Manager/Director, Government & Interfaith Affairs

Jewish Federation of Orange County; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 72,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

Jewish Federation of Orange County in Irvine, California seeks a Manager/Director of Government & Interfaith Affairs to lead government engagement, interfaith relations, and civic volunteer mobilization across Orange County.

You will build relationships with city councils and school boards, coordinate advocacy on local and state issues, and ensure a credible presence in civic spaces while coordinating with the JFNA Frontline initiative.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in government relations, public affairs, community organizing, interfaith engagement, or a closely related field.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain relationships with city council members and school board members across Orange County.
• Invite elected officials to Federation events and create regular touchpoints between officials and Federation leadership.
• Facilitate Federation testimony and advocacy on legislation at local, county, and state levels.
• Establish active Federation presence in interfaith councils throughout Orange County.
• Recruit, train, and manage a network of community volunteers for civic engagement events.
• Develop trainings for civic volunteers on antisemitism, interfaith relations, and civic advocacy.

Skills

Government relations

Public speaking

Facilitation

Relationship building

Travel readiness

Organization

Microsoft Office

SalesForce

Tools

Microsoft Office

Salesforce

Job description

Status: Full-time salaried exempt position based at the Federation offices in Irvine, California

Salary: $72,000- $90,000; commensurate with experience

Reports To: Senior Director, Community Relations

The Manager/Director, Government & Interfaith Affairs is a key member of the Community Relations team. This position serves as the Federation’s primary professional for local government engagement, interfaith relations, and civic volunteer mobilization across Orange County’s municipalities and interfaith councils. The Manager/Director develops and maintains relationships with elected officials and faith community leaders, leads the Federation’s civic engagement work, and ensures Jewish Federation of Orange County has a consistent, credible presence in civic and interfaith spaces throughout the county. This position is supported in part through the Frontline Initiative of Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), a system-wide effort to strengthen the Jewish community’s response to antisemitism. This position reports to the Senior Director, Community Relations.

Essential Duties and 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
• Invite elected officials to Federation events, brief them on issues affecting the Jewish community, and create regular touchpoints between officials and Federation leadership
• Facilitate Federation testimony and advocacy on relevant legislation at the city, county, and state level
• Establish active Federation presence in all official interfaith councils across Orange County, positioning JFedOC 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
• Utilize Microsoft Office TM and SalesForce TM technology tools to coordinate and conduct activities
• Other duties as assigned

Other Requirements

• 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
• Knowledge of — or strong motivation to develop deep knowledge of — the Jewish community, antisemitism, and Israel-related advocacy
• 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
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel regularly across Orange County

What does it mean to be part of the JFedOC team?

We are a small team driven by intellectual curiosity that wants to build a more perfect world. We laugh and take the work seriously because we believe what we do is existential to the Jewish future. Beyond caring co-workers and friendship, we offer a generous and comprehensive employee benefits package.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Jewish Federation of Orange County is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with applicable law, we prohibit discrimination and harassment against employees, applicants for employment, individuals providing services in the workplace pursuant to a contract, unpaid interns, and volunteers based on their actual or perceived: race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles), religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition, genetic information, marital status (including registered domestic partnership status), sex and gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions), gender identity and gender expression (including transgender individuals who are transitioning, have transitioned, or are perceived to be transitioning to the gender with which they identify), age, sexual orientation, citizenship status, uniform service member status, military or veteran status, and any other consideration protected by federal, state, or local law.