Program Manager, Resilient and Secure Community- San Diego

The Jewish Federations of North America, Inc.; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 86,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Jewish Federation of San Diego seeks a Program Manager to advance security, antisemitism response, and civic engagement by building strong relationships with business, interfaith, and civic leaders in the region. You will drive program growth, recruit and train delegations for state and national advocacy, and represent Federation at key convenings and meetings across San Diego County.

This role requires 5–7 years of relevant experience and a collaborative, entrepreneurial mindset.

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of program management, community relations, advocacy, or related field.
• Ability to build durable relationships across sectors.
• Grow established programs and build new initiatives from concept to launch.
• Working knowledge of state or federal advocacy and government relations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication under time pressure.
• Strong understanding of antisemitism and Jewish communal landscape.
• Project management for events and delegations.
• Comfort using AI to sharpen systems and extend reach.

Responsibilities

• Grow outreach to students and schools and expand partnerships.
• Coordinate inter-communal convenings to build cross-community alliances.
• Grow The Finest Community Coalition activities and annual gathering.
• Lead advocacy delegations to Sacramento and Washington, DC with partners.
• Engage civic leaders across San Diego and track meetings.
• Pilot new initiatives with an entrepreneurial, test-and-learn approach.
• Own evaluation tracker and priority metrics scorecard.
• Maintain clean data for internal and grant reporting.
• Represent Federation within and outside the Jewish community.

Skills

Relationship building

Advocacy

Program management

Communication

Event management

Policy engagement

Travel readiness

AI experimentation

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

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.

For 90 years Federation has worked to create a vibrant, caring, connected and enduring Jewish Community by strengthening Jewish identity, caring for Jews in need and fostering deep connections with Israel and Jews around the world. San Diego County is home to more than 100,000 Jews, in about 50,000 households. We are a thriving, vibrant, multi-faceted Jewish community of more than 100 Jewish communal organizations. More information about Jewish San Diego is available on our website, www.jewishinsandiego.org. Federation staff are passionate about community building, highly collaborative and always learning. We bring a wide range of experiences and backgrounds to our work and welcome all applicants for this dynamic position.

JOB SUMMARY

The Program Manager will be a highly visible member of Federation's team dedicated to fostering a secure and resilient community. This relationship-driven role is centered on building and deepening genuine connections with business, interfaith, and civic leaders who shape the region, working alongside them to identify meaningful, lasting ways to deepen their connection to San Diego's Jewish community. The Program Manager will help carry Federation's message to partners and allies and will represent Federation at convenings and one-on-one meetings.

Programmatically, the Program Manager will play an integral role in advancing several key initiatives, including The Finest Community Coalition, the Education Leaders Summit, and Student to Student. The Program Manager will also play a critical role in building civic engagement capacity within our community by helping to recruit for and train state and national lobbying delegations with Jewish California and Jewish Federations of North America.

This position will be responsible for developing and implementing strategies that:

• Build and deepen relationships with business, interfaith, and civic leaders across the San Diego region
• Address antisemitism proactively and reactively through coalition work and coordinated response
• Grow Federation's core portfolio of programs in this space and build new initiatives that round out the department's portfolio
• 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

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Program Manager will grow the reach and effectiveness of Federation's existing antisemitism response, civic engagement, and security programs. They will also play a leading role in building and piloting new initiatives. The Program Manager will work in strong partnership with colleagues across Federation, including the Community Security Director, the marketing and communications team, and the Director of Research, Evaluation and Innovation.

Specifically this position will

• Grow Student to Student into new schools and new categories of partner organizations against a defined growth target
• Conduct outreach and coordinate new signature inter-communal convenings that build cross-community solidarity and allies
• Grow the work of The Finest Community Coalition, including regular meetings of the organizations most active in this work, topic-specific convenings, and an annual gathering of the full 49-member coalition
• Project-manage and train advocacy delegations to Sacramento and Washington, DC, recruiting and preparing institutional leaders, security professionals, and lay leaders, assembling briefing books, and coordinating meeting schedules with Jewish California and Jewish Federations of North America
• Conduct outreach, engage directly, and track meetings with civic leaders across a variety of sectors in San Diego.
• Pilot additional net-new initiatives with an entrepreneurial, test-and-learn approach
• Own the department's evaluation tracker and priority metrics scorecard
• Keep program, participation, and relationship data clean, consistent, and current so the department can measure outcomes and adjust based on what it learns
• Compile the data behind regular internal reporting and grant reporting
• Represent Federation both within and outside of the Jewish community

EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, AND SKILLS

• 5-7 years of progressively responsible experience in program management, community relations, advocacy, or a related field, including leading programs or projects
• Demonstrated ability to build durable relationships across a variety of sectors
• Demonstrated ability to grow established programs against defined targets and to build new initiatives from concept to launch
• Working knowledge of state or federal advocacy, government relations, or elected-official engagement
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including drafting statements, talking points, and op-eds under time pressure
• Strong personal presence that educates, motivates and inspires collaboration
• Strong understanding of contemporary antisemitism and the Jewish communal landscape, including the ability to discuss Israel and antisemitism with people of varying educational, religious, and political backgrounds
• Project management experience, including events, delegations, and multi-stakeholder initiatives
• Comfort adopting new tools and platforms, including experience in experimenting with AI to sharpen systems and extend program reach
• Sound judgment and discretion in handling sensitive security‑related information
• Ability to work non-traditional hours, including occasional evenings and weekends, and to travel throughout San DiegoCounty as needed; valid driver's license required
• Performs other duties as assigned

EDUCATION

• Bachelor's degree required

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND EQUIPMENT

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, and talk or hear. Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. The employee must occasionally crouch, stoop, or reach. The employee must have the ability to travel and work weekends and evenings when needed (if applicable). This position is required to work onsite with the ability to work from home on most Fridays.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

This is a full-time position, working onsite in San Diego, CA, with the ability to work from home on most Fridays.

Compensation range:

$85,000 – $95,000 per year, with a generous benefits plan, retirement plan and comprehensive paid sick leave, vacation and 22 paid holidays per year.

Jewish Federation of San Diego is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veterans' status or any other protected category. Relocation assistance is not offered for this position. All qualified candidates must be able to provide proof of their ability to work in the United States without support. All candidates will be required to successfully complete a background check prior to beginning work at JFSD.