Repair the World is a national nonprofit organization that works to inspire American Jews and their communities to give their time and effort to serve those in need. We support and create effective opportunities to volunteer, bring more young people into service and connect service to Jewish learning and values.
The organization, headquartered in midtown Manhattan with satellite offices in Seattle and Detroit, began an exciting start-up phase in 2009. We are continuing to build a team of fast-paced, highly-talented individuals to help shape the future of the organization and ensure the success of its mission. Repair the World provides an entrepreneurial, collegial and results-oriented culture. In late 2011, Repair will be launching the first Campaign for Jewish Service, an effort to mobilize the American Jewish community toward effective volunteering related to education and literacy.
Repair the World has created an exciting new position for a Director of Volunteer Initiatives to spearhead the following vital, interrelated functions:
· Leads and manages the programmatic side of the Campaign for Jewish Service – focused on effective models of volunteering related to education and literacy.
· Spearheads and manages the first service campaign, focusing on literacy, with particular emphasis on the work of the National Jewish Coalition for Literacy (NJCL):
· Serves in lead staff role to support Repair’s partnership with NJCL and the Jewish Council on Public Affairs (JCPA), to increase and enhance literacy through American Jewish volunteerism.
· Provides NJCL affiliates and other potential partners with literacy best practices to improve literacy among students and adults, expand the affiliate network and broaden educational support efforts.
· Works with NJCL affiliates and other potential partners to implement volunteer engagement best practices to increase the number of volunteers, diversify the volunteer corps and infuse Jewish values into the volunteer experience.
· Develops other volunteer partnerships among Jewish and secular organizations in areas such as mentoring, college access, after-school programming and financial literacy.
· Positions the Jewish Service Campaign as a model for future national Jewish service initiatives by Repair the World, documenting and systematizing the effort.
· Plans and manages the programmatic side of future Campaigns for Jewish Service.
· Works with Repair staff to launch and communicate the intent of the program to stakeholders.
This position reports to the CEO. The Director of Volunteer Initiatives bears overall responsibility for carrying out the strategic vision and operations of all education-related volunteer activities, ensuring that plans are implemented in consideration of Repair the World strategic goals and priorities. The Director will manage the partnership with NJCL and JCPA, while also cultivating high level relationships with national leaders in the literacy, service and Jewish nonprofit sectors as they relate to the literacy campaign and future campaigns. The Director of Volunteer Initiatives will also work with consultants and with all other Repair the World staff to advocate, champion and provide professional support for the Jewish Service Campaign. In particular, the Director will partner closely with Repair’s Vice President of Partnerships and Vice President of Marketing & Communications.
The ideal candidate is a proven leader in his/her field with a record of documented success in program development, program management, volunteer engagement, service, management and in cultivating national partnerships, with literacy experience preferred. S/he will be an entrepreneurial and strategic thinker, dedicated to excellence, highly energetic, collaborative and hands-on. Superlative written and verbal communication skills as well as attention to detail are essential.
· Develop and implement a dynamic and comprehensive plan to attract, engage and support volunteers through the first initiative of the Campaign for Jewish Service, which focuses on education and literacy and to position Repair the World as a leader.
· Direct and manage Repair the World’s literacy initiative, including:
· managing the partnership with the National Jewish Coalition for Literacy (NJCL),
· assessing the needs of NJCL affiliates and those of other potential partners,
· developing program benchmarks for success,
· creating an organizational structure to streamline performance and improve communication among the affiliates and partners,
· implementing evaluation metrics,
· sharing best practices in literacy programming to increase effectiveness of the program,
· aligning the work with broader national education support efforts and
· expanding the number of NJCL affiliates and strategically partnering with other organizations to serve more individuals.
· Articulate the impact of all initiatives and volunteer engagement to internal and external stakeholders, including grantee-partners.
· Effectively manage the partnerships with NJCL and JCPA, as well as cultivate other national partnerships to advance service initiative goals.
· Track trends relevant to service initiatives (including volunteer engagement, literacy, education and service) and adjust plans to leverage opportunities and maintain Repair the World’s position as a leader.
· Lead NJCL affiliates and other partners in identifying and embracing volunteer engagement strategies that will:
· increase the number of literacy volunteers,
· bring new groups of volunteers to NJCL’s work (including teens, college students and young adults),
· build affiliate capacity to help create additional resources for the organization and mission-fulfillment and
· model and eventually build on these types of partnerships for similar results on future Campaigns for Jewish Service.
