Background

At a consequential moment in Jewish history, Maimonides Fund (MF) is expanding our grantmaking and programmatic work in service of our mission in North America and Israel. Through strategic investments and targeted initiatives, including SAPIR: Ideas for a Thriving Jewish Future, we support serious ideas, strengthen institutions, and help create lasting impact across North American Jewish communal life and for the State and People of Israel.

The Opportunity

MF seeks to hire a Director of Maimonides Jewish Leadership Institute (MJLI) – MF’s new leadership offering, designed to cultivate a generation of Jewish leaders across a range of private and public sector industries. MJLI offers rigorous Jewish content alongside leadership formation and community building. The program responds to the post-October 7 landscape, and especially the heightened interest in Jewish life and Israel among so many American Jews, by giving individuals the confidence, knowledge-base, and network they need to lead as Jews in uncertain times.

The MJLI Director role combines public leadership and vision with institution building. The Director will preside over the rapid expansion of this new effort – hiring a team and solidifying programmatic, educational, and structural elements. The Director will report to Felicia Herman, Managing Director, North America, and will work in close partnership with MJLI faculty, the MF team, and Leadership & Gatherings staff.

Key Responsibilities:

• Represent MJLI publicly – as a thinker, leader, and spokesperson – shaping and articulating the program’s vision and purpose, while positioning it as a premier Jewish leadership platform.
• Shape the experience of each MJLI cohort, with attention to participant selection, cohort culture, and demonstrable outcomes.
• Engage directly with fellows at gatherings and events, cultivating individual relationships while leading and facilitating programming.
• Oversee the expansion of MJLI to create a robust learning and leadership journey at scale, aligned with MF’s ideals and goals.
• Work closely with Dr. Mijal Bitton and Rabbi David Wolpe to ensure intellectual vision translates into high‑quality, resonant in-person and virtual programming across the fellowship.
• Oversee the development of an alumni strategy that sustains a relationship between MJLI Fellows and MF and its network over the long term.
• Partner with senior MF leadership on strategy, growth, and resourcing decisions.
• Hire and manage a team of employees and consultants to fill out an agreed-upon staffing plan.
• Provide clear direction, feedback, and accountability to employees and consultants while maintaining a collaborative leadership culture.

You have:

• Leadership experience as the public head of an organization or significant program;
• Demonstrated success in scaling projects and/or organizations in an industry or non-profit setting;
• Extensive experience with talent acquisition and development, as well as performance management;
• Budgeting, forecasting, and resource allocation and management experience;
• Developed engaging and creative programming for accomplished individuals;
• The ability to command the attention of a room;
• A strong working knowledge of the organized Jewish community and Israel, and a well-developed network of contacts within the American Jewish communal ecosystem;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; and
• Sound professional judgment, objectivity, tact, and humility.

The Ideal Candidate

You are:

• Passionate about the Jewish People and the State and people of Israel;
• Comfortable setting programmatic priorities and leading a fast-paced expansion;
• Responsible for output and able to push your team towards a common goal;
• A people person, who easily makes meaningful and strong connections with others;
• A talented public speaker;
• Emotionally intelligent, with the ability to exercise discretion in difficult or confidential situations;
• Flexible, creative, and able to adapt to shifting priorities in a fast-paced, evolving organization;
• Willing to regularly travel nationally and internationally;
• Fluent – or willing to rapidly become so – in the use of AI to advance your work and thinking.

No candidate will have all of these, but please indicate relevant experience in any of these areas:

• Startup leadership;
• Jewish education, formal or informal/experiential;
• Leadership development

This is a full-time position, currently 4 days in-person in our Manhattan office and 1 day (Friday) remote.

Reports to: Managing Director, North America

Maimonides Fund is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to an inclusive work environment and

welcomes a diverse pool of candidates for this search.

$250,000 salary + bonus opportunities, including an excellent benefits package. Reasonable relocation expenses may be available to exceptional applicants.

If you are interested in this position, please click here to submit a resume and cover letter. All applicants will receive an email confirming receipt of their application.

We encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply even if you do not meet all of the qualifications outlined above.

Who We Are

Compensation and Benefits

Timeline and Next Steps

Work Environment

Submit an application

Dara Z. Klarfeld

President and Chief Executive Officer

dklarfeld@drgconsulting.com

Jessica Hammerman

Principal & Managing Director, Executive Search & Transition

jhammerman@drgconsulting.com