Director, Civic Engagement & Interfaith Affairs

The Jewish Federations of North America, Inc.; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 72,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Jewish Federation of Orange County is seeking a Manager/Director, Government & Interfaith Affairs to lead local government engagement, interfaith relations, and civic volunteer mobilization across Orange County.

You will develop relationships with elected officials and faith leaders, coordinate civic initiatives, and support responses to antisemitism, reporting to the Senior Director, Community Relations. The role requires travel and evening/weekend commitments.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in government relations, public affairs, community organizing, interfaith engagement, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain relationships across diverse civic, political, and faith community institutions.
• Strong public speaking and facilitation skills; comfortable representing the Federation in public forums.
• Highly organized and self-directed, with the ability to manage multiple relationships and initiatives simultaneously.
• Willingness to work evenings and weekends for community events, city council meetings, and interfaith engagements.
• Ability to travel nationally for professional development, including annual gatherings as part of the JFNA Frontline cohort.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain direct relationships with city council members and school board members across all Orange County municipalities, expanding the Federation’s active government partnerships beyond its current footprint
• Establish active Federation presence in all official interfaith councils across Orange County, positioning JFederationOC as a core partner in county-wide interfaith efforts
• Develop joint initiatives with faith community partners to prevent antisemitism and strengthen community resilience
• Recruit, train, and manage a network of community volunteers through Federation’s civic engagement work, deploying volunteers to city council meetings, school board sessions, and interfaith council events
• Develop and deliver regular trainings for civic volunteers on topics including antisemitism, interfaith relations, civic advocacy, and incident response
• Serve as a liaison between Federation leadership and local officials when antisemitic incidents occur, supporting rapid coordination and community response
• Collaborate with law enforcement and security partners to maintain appropriate incident response capacity
• Participate in system-wide Frontline professional development, training, and cohort opportunities through Jewish Federations of North America, including annual national gatherings
• Other duties as assigned

Skills

Government relations

Public speaking

Facilitation

Relationship building

Event coordination

Travel-ready

Job description

Jewish Federation of Orange County is seeking a Manager/Director, Government & Interfaith Affairs to lead local government engagement, interfaith relations, and civic volunteer mobilization across Orange County.

You will develop relationships with elected officials and faith leaders, coordinate civic initiatives, and support responses to antisemitism, reporting to the Senior Director, Community Relations. The role requires travel and evening/weekend commitments.