Director, Response

Jewish-Child-&-Family-Service; Skokie (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 86,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Time off

Benefits

Competitive compensation

Job summary

Jewish Child and Family Services in Chicago seeks a Program Director to lead Response, a youth-focused program delivering prevention, mental health education, and outreach across the Jewish and broader community. You will oversee staff, budgets, strategic planning, and cross‑agency collaboration to meet community needs.

The role requires a Bachelor's (Master's preferred) in a related field, 5+ years managing community programs, and strong skills in leadership, budgeting, and stakeholder

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher preferred for program leadership roles.
• Five or more years of experience leading a community-based program.
• Two or more years of experience supervising staff.
• Knowledge of or experience working with adolescents and families.
• Experience developing and maintaining program budgets and data reporting.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the Response program to align with mission, values, and financial sustainability.
• Identify and implement new programming to address community needs.
• Stay current with trends and innovations in adolescent services.
• Lead strategic planning and annual goals for the program.
• Manage finances and collaborate on data collection and program evaluation.
• Perform record-keeping and administrative duties as required.

Skills

Leadership

Budget management

Staff supervision

Strategic planning

Stakeholder engagement

Nonprofit program mgmt

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Master’s degree in Non-Profit Administration/Business/Program Management or similar

Tools

Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook)

Job description

• Posted : July 31, 2026
• Full-Time
• Hybrid

Locations

Showing 1 location

The purpose of this position is to provide leadership and management of Response, a program of JCFS Chicago that is dedicated to helping adolescents in the Jewish and general community develop skills in communication, decision-making, and leadership needed to deal with life’s challenges. This includes overseeing an array of prevention programming, mental health/development education, reproductive health and justice advocacy, in addition to overseeing outreach and education staff, developing strategic and annual plans, maintaining budgets, and developing working relationships across the Agency and the community.

Responsibilities

Program Management

• Ensures the Response program remains aligned with organizational mission, values, strategic directions, and financial sustainability guidelines.
• Identifies, investigates, and recommends new paths for programming/services to address emerging adolescent, teen, and community needs.
• Keeps abreast of current trends, innovations, and emerging
• Facilitates changes in current programming to increase
• Collaborates to develop and implement the Response program’s strategic goals and objectives on an annual basis.
• Reports results on the Response program’s strategic goals and objectives on an as directed basis.
• Develops and maintains program finances and
• Collaborates with Agency resources to determine data collection and program evaluation standards.
• Performs record keeping functions and other administrative duties as required by the Agency.

Supervision

• Directly manage assigned Response staff including performance management activities, hiring and retention recommendations, and timekeeping
• Monitor and manage the daily workflow of the
• Lead, coach, mentor and instruct Response staff by providing ongoing
• Attend staff meetings and Agency offered professional development
• Represents Response and JCFS in a positive manner to both internal and external coalitions, task forces, committees, partner agencies, organizations, and key stakeholders.
• Cultivates and maintains strategic relationships with community partners and key
• Collaborates with Agency resources to identify and cultivate potential funders and supporters.
• Collaborates with Agency resources to develop and convey clear and effective messaging about Response programs and services.
• Progressive, social minded individual who practices cultural
• Enjoys, and has a strong desire to work with,
• Embraces and willing to take the lead in driving social
• Comfortable in a leadership
• Prioritizes, plans, and manages work activities and competing demands in a strategic and thoughtful manner.
• Enjoys communicating with wide variety of stakeholders including consumers, funders, volunteers, staff at all levels, and other community stakeholders.
• Completes work with a high level of independence, professionalism, and
• Speaks and writes clearly and informatively with a diverse range of stakeholders in varying mediums

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited Master’s degree in Non-Profit Administration, Business, Program Management or similar program preferred.
• Five or more years of experience leading a community-based
• Two or more years of experience supervising
• Knowledge of or experience working with adolescents and
• Knowledge of or experience with developing and maintaining program
• Able to work, interact, and communicate effectively with Jewish community leaders. Experience collaborating with or supporting programming within the Chicagoland Jewish community preferred.
• Strong proficiency in with Microsoft Office (2010) products, especially Excel, Word, and Outlook.
• This position requires site visits to locations which may or may not be accessible by public transportation and needs a reliable method of travel which allows you efficiently reach different sites in the Chicago metropolitan area.

WHAT YOU'LL LOVE ABOUT US:

• Time off: Paid time off varies by position – can include vacation days, sick days, paid federal holidays, and paid Jewish holidays.
• Benefits:Medical, dental, and vision insurance. 401(k) with base contribution and match. Additional health and wellness benefits, financial benefits, professional training, tuition reimbursement, 6 weeks paid parental leave, and much more.
• Compensation: Minimum compensation is $78,000.00

Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.

EEO Statement:

Jewish Child and Family Services is an Equal Employment Opportunity (“EEO”) employer. JCFS prohibits illegal discrimination and harassment and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, sex, age, religion, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, source of income, housing status, military service or discharge status, gender identity, genetic information, or any other protected category established by law, statute or ordinance.

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.