Chief Executive Officer- Colorado

JEWISHcolorado (JCO) is the product of a merger among three historic Colorado institutions: the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado, the Colorado Agency for Jewish Education (CAJE), and the Jewish Community Foundation of Colorado. Today, their legacies are unified in JCO’s mission to convene, connect, invest in, and protect Jewish life in Colorado, Israel, and around the world. JCO currently employs a team of 30 full-time professionals and operates with a budget of just under $9 million.

Over the past decade, both Colorado and its Jewish community have experienced remarkable growth. Expanding industries, including technology, finance, real estate, and related sectors, have attracted new residents across all life stages and demographics. At the same time, the community’s vibrant arts and cultural scene, combined with its natural beauty, offers an exceptional quality of life.

Today, Colorado is home to more than 125,000 Jews, including over 90,000 in the Denver metropolitan area, placing it among the 20 largest Jewish communities in the United States. In parallel, JCO has seen meaningful growth in its Financial Resource Development efforts. In Fiscal Year 2025, JCO raised $13.4 million through its annual campaign, targeted programs, and other designated funds, with nearly $80 million in foundation assets under management.

As it enters its next phase of leadership, JCO is uniquely positioned to engage new community members while strengthening its pipeline of volunteers, leaders, and donors. Grounded in a position of strength, JCO is poised to welcome its next executive leader at a moment of continued growth and opportunity.

JEWISHcolorado seeks a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with demonstrated senior-level leadership experience, deep passion for Jewish community, continuity, and peoplehood, and a singular ability to engage, galvanize, and inspire others. This is a unique and critically important opportunity for a top-tier executive to build on JCO’s strong foundation and further elevate its impact across both the local and global Jewish community.

The CEO will lead JCO’s financial resource development efforts, overseeing fundraising strategy while cultivating and sustaining strong relationships with current and prospective donors, community foundations, and multi-generational philanthropic families with deep ties to JCO. They will manage a high-performing professional staff, directly supervise the senior leadership team, and ensure the effective and efficient operation of the organization. The CEO must be a compelling and confident communicator, both internally and externally.

Serving as a collaborative and visible community leader, the CEO will strengthen partnerships across Colorado’s Jewish ecosystem, including organizations, schools, synagogues, volunteers, and other key stakeholders. Through strategic leadership, the CEO will advance fundraising, expand programs, and create meaningful opportunities that deepen engagement and ensure the long-term vibrancy and sustainability of Colorado’s Jewish community.

Key Responsibilities

Organizational Leadership and Strategic Vision

• Provide strategic leadership to the Board, staff, and broader community by developing and advancing a clear, forward-looking vision that strengthens JCO’s role as a central convener and leader.
• Lead, develop, and inspire the professional team through strong supervision, coaching, and mentorship, fostering a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing organizational culture.
• Recruit, lead, and evaluate a high-performing professional and lay team capable of effectively advancing JCO’s mission and core programs.
• Ensure that JCO’s human resources, data platforms, and technology systems are aligned and optimized to support organizational goals and evolving needs.

Resource Development

• Lead the organization’s fundraising strategy, strengthening donor