· Engage volunteers in leadership roles at the national level to improve the effectiveness of all Campaigns for Jewish Service while modeling high-impact volunteer engagement.
· Together with affiliates and other Service Campaign partners, identify needs for volunteer and staff training and support, and ensure that they are fulfilled through collaborations with community nonprofits, schools, volunteer centers, technical assistance providers, etc.
· Implement the programmatic vision for all Campaigns for Jewish Service in alignment with Repair the World’s strategic priorities, including the necessary resources, tasks to be undertaken and the anticipated short- and long-term outcomes of the effort.
· Develop and maintain effective controls to ensure organizational integrity and to assure that projects within her/his areas of responsibility are completed in a timely manner and within budget.
· Directly supervise Campaign for Jewish Service leadership volunteers and team members, developing and monitoring work plans, appraising results and providing professional development opportunities.
· Build/convene learning communities, task forces and other teams throughout Campaign for Jewish Service initiatives.
· Ensure consultants are engaged with Repair the World team members on Campaign for Jewish Service initiatives as appropriate.
· Research, identify and cultivate national organizations and community groups, businesses and government organizations for innovative and entrepreneurial solutions to Campaign for Jewish Service initiative challenges.
· Operating Practices: Assess need for standard program practices and operations among the NJCL affiliates and other partner programs; develop and implement these practices throughout the network.
· Training: Assess need for training in areas relevant to the volunteer initiatives, such as literacy best practice, volunteer engagement and implementation of standard program practices; develop and facilitate effective and efficient training.
· Manage Information: Filter multiple data sources and determine what information is needed to make decisions or inform/educate others.
· Risk Management: Anticipate potential risks and proactively address them; avoid putting the organization and its staff members and volunteers in jeopardy.
· Technology Acumen: Advocate for and value the benefits of technology in furthering the mission of the literacy initiative.
· Volunteer Engagement and Service: Demonstrates knowledge of best practices in the fields of volunteer engagement and service, including volunteer cultivation and support, national service programs and other emerging trends in skilled volunteerism, micro-volunteerism, generational shifts and pro bono volunteers.
· Literacy and Education: Demonstrates knowledge of best practices in the literacy field, including program models and development, curriculum development and delivery, volunteer engagement strategies and emerging trends.
· Program Management: Has experience successfully managing complex programs and projects from inception through implementation and evaluation, maintaining schedules, communications and budget.
· Change Management: Has experience successfully bringing together disparate constituents and implementing changes in program, resources, volunteer engagement and management for increased impact.
· Talent Management: Demonstrates knowledge of traditional volunteer management methodology and experience innovating in service, volunteer engagement and capacity building.
· Communication: Demonstrates ability to effectively communicate specialized information orally and in writing. Facilitates and fosters open exchange, leveraging technology wherever appropriate.
· Collaboration: Experience using collaborative team models to build support for literacy initiatives; knowledgeable about community resources, including volunteer and government agencies; superior internal consultancy skills to existing constituents.
· Financial Management: Experience preparing, justifying and/or administering a budget of at least $200,000; experience planning, administering and monitoring expenditures to ensure cost-effective support of programs, personnel and policies.
· Decision Making: Listens and clarifies as needed, analyzes problems to arrive at conclusions and makes sound, well-informed decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; is – and is seen as – a catalyst for change and collaboration.
· At least 5 years progressively responsible, directly relevant work experience
· 5-7 years’ experience, minimum, supervising staff and/or volunteers
· Demonstrated abilities as a project manager, team builder and leader in a fast-paced work environment
· Demonstrated success defining and engaging diverse audiences
· Knowledge of volunteerism/service sector and knowledge of the Jewish communal sphere a plus
· Strong ability to use technology as a communication, project management and convening tool
· Recent experience as a volunteer (need not be Jewish)
· Genuine interest in and passion for the organization’s mission
· B.A. degree; advanced degree preferred
Please send résumé and cover letter to hiring(at)weRepair.org, subject line “Director of Volunteer Initiatives.”
Repair the World provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, citizenship, creed, genetic disposition or carrier status, national origin, disability, marital status or any other protected trait or characteristic as established by law.
Filed under: Full Time, Just Listed, NYC, NYJJB Featured Jobs, Non-Profit.
