Director of Labor and Civic Partnerships

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer, St. Paul Jewish Federation, and Chief Executive Officer, Minneapolis Jewish Federation. The St. Paul CEO serves as the administrative supervisor; both CEOs share goal-setting and performance evaluation.
Status: Full-time/Hybrid, exempt, 37.5 hours/week
Salary: $90,000-$110,000/year based on experience

Job Summary: The St. Paul Jewish Federation and Minneapolis Jewish Federation, in close partnership with the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC), seek a strategic and relationship-driven Director of Labor and Civic Partnerships to expand the Jewish community’s engagement with organized labor and other civic and progressive spaces across Minnesota. The Director will build relationships in communities where the organized Jewish community has historically had less sustained engagement, developing partnerships and strategies that address antisemitism, strengthen Jewish inclusion, and deepen understanding of Judaism, Jewish identity, antisemitism, Israel, and the Holocaust. As the first professional dedicated to this portfolio, the Director will help shape a new area of work while working closely with JCRC’s education team to build upon existing relationships, expertise, and strategies.

The Director will combine sustained external relationship-building with thoughtful education, strategic incident response, and disciplined internal coordination. Success will be measured by the strength and durability of relationships, the quality of partnerships and educational engagement, and the organizations’ ability to respond constructively to emerging opportunities and concerns.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Relationship Development and Coalition Building
  • Build and sustain relationships with labor leaders, union staff, members, and organizers across Minnesota, with particular attention to teachers’ unions, higher education unions, healthcare unions, state employee unions, and other public-sector labor organizations.
  • Develop relationships and partnerships with progressive civic and advocacy organizations, faith-based networks, grassroots organizations, community coalitions, and civic leaders.
  • Represent the St. Paul Jewish Federation and Minneapolis Jewish Federation in relevant labor, civic, coalition, and community settings, coordinating with JCRC when its participation or expertise will strengthen the engagement.
  • Create consistent practices for outreach, listening, follow-up, and stewardship so relationships continue beyond a single meeting, program, or incident.
  • Strengthen networks of allies and partners, including other Jewish organizations engaged in community organizing and civic work, while ensuring that the perspectives of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation, St. Paul Jewish Federation, and JCRC are represented in relevant community conversations.

• Education, Dialogue, and Strategic Response
  • Collaborate with JCRC to develop educational opportunities for labor and civic audiences related to Judaism, Jewish identity, antisemitism, the Holocaust, and Israel, and to respond strategically to incidents and emerging concerns.
  • Plan and facilitate briefings, trainings, listening sessions, and small-group conversations that are tailored to the needs, knowledge, and context of each audience.
  • Work with JCRC and Federation leadership to assess antisemitic incidents and emerging concerns in labor and civic spaces, identify appropriate responses, and coordinate education, outreach, coalition engagement, or advocacy.
  • Prepare leaders and colleagues for complex conversations by developing briefing materials, talking points, background information, and engagement strategies.

• Strategy, Coordination, and Organizational Learning
  • Develop strategies for long-term engagement, identifying opportunities for dialogue, education, collaboration, and coalition-building that address antisemitism, strengthen Jewish inclusion, and deepen understanding of issues facing the American Jewish community.
  • Work closely with JCRC staff to connect labor and civic engagement with existing relationships, strategies, and initiatives in K-12 education, college campuses, interfaith engagement, government relations, and community advocacy.
  • Develop and maintain an annual work plan, stakeholder map, relationship goals, and practical measures of progress in consultation with the two Federation CEOs and JCRC leadership.
  • Maintain accurate, timely records of relationships, meetings, commitments, risks, and follow-up, using systems and information-sharing practices approved by the partner organizations.
  • Manage the portfolio’s approved budget, outside facilitators or consultants, and other resources in accordance with the employer’s policies and the partners’ shared priorities.
  • Share insights, trends, and opportunities with Federation and JCRC leadership and help develop a sustainable, long-term strategy for labor and civic engagement.
  • Conduct all engagement in a nonpartisan manner consistent with organizational policies and applicable nonprofit requirements.

Qualificiations

The successful candidate will be a collaborative and entrepreneurial professional who is energized by relationship-building and developing a new area of work. Strong candidates will bring many of the following qualifications:

• 7 years of relevant professional experience.
• Experience in community organizing, labor relations, coalition building, advocacy, civic engagement, political organizing, community relations, or a related field.
• Direct experience working in organized labor, with labor organizations, or in labor-community coalition work is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships across differences and navigate disagreement constructively.
• Strong strategic thinking skills, including the ability to assess opportunities, establish priorities, and translate relationships into effective strategies.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to represent the Jewish community thoughtfully in a wide range of settings.
• Demonstrated skill in facilitation, public speaking, training, or educational program development for adult audiences is preferred.
• Comfort engaging in complex conversations about antisemitism, Israel, Jewish identity, politics, and other issues that may generate disagreement or tension.
• Ability to work collaboratively across multiple organizations and teams while also taking initiative and working independently.
• Familiarity with Minnesota’s labor, progressive, civic, educational, political, or faith-based landscape is strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of antisemitism, Jewish communal issues, and Israel is valuable; a willingness to develop significant knowledge and fluency in these areas is essential.
• Strong organization, judgment, discretion, and follow-through, including the ability to manage sensitive information and competing priorities.
• Commitment to the missions and values of the St. Paul Jewish Federation, Minneapolis Jewish Federation, and JCRC.

Attributes for Success

• A patient and persistent relationship builder who earns trust through listening, reliability, curiosity, and follow-through.
• A strategic and entrepreneurial professional who can turn a broad mandate into priorities, plans, partnerships, and measurable progress.
• A thoughtful communicator who can explain difficult subjects clearly without flattening complexity or avoiding disagreement.
• A collaborative colleague who can work across organizational cultures, clarify roles, share information appropriately, and build alignment.
• A grounded and resilient presence who exercises sound judgment when issues are sensitive, urgent, or contested.
• A learner who approaches labor, civic, progressive, faith, and Jewish communal partners with cultural humility and respect.

Workplace Expectations

• This is a hybrid, full-time, salaried position.
• The position is employed by the St. Paul Jewish Federation and works under the joint direction of the CEOs of St. Paul Jewish Federation and Minneapolis Jewish Federation. The St. Paul CEO provides routine administrative supervision, and both CEOs share goal-setting and performance evaluation.
• This position will work primarily out of the St. Paul Jewish Federation, Minneapolis Jewish Federation, and Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC) offices, but will also involve travel around the Twin Cities, particularly to labor union offices.
• Occasional evening and weekend work is required.
• The role requires careful handling of confidential, sensitive, and potentially contentious information involving partner organizations and community relationships.
• Reasonable accommodations will be provided to enable qualified individuals to perform the essential functions of the position.
• St. Paul Jewish Federation is an equal opportunity employer. The participating organizations value a diverse and inclusive workplace and encourage applications from candidates with varied backgrounds and experiences.
• Responsibilities may evolve as the labor and civic partnerships portfolio develops and as the participating organizations refine their shared strategy.

How To Apply

Submit your resume and a cover letter with salary requirements to ceo@stpaulfed.org no later than October 23rd.

The St. Paul Jewish Federation is an equal opportunity employer and values a diverse and inclusive workforce. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to enable qualified individuals to perform the essential functions of the position.