Summary
Jewish Silicon Valley (JSV) is seeks a dynamic and entrepreneurial leader to continue building this vital Jewish community organization created in February 2021 with the merger of two celebrated Jewish community organizations: the Addison-Penzak JCC (APJCC), which traces its roots to 1968, and the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley, founded in 1930. The talented and hard working professionals and volunteers at JSV work together to ensure a vibrant Jewish community in Silicon Valley by promoting the well-being of all people by providing visionary leadership, philanthropic support, and meaningful programs and experiences rooted in Jewish values and traditions. JSV’s mission is to harness the power of community to improve lives, build bridges of understanding, and strengthen the Jewish people here, in Israel, and around the world. The ideal CEO candidate will be an inspirational leader, an innovative and strategic thinker, excel at building relationships, have success in fundraising, and passionately further the mission of JSV.
About Jewish Silicon Valley
JSV is located in the heart of Silicon Valley (with Netflix literally in our backyard and Apple Computers main headquarters Spaceship less than ten miles from our campus. JSV is part of one of the nation’s largest Jewish communities within the San Francisco Bay Area and proudly connected to all the thriving JCC’s in Northern California.
JSV unites APJCC, Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley, and the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC). Located on the shared Levy Family Campus, JSV is rapidly becoming the hub of all things Jewish in Silicon Valley. JSV maintains onsite partnerships with Yavneh Day School and Jewish Family Services (JFS) and works closely with multiple organizations throughout Northern California. JSV provides, cultural, recreational, educational, and advocacy services supporting the region’s diverse Jewish community and reflecting the entrepreneurial, open, and progressive environment for which Silicon Valley has become famous.
JSV continues to grow its operations since the pandemic. All major programs are operating with preschool and camp recovering more quickly than fitness. JSV’s approximately $9M budget is based on a current business model that includes 41% of revenue from program fees, 26% from fitness membership dues, 25% from fundraising, and 8% from facility related sources. Programs powered by JSV include fitness and wellness, aquatics, healthy aging, Camp Shalom, preschool, Jewish life and culture, including programs for the local Israeli and Russian communities, PJ Library and other family programs, and outreach and advocacy programs through the JCRC. JSV programs are supported by almost 60 full-time staff and 100 part-time staff, with a healthy mixture of long-term and new staff members. JSV’s facilities (built in 2005) include a multi-purpose room, conference and meeting rooms, space for JFS and Yavneh day school, and fitness and aquatics facilities which include a fitness center with locker rooms, tennis and pickleball courts, indoor basketball courts, and an outdoor pool.
About Los Gatos and its Jewish Community
The Town of Los Gatos is nestled in the South Bay, 60 miles south of San Francisco. The Peninsula & South Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area is comprised of Santa Clara County (where Los Gatos is located), San Mateo County, and Santa Cruz County, and includes approximately 34% of the Jewish population of the Bay Area. The Jewish community in the Peninsula & South Bay region has a higher percentage of households with children and greater ethnic and racial diversity than other regions in the Bay Area.
Los Gatos is ideally situated a short scenic drive from beaches, hiking, skiing, and golf. San Francisco, 60 miles to the north, offers a wonderland of museums, restaurants, theater and outdoor recreational activities.
About the Position
The CEO of JSV will be a visionary, inspirational, and innovative leader who will report to, and partner with, the board of directors, engage key stakeholders and constituencies, and lead a dedicated staff in pursuit of the mission of JSV in the community. The CEO will assume overall strategic and operational responsibilities for JSV’s fundraising and programs. The CEO will define and advance the Jewish community’s agenda by convening and collaborating across the Jewish community and creating connections with the broader community. Early opportunities for CEO leadership are in building JSV brand awareness, working with the board to develop a pipeline of future leaders, revisiting the strategic plan, with a focus on fundraising and program growth.
The ideal CEO candidate will exemplify the following leadership competencies and fulfill the key responsibilities for each:
Provides Exemplary Executive Leadership
The CEO will lead with empathy, competence, and trust. The CEO will be relentlessly optimistic in pursuit of JSV’s mission, while balancing aspirational goals with realistic expectations and accountability. The CEO’s sound judgment will permeate through all significant aspects of planning, decision making, and problem-solving. The CEO will be a highly accomplished relationship builder, comfortable with all levels of constituencies from the most seasoned lay leaders to new young leadership, diverse constituencies, professional staff, general members, and those not yet engaged. The CEO will work in partnership with the board of directors in developing its governance capacity and building a pipeline of future lay leaders. A forward thinking, energetic individual, the CEO will promote a culture of inclusion and be a change agent to create ongoing excitement for JSV and the community.
Presents Visionary and Strategic Direction
The CEO will create and clearly articulate an exciting new vision identifying key strategic post-pandemic opportunities grounded in Jewish values. The CEO will actively build strong and lasting relationships between JSV, Israel, other Jewish and broader community organizations, donors, members and other important stakeholders. The CEO will leverage the innovative culture of Silicon Valley, managing current issues while planning for evolving business models in both the near and long term and well beyond the campus. The CEO will implement an all-encompassing and compelling vision that captures the energy of JSV and a robust, engaged and involved community going forward. The successful candidate will be a change-agent who can envision and execute a plan for the future.
Creates a Culture of Philanthropy
The CEO will serve as the chief fundraiser for JSV by being highly visible in the community and working closely with the Board of Directors, staff, and key stakeholders to cultivate, nurture, and maintain relationships with prospective and major donors and other key funders. The CEO will personally reach out to build relationships and cultivate new potential donors. Entrepreneurial and attuned to donor interests and concerns, the CEO will establish data-driven strategies and direct forward-looking practices to inspire philanthropy to invest in Jewish life in Silicon Valley, Israel and around the world by connecting people and igniting passion. The CEO will be innovative in identifying, prioritizing, and funding community needs in concert with developing and implementing of a plan for growth in JSV’s annual campaign to include reaching out to newcomers and disconnected community members, seeking grants from government and foundations, and generating support from business partnerships.
Represents the JSV in the Community
The CEO serves as the primary ambassador and spokesperson to both educate and promote JSV in every corner of the Jewish and broader communities, including highlighting partner agencies and beneficiaries. Building and nurturing effective collaborations and partnerships with local agencies, synagogues, governmental bodies, and other organizations, both Jewish and secular, locally, nationally, and internationally, for the benefit of the community will be a priority. The CEO will build JSV’s role as a resource, convenor, and facilitator of strategic partnerships, programs, and initiatives to strengthen the culture of cooperation within JSV and with its local agencies, synagogues and other organizations. In pursuing this role, the CEO will personally prioritize being a community builder, connector, and bridge builder within the Jewish community and among people of all faiths and cultures to promote a just, democratic, and pluralistic American society.
Displays Sound Staff Management Skills
The CEO will lead, coach, develop, empower, attract, and retain a high-performing senior management team. The CEO will create a positive culture of productivity, communication, collaboration, trust, inclusivity, belonging, feedback, and accountability. The CEO will establish short- and long-range strategic, programmatic, and financial goals and foster an environment where staff feel they can take risks in aspiring toward excellence in all areas of programming and operations. The CEO will challenge staff to continually improve operations, ensure programmatic excellence, and maintain financial sustainability. The CEO will support professional staff development by encouraging opportunities for growth and expansion. The CEO will lead by example, demonstrating the highest degree of integrity, personal and professional development, and accountability.
Equal Opportunity Employer
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, JSV does not discriminate against any job candidate or employee due to age, race, religion, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, membership in an employee organization, medical condition, family history, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, parental status or pregnancy, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law orordinance or regulation. In our workplace, we prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind.
