and relationship-building contribute to long-term efforts to address antisemitism.

Development and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Development staff to communicate CCA's impact through reports, presentations, donor materials, and briefings.
• Work collaboratively with Communications, Strategy & Impact, JCRC, Communal Security, and other internal teams to align efforts and advance shared priorities.
• Effectively represent CCA to colleagues, community leaders, and stakeholders.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education:

• BA/BS in Public Affairs, Public Policy, Political Science, International Affairs, Community Development, Communications, Nonprofit Management, Business, Social Work, or a related field.

Experience:

• 7+ years of experience in community relations, civic engagement, public affairs, coalition building, nonprofit leadership, government relations, or related fields.
• Demonstrated success building and managing relationships across multiple stakeholder groups.
• Experience working with civic, business, nonprofit, faith, educational, or government leaders.
• Experience developing and implementing community engagement or partnership strategies.
• Proven ability to navigate complex organizational environments and build alignment across diverse perspectives.
• Experience translating strategic priorities into action and results.
• Familiarity with CRM systems, relationship management tools, and stakeholder engagement practices preferred.
• Experience working in the Jewish communal sector, community relations, public affairs, or advocacy environments preferred.

Skills/Competencies:

• Exceptional relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong facilitation, convening, and coalition-building abilities.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to connect relationships and partnerships to organizational goals and community impact.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Political acuity and ability to navigate sensitive and complex issues.
• Ability to build trust and credibility with diverse stakeholders.
• Comfort working effectively across departments, organizations, and sectors.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Collaborative, entrepreneurial, and solutions-oriented mindset.

Other

• Commitment to CJP's mission.
• Passion for combating antisemitism and strengthening civic life.
• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends.
• Ability to travel to outside meetings and sites, including occasionally nationally and internationally.

Working Conditions

• Hybrid Work Schedule: CJP staff follow a hybrid work model. On-site work is required on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, while remote work is an option on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, with occasional in-person meetings on those days. Ability to attend evening and weekend engagements as necessary.
• Physical Requirements: This role involves remaining in a stationary position, often sitting or standing for prolonged periods, primarily working at a computer. Staff need to be able to carry a laptop and bag to and from the office.

Inclusivity: We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for individuals of all abilities and backgrounds.