Senior Director, Governance and Leadership

The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington seeks a Senior Director, Governance and Leadership. This is a senior strategic leadership role in the Jewish Leadership & Learning (JLL) Department. JLL strengthens Federation’s capacity to realize its vision and strategic priorities by cultivating the talent, skills, and relationships of lay and professional leaders—embedding a culture of leadership across governance, programming, and community-building.

This role is responsible for strengthening Federation’s governance infrastructure and building a deep, diverse, and values-driven pipeline of lay leadership. This role oversees the systems, structures, and programs that engage, develop, and sustain high-caliber volunteer leadership—ensuring alignment between governance, leadership development, and Federation’s organizational priorities and long-term community impact. The role is also responsible for leading intentional efforts to build an effective and trust-based culture of lay-professional partnership across the organization.  

Reporting to the Chief of Staff, the Senior Director partners at the highest levels of lay and professional leadership—including the Board Chair, Chair of Leadership, Chair of Governance, and Community Leadership Council (CLC) Chair—and serves on the staff leadership working group for strategic planning. The Senior Director also leads and develops a team of three to four direct reports. 

Key Responsibilities 

Board Governance and Executive Partnership 

• Partner with the Chief of Staff to manage and support the Governing Board and Board Chair, serving as a primary staff liaison for the board’s governance functions. 

• Serve as lead staff for the new Governance Committee of the Board, developing its structure, agenda, and operational cadence. 

• Work closely with the Chair of Governance and Chair of Leadership to advance governance priorities and ensure strong lay-professional partnership. 

• Lead and manage the Board evaluation process, identifying opportunities to strengthen board performance, engagement, and accountability. 

• Oversee bylaws review and revisions, ensuring governance documents remain current, compliant, and aligned with Federation’s evolving structure. 

Governance Systems and Best Practices 

• Develop and implement best-practice systems and processes for governance across the Governing Board, Community Leadership Council, and standing committees. 

• Lead the Nominations Committee processes for both the Governing Board and the CLC, managing timelines, criteria, outreach, and onboarding of new leaders. 

• Work to clarify committee portfolios, role expectations, and governance responsibilities to support effective lay-professional relationships across the organization. Oversee intentional and broad-base efforts to build a culture of trust-based lay-professional partnerships. 

• Lead the Leadership Strategy Committee/JLL Task Force, ensuring it is well-structured, strategically focused, and effectively advancing Federation’s leadership agenda. 

Community Leadership Council (CLC) Oversight 

• Oversee the strategic direction of the Community Leadership Council in partnership with the CLC Chair and Director of Convening. 

• Ensure the CLC is functioning as an effective vehicle for community-wide leadership engagement, strategic input into Federation priority-setting, and community needs identification. 

• Support effective integration of the CLC with other Federation departments, including Impact, to foster cohesion and shared purpose. 

• Manage the CLC Nominations process, including cycle planning, leader identification, and onboarding. 

Leadership Pipeline Development 

• Oversee Federation’s leadership pipelining work, designing and operationalizing the systems and processes that identify, track, develop, and sustain high-potential lay leaders across governance and programming. 

• Build and manage leadership pathway tools in Dynamics/CoPilot to support data-informed decisions about leadership engagement and succession. 

• Develop on- and off-ramping procedures for Governing Board and CLC leaders, including robust onboarding and alumni/veteran engagement strategies. 

• Cultivate diverse leadership pathways that reflect the breadth of Greater Washington’s Jewish community, with intentional attention to geographic diversity (including Northern Virginia). 

Leadership Programming 

• Develop and oversee all of Federation’s leadership programming, integrating Jewish values, leadership skill-building, and community vision across program design. 

• Co-facilitate the Jewish Community Leadership Program (JCLP) in partnership with the Chief of Staff—a flagship year-long program designed to inspire and develop top communal lay leaders. 

• Oversee Federation’s partnership with the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, leveraging this relationship as a platform for thought leadership and Jewish learning for lay leaders and professionals. 

• Develop a measurement and evaluation framework for leadership programs, building a theory of change and shared metrics to demonstrate impact and guide resource allocation. 

Team Leadership

• Foster a culture of strategic clarity, professional growth, and collaborative excellence within the team. 

• Consult across JLL and other Federation departments to embed a culture of leadership in all organizational strategies. 

• Serve on the staff leadership working group for strategic planning, co-led by the Chief of Staff. 

Growth and Innovation Opportunities 

The Senior Director will have opportunities to shape emerging areas of Federation’s leadership agenda, including: 

• Overseeing the development of Immersive Experiences in partnership with the Federation Resource Development (FRD) team, building high-impact engagement opportunities for lay leaders. 

• Developing a future Jewish Learning initiative that expands Federation’s capacity to provide meaningful Jewish educational content as part of its leadership ecosystem. 

Qualifications 

Required 

• 8+ years of progressive professional experience in nonprofit leadership, governance, organizational development, or a related field. 

• Demonstrated experience managing complex governance structures, volunteer leadership, and board relations. 

• Proven track record designing and implementing leadership development programs and pipelines. 

• Exceptional relationship-building and interpersonal skills; ability to work effectively with senior lay leaders, executives, and diverse stakeholders. 

• Strong strategic thinking, systems-building, and project management capabilities. 

• Experience supervising and developing teams; ability to coach staff at multiple levels. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including facilitation and presentation. 

• Commitment to JFGW’s mission and values; understanding of and connection to the Jewish community. 

Preferred 

• Experience in the Jewish communal nonprofit sector or a similarly complex membership/governance-driven organization. 

• Familiarity with Jewish learning frameworks and content (e.g., Shalom Hartman Institute programming, Jewish text study). 

• Experience with measurement, evaluation, and theory of change development for leadership or educational programs. 

• Familiarity with CRM or leadership tracking platforms (e.g., Microsoft Dynamics, CoPilot). 

Key Relationships 

• Chief of Staff (direct supervisor and strategic partner) 

• Board Chair and Governing Board leadership 

• Chair of Leadership and Chair of Governance 

• Community Leadership Council Chair and members 

• JLL Division team (direct reports and colleagues) 

• Federation Executive Team and cross-functional department heads 
• External partners including the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America 

How We Support You 

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage  

• Retirement plan with employer contribution  

• Generous paid time off, including Jewish holidays  

• Up to 6 weeks of paid parental leave (after one year)  

• Commuter bonus  

• Hybrid work environment  

The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington brings people together, mobilizes resources, and drives impact to strengthen Jewish life across Greater Washington and beyond.  We serve as a strategic leader, convener, and catalyst, working across organizations, leaders, and communities to identify priorities, align efforts, and respond to evolving needs. By connecting people, resources, and ideas, we help drive coordinated action and build a vibrant Jewish future. Learn more at shalomdc.org.