Director of Advocacy

Director of Advocacy

National Council of Jewish Women, Essex County Section

About NCJW/Essex:

We are the National Council of Jewish Women, Essex County Section (NCJW/Essex), a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action. Inspired by Jewish values, we strive for social justice by improving the quality of life for women, children, and families and by safeguarding individual rights and freedoms. We are an engaged and passionate group open to all.

Founded in 1912, NCJW/Essex has a proud history, an active present and an exciting future. Located in Livingston, New Jersey, we are one of the largest Sections of NCJW, Inc., a 130-year-old national organization that combines education, direct services and advocacy to effect lasting social change.

Members are at the core of NCJW/Essex, and we are proud to have hundreds of actively engaged, passionate, and committed volunteers who advocate and give their time, talents and treasure to create a world that demands and supports social and economic justice for all. We thrive on the input, ideas, and dedication of our members, who are supported by 10 professional staff members. As we like to say, our volunteer-led, staff-driven partnership is what makes the organization thrive and have an impact on the community!

Three signature programs serve as pillars for our organization: the Back 2 School Store which empowers thousands of Essex County children to achieve their academic potential by providing them with clothing, school supplies, personal care items and more; the Linda and Rudy Slucker NCJW/Essex Center for Women which provides counseling and other support for women entering or re-entering the workforce; and our advocacy programs that focus on significant issues critical to the health and safety of women, children and families, including reproductive health, rights, and justice; menstrual equity; gun violence prevention, anti-human trafficking, voting rights, antisemitism and anti-hate. We try to infuse an advocacy component into all our programs.

Open Position:

We’re seeking our next Director of Advocacy!

The Director of Advocacy is responsible for advancing NCJW/Essex’s advocacy initiatives in collaboration with volunteer leadership and coalition partners. The person in this position will bring people together, identify decision makers and areas of mutual interest, share their expertise and perspective, and collectively determine the best pathway forward. The Director of Advocacy is an experienced campaign planner, a strategic thinker, an influencer and has experience working as part of coalitions and event planning. They enjoy leading, as well as supporting the leadership of others, all with an eye towards improving quality of life for women, children and families in Essex County, New Jersey.

The Director of Advocacy reports to the Executive Director and works closely with the volunteer Vice President of Advocacy and other volunteer leaders as appropriate.

Are You Ideal for this Position?

You are a prime fit for this role at NCJW/Essex if:

• You thrive in a team environment and enjoy collaborating with others to identify and implement strategies to advance NCJW/Essex’s priority advocacy issues.
• You are energized by working in multiple coalitions and committees comprised of passionate people with diverse opinions and are confident you can diplomatically add your expertise to the conversation.
• You think strategically and can focus on strategies and actions that will help increase NCJW/Essex’s influence and further programmatic goals.
• You enjoy planning and implementing impactful events, including identifying and recruiting speakers. You are also a seasoned public speaker.
• You know when to take a leadership role in a project; versus when to provide the necessary support and follow-through while others are in charge and are comfortable with each approach.
• You are an excellent communicator, are highly organized and efficient, manage your time well and have outstanding problem-solving skills.
• You are positive, patient and enjoy working with both lay leaders and professionals.

Your areas of knowledge and expertise will include:

• A strong commitment to and passion for the mission and work of NCJW/Essex.
• A four year or advanced degree.
• At least 3-years successful advocacy campaign experience in a leadership capacity, including research, campaign planning, targeting and implementation, identifying and influencing decision makers, and managing coalition partnerships.
• Generating engagement around priority issues and programs.
• Lobbying experience, including setting up meetings, identifying areas of common ground and coordinating talking points, training volunteers to advocate and post-meeting follow up.
• A high degree of comfort with technology, including:
  • Excel.
  • Constant Contact (or other email marketing database).
  • EveryAction (or other constituent relationship management platforms).
  • Other data management software.
• A demonstrated ability to follow up and follow through on work product.
• Experience with community organizing and/or New Jersey state and local politics and issues a plus.

If this sounds like you, we strongly encourage you to apply!

Your Contributions to NCJW/Essex’s Success will include:

• Advancing priority advocacy initiatives by creating and implementing advocacy campaigns, engaging members and coalition partners, and influencing decision makers.
• Regularly communicating with and coordinating campaign strategies with volunteer leadership and community partners.
• Cultivating new and existing relationships with volunteer leaders, individuals, coalition partners, decision makers, community groups, and more.
• Occasional travel to Trenton, New Jersey and/or Washington D.C.
• Providing support for volunteers and volunteer leadership as necessary.
• Professionally representing NCJW/Essex in the community.
• Following all NCJW/Essex policies and procedures.
• Other duties as assigned.

Salary and Benefits:

This position is full-time at 35 hours/week and can be flexible to a qualified candidate’s schedule, including some working time outside of traditional working hours. The starting wage for this position will be up to $38/hour or $69,160/year. This position may be eligible for bonus or other supplemental compensation in accordance with the terms of any additional compensation programs that may be implemented at NCJW/Essex’s discretion. We offer paid vacation and sick leave, generous paid holidays, health insurance, a flexible spending account, and 403B retirement plan to eligible employees.

To Apply:

Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter and resume. Electronic submissions only, and please, no phone calls.

NCJW/Essex is an equal opportunity employer and we recruit, hire, train, promote, compensate, and administer all personnel actions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, culture, age, creed, disability, ancestry, medical condition, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship status, or any other protected status.

For more information on NCJW/Essex, please visit https://ncjwessex.org/.