Program Manager, Resilient and Secure Community

Jewish Federation of San Diego; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Retirement plan

Paid time off

22 paid holidays

Health benefits

Job summary

The Jewish Federation of San Diego seeks an entrepreneurial, strategic Program Manager to advance security and resilience through civic engagement, coalition work, and leadership development. You will partner with business, interfaith, and civic leaders to grow initiatives and recruit state/national delegations.

Onsite in San Diego with occasional evenings/weekends, the role requires 5–7 years of related experience, a Bachelor's degree, and strong communication and project-management skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 5-7 years in program management, community relations, or advocacy.
• Strong knowledge of state or federal advocacy and government relations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to draft statements under time pressure.
• Comfort discussing Israel and antisemitism across diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to manage events, delegations, and multi-stakeholder initiatives.
• Willingness to work occasional evenings/weekends and travel across San Diego County.

Responsibilities

• Build relationships with business, interfaith, and civic leaders in San Diego.
• Address antisemitism proactively through coalition work and coordinated responses.
• Grow Federation's program portfolio and develop new initiatives.
• Recruit and train advocacy delegations for state and national engagements.
• Represent Federation to partners and the broader community.
• Expand Student to Student into new schools and partner organizations.
• Coordinate inter-communal convenings to build solidarity.
• Manage The Finest Community Coalition with meetings and events.
• Prepare briefing books and coordinate schedules for delegations to Sacramento and DC.
• Track meetings, data, and metrics; support grant reporting.

Skills

Relationship-building

Advocacy knowledge

Communication skills

Project management

Public speaking

AI tools familiarity

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

BACKGROUND

Jewish Federation of San Diego (JFSD) is looking for an entrepreneurial, strategic, and collaborative professional with a deep commitment to fostering a secure and resilient Jewish community through civic engagement, addressing antisemitism, and bolstering community security.

JOB SUMMARY

The Program Manager will be a highly visible member of Federation's team dedicated to fostering a secure and resilient community, building and deepening connections with business, interfaith, and civic leaders. The role advances initiatives including The Finest Community Coalition, the Education Leaders Summit, and Student to Student, and helps recruit and train state and national lobbying delegations with Jewish California and Jewish Federations of North America.

Responsibilities

• Build and deepen relationships with business, interfaith, and civic leaders across San Diego.
• Address antisemitism proactively and reactively through coalition work and coordinated response.
• Grow Federation's program portfolio and develop new initiatives.
• Build civic engagement capacity by recruiting and preparing community members for state and national advocacy delegations.
• Represent Federation to partners, allies, and the broader San Diego community.
• Expand Student to Student into new schools and partner organizations.
• Coordinate inter-communal convenings to build solidarity and allies.
• Grow The Finest Community Coalition, including regular meetings, topic-specific convenings, and an annual gathering of the full coalition.
• Project-manage and train advocacy delegations to Sacramento and Washington, DC; assemble briefing books and coordinate schedules.
• Conduct outreach, engage directly, and track meetings with civic leaders; pilot new initiatives; own the department's evaluation tracker and metrics scorecard; maintain clean program and relationship data; compile data for internal and grant reporting; represent Federation within and outside the Jewish community.

Experience, knowledge, and skills:

• 5-7 years in program management, community relations, advocacy, or a related field, including leading programs or projects.
• Proven relationship-building across sectors; ability to grow programs and launch new initiatives.
• Working knowledge of state or federal advocacy/government relations/elected-official engagement.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; ability to draft statements, talking points, and op-eds under time pressure.
• Strong personal presence; understanding of contemporary antisemitism and the Jewish communal landscape, with ability to discuss Israel and antisemitism across diverse backgrounds.
• Project management experience for events, delegations, and multi-stakeholder initiatives.
• Comfort adopting new tools and platforms, including experimenting with AI.
• Sound judgment handling sensitive security-related information.
• Ability to work non-traditional hours (occasional evenings/weekends) and travel throughout San Diego County; valid driver's license required.

Education:

Bachelor's degree required.

Physical requirements:

Regularly stand, walk, sit, talk/hear; occasionally lift/move up to 25 lbs; crouch/stoop/reach.

Onsite role with ability to work from home most Fridays.

Compensation and benefits:

Full-time, onsite in San Diego, CA. Salary range $85,000-$95,000 per year with generous benefits, retirement plan, comprehensive paid sick leave, vacation, and 22 paid holidays.

Equal opportunity employer.

No relocation assistance.

Must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Background check required.