Executive Director

The J Los Angeles (JLA) seeks an innovative visionary to take the helm of an organization with a rich history serving the Los Angeles Jewish and broader community by creating opportunities for gathering and learning. The new Executive Director will join JLA at a moment of great potential, playing a critical role in defining, implementing, and operationalizing JLA's strategy and ensuring the financial and operational sustainability of the organization. This individual will lead the organization in making critical decisions about the future of JLA, providing vision and strategy for how best to serve the community in a rapidly evolving and dynamic landscape.

This next leader will oversee numerous programs critical to the Jewish and broader Los Angeles community, and they will be tasked with generating the philanthropic and administrative support to ensure the success of JLA's current and future offerings. This influential leader will serve as the key people leader, inspiring and motivating a passionate staff and Board members who are eager to propel the organization into its exciting future. To this end, it will be important that this leader demonstrates strong partnership-building and operational skills, empowers staff, and possesses unquestionable integrity.

As the leader of JLA, the Executive Director will play a pivotal role and have the opportunity to impact and improve the lives of Jews and non-Jews across Los Angeles.

Minimum Qualifications:

• In partnership with the Board of Directors, develop a future-focused vision and strategy for JLA that responds to the needs of the community.
• Work with the Board and development team to articulate clear fundraising goals, aligned with the vision and strategy; then scale fundraising.
• Maintain and foster relationships with external partners, including the Jewish Federation Los Angeles, the Westside Jewish Center Apartments, SwimRight Academy, amongst others. Identify opportunities for new partnerships with likeminded, symbiotic organizations where the sum of the parts will be greater than the whole in serving the community in new and innovative ways.
• Foster collegiality and effectiveness, strengthening organizational capacity both within JLA and with other organizations to meet the needs of the community and achieve common goals.
• Oversee a passionate staff across a diverse portfolio of value-added services and program areas to best serve and engage the community.
• Develop appropriate infrastructure, communication, processes, and operational protocols to ensure the organization continues to level up and is positioned to achieve the strategic goals.
• Collaborate with Board members to develop and leverage their expertise, networks, and resources in support of the organization's mission while ensuring continued excellence in JLA's portfolio of programs and services efforts, to capitalize on the great opportunities that will be realized by expanding and improving JLA's facilities, services, and programs.
• Serve as the key spokesperson, ambassador, and champion of JLA to the community, partners, philanthropists, and donors as foster cohesive collaboration between programs and departments.
• Ensure the financial stability and integrity of JLA through responsible budgeting, planning, and stewardship.

Strategy & Vision

Experience creating an innovative vision, defining priorities and strategy to drive an organization forward and creating greater impact; experience and/or ability to creatively envision future landscapes and lead others to adapt to changing environments.

Additional Qualifications:

• Operational Management: Demonstrated track record of leading a comparable organization of similar scope and size. Demonstrates strong leadership, organizational, and people management skills, including a track record of developing staff and working collaboratively across an organization. Ability to upskill, coach, and delegate effectively.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Proven ability to engage diverse audiences, such as Board of Directors, donors, staff, and external partners. Brings sufficient knowledge of and/or high EQ to culturally connect across the diverse range of ethnic and religious communities in Los Angeles. Understanding of both pluralistic Jewish life and the religious spectrum.
• Fundraising Expertise: Strong fundraising acumen with experience developing revenue streams from individuals, corporations, foundations, and other sources; ability to be entrepreneurial/innovative in this arena.
• Innovative & Entrepreneurial: Applies an entrepreneurial approach and out-of-the-box ideas to create solutions.
• Mission Orientation: Passion for JLA's mission and demonstrated personal and professional commitment to Jewish life, learning, and Israel.
• Ambassador & Relationship-Builder: Empathic, approachable, and energetic ambassador who can inspire and energize internal and external stakeholders. Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to engage with the community at all levels, build relationships, networks, and partnerships. An active listener who can weigh varying points of view across a diverse stakeholder group, with the professional courage to make and communicate tough decisions when necessary.

Application Process:

Review of candidates will begin immediately. Applications (resume), inquiries, and nominations can be sent to: JLAED@heidrick.com

Agency Information:

For nearly 70 years, the J Los Angeles (JLA) has held a special place in the city. Opening its doors as Westside Jewish Community Center in 1954 as the successor to the Soto-Michigan JCC in the Boyle Heights neighborhood, it was established in response to the westward movement of the Jewish community towards the Fairfax and Beverly Hills areas. Since then, it has grown and thrived, enriching the lives of Angelenos through impactful programming, education, and meaningful connections.

JLA's mission is to build community based on Jewish values and connection to Israel by creating opportunities for gathering and learning from generation to generation. JLA reaches out to all Jews, and the greater community, by offering stimulating and innovative educational, social, cultural, recreational, and communal programs. JLA aspires to offer programming that provides meaning and purpose to Jewish lives, in a space that creates a sense of belonging for everyone it touches. The vision of J Los Angeles is to provide impactful and inclusive Jewish and communal experiences across the religious spectrum, denominational spectrum, socioeconomic and geographical boundaries of Los Angeles.

In 2023, Westside JCC leadership announced a rebrand to J Los Angeles, representing a modernizing of the organization's identity and making a statement that it will be an integral part of shaping the Los Angeles Jewish future.