JCRC Education and Community Engagement Senior Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Jewish Louisville:

Founded in 1890, Jewish Louisville (a.k.a. The Trager Family Jewish Community Center "TFJCC") has been a shining light in the Louisville Community for 136 years and is committed to enhancing the quality of family life and promoting the physical, intellectual, and spiritual wellness for all individuals. The agency provides friendly health and wellness related activities, cultural and educational programs that serve the community at large, including populations at risk. Membership and program services are offered to the entire community. The TFJCC offers the following client services: Sports & Wellness; Senior Adult & Nutrition; Early Childhood, Youth, Camp, before and after school programs; and Jewish Cultural & Performing Arts.

About The Role

The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) is the arm of the Jewish Community of Louisville (JCL) that represents the Jewish community to the wider public on public policy, community relationships, and human rights. It has been doing that work in Louisville for decades.

The Senior Manager of Education and Community Engagement advances the JCRC's community relations mission by building trusted relationships within K-12 and higher education, expanding educational partnerships, and strengthening connections between the Jewish community and the broader community.

This is a new position, and it does two things at once.

First, it makes education the center of the JCRC's work. The JCRC Senior Manager of Education and Community Engagement will be the lead professional for everything the JCL does with schools, colleges, and universities: building relationships with districts and campuses before problems arise, serving as a trusted point of contact when they do, and expanding the reach of Holocaust and antisemitism education across the region, alongside education that shares the richness of Jewish culture, the joy of Jewish life, and the resilience of the Jewish people.

Second, it extends that work beyond Louisville. Through a partnership with the Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass, this position brings professional community relations and education support to Lexington for the first time. No one has held that role in either location before, which means the person in this job will be building something rather than inheriting it.

The work is proactive by design. The goal is not to wait for incidents and respond, but to build a network of educators, administrators, campus professionals, and civic partners who already know the JCL, already trust it, and already have resources in hand when they need them.

This role is part of the national Frontline network. Frontline work today extends far beyond crisis response. Professionals in these roles are responsible for:

• Representing the Jewish community publicly and responsibly.
• Strengthening relationships with civic leaders and elected officials.
• Building bridges with interfaith and intergroup partners.
• Addressing antisemitism in K-12 schools, higher education, and public spaces, while sharing Jewish joy, culture, and resilience in those same settings.
• Supporting community education and engagement built on coalitions.

This is a public-facing job. It is also, at times, an emotionally demanding one. It calls for good judgment, steady communication, and the ability to work well with people who hold a wide range of views.

What You Do

K-12 engagement and school partnerships

• Build and maintain working relationships with public and private school districts, superintendents, principals, teachers, and district offices across Louisville, Lexington, and surrounding areas where Jewish families live, and schedule regular touchpoints with key education stakeholders so those relationships stay active.
• Serve as a trusted resource for Jewish students, families, teachers, and administrators dealing with antisemitism or with issues affecting how Jewish students are included at school.
• Serve as a key member of the incident response team by receiving, documenting, tracking, and responding to reports of antisemitic incidents and bias concerns in K-12 settings. Coordinate with the JCRC Director and community security partners on response efforts.
• Partner with the University of Kentucky and Jewish Heritage Fund's Kentucky Holocaust Education Initiative to expand Holocaust and antisemitism education alongside lessons on Jewish culture, joy, and resilience, deepen relationships with teachers, and grow the statewide network of trained educators.
• Launch and run Student to Student, a program in which Jewish teenagers visit classrooms to talk about their own lives and beliefs, along with other programs that build understanding and reduce stereotypes.
• Gather, create, and distribute teaching materials and professional development opportunities so that educators can teach Jewish history, the Holocaust, and present-day antisemitism with confidence, and can just as confidently share Jewish culture, traditions, and the joy and resilience of Jewish life.
• Deliver trainings to schools on recognizing and responding to antisemitism, paired with trainings on Jewish culture, traditions, and resilience.
• Coordinate the distribution of Jewish American Heritage Month resources to local schools and libraries.

Higher education and campus engagement

• Strengthen relationships with colleges and universities across Kentucky, with particular attention to Berea College, Bellarmine University, Center College, Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Simmions College, the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University.
• Work with Hillel professionals and the campus staff who support Jewish student life, to support Jewish students, address antisemitism on campus, and help campuses celebrate Jewish life and culture.
• Build relationships with faculty, student affairs staff, and campus administrators so that the JCL is a known and useful partner before a crisis, not a stranger during one.
• Lead educational programs and resources that teach Jewish history, the Holocaust, and antisemitism alongside Jewish culture and resilience, and create opportunities to share Jewish culture across campus.
• Provide trainings and teaching materials for educators, Jewish American Heritage Month resources for schools, and support for interfaith coalition building at schools.

Regional community relations and engagement

• Represent the JCL and the Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass in public settings, including schools, campuses, community meetings, and coalitions.
• Expand the capacity of the Louisville JCRC by taking the lead on K-12 and higher education work.
• Support the responses of the JCL and the Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass to antisemitic incidents through relationship-building, clear communication, community education, and coordination with local and national partners.
• Assist with trainings, educational programs, and rapid-response efforts related to current events.
• Support advocacy on antisemitism, public policy, and other issues that affect the Jewish community.
• Assist the JCRC Director in monitoring local, state, and federal education policy and legislation, and build coalitions among Jewish families and interfaith and intergroup partners around key education issues.
• Recruit, train, and support volunteer leaders and community members who want to be part of this work.
• Engage parents, volunteer leaders, and community members in education and campus initiatives.
• Support planning and operations for major community relations events.
• Attend quarterly JCRC committee meetings, prepare project updates, and deliver reports as needed.

Tracking and reporting

This position is funded through a national initiative that measures results across all participating communities. The person in this role will track and report on:

• Actions achieved: the specific steps taken to protect the Jewish community from antisemitism.
• Critical relationships: the number of key stakeholders engaged in addressing antisemitism, including school and district leaders, campus officials, law enforcement, and faith and civic partners.
• Community mobilization: the number of individuals brought into this work, including trained teachers, student participants, volunteer leaders, and community members reached through programs.

Reports go to the Jewish Federations of North America on a set schedule.

What Success Looks Like

This position should produce three things.

A regional education network. A coordinated set of K-12 and higher education partners across Louisville and Lexington, built through real relationships with districts, universities, teachers, and administrators. The Kentucky Holocaust Education Initiative, Student to Student, and other programs will be reaching more classrooms and more campuses with lessons on both antisemitism and the vibrancy of Jewish life, and the JCL and its Lexington partner will both be known as reliable resources for educators, students, and families.

Stronger regional community relations capacity. Lexington will have professional community relations support it has never had before, and the JCL and the Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass will be working as partners rather than as neighbors. Relationships with elected officials, law enforcement, faith communities, civic and business leaders, and community organizations will be deeper and more coordinated across the state.

A community that is ready. Louisville and Lexington will both have response protocols in place, trained volunteer leaders, a larger slate of educational programming that addresses antisemitism and celebrates Jewish joy, culture, and resilience, and working relationships with local, regional, and national partners. The community will be able to be proactive rather than reactive.

Who We Are Looking For

There is no single background that prepares someone for this work. We expect strong candidates to come from education, government and public service, policy and advocacy organizations, communications, and public affairs, interfaith or coalition work, community organizing, or Jewish communal professional life.

Required

• Bachelor's degree, or equivalent professional experience.
• At least three years of professional experience in education, community relations, public affairs, advocacy, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain trusting relationships with people across different institutions, backgrounds, and political views.
• Strong writing and public speaking skills, including the ability to speak clearly on sensitive topics in front of unfamiliar audiences.
• Working knowledge of Jewish history, Jewish community life, antisemitism, and Israel-related issues, along with the judgment to discuss them carefully.
• Sound judgment under pressure and the discretion to manage sensitive information.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities under deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team while engaging volunteers and community stakeholders.
• Cultural openness, empathy, and humility to engage effectively with diverse communities.
• Willingness to travel regularly between Louisville, Lexington, and surrounding communities, and to work occasional evenings and weekends.
• Valid driver's license and reliable transportation.

Preferred

• Experience working inside or alongside K-12 school systems or higher education institutions.
• Experience designing or running educational programming for students, teachers, or the public.
• Familiarity with Holocaust education and the curriculum standards that govern it, as well as with ways to teach Jewish culture and present-day Jewish life.
• Experience collaborating with volunteer leaders, boards, or committees.
• Experience coordinating with law enforcement or security professionals.
• Familiarity with Kentucky's civic, educational, or political landscape.
• Experience tracking program results and reporting to funders.

Competencies

This role calls for strength in:

• Coalition building and interfaith and intergroup relations. Proven ability to develop and maintain strong partnerships with diverse faith, ethnic, civic, and advocacy organizations to build mutual understanding and work together toward shared goals.
• Program development and community engagement. Designing and running educational programs and civic engagement efforts that people actually show up for.
• Collaborating with volunteer leaders. Engaging and supporting board members, committee members, and grassroots volunteers so the work does not rest on staff alone.
• Crisis response and community security. Navigating difficult situations and working alongside law enforcement and security partners.
• Speaking and writing for audiences on behalf of the Jewish community.
• Advocacy and public affairs. Understanding how local and state policies are made and how to advance community priorities within it.

Working Conditions

This position is based in Louisville with frequent travel to Lexington and other parts of Kentucky. Mileage is reimbursed. Some programs and trainings take place in the evening or on weekends. The role includes regular public representation of the Jewish community, and the JCL provides supervision, training, and peer support through the national Frontline network.

To Apply

Send a resume and a cover letter explaining why this work interests you. Applications will be reviewed as they are received.

The Jewish Community of Louisville is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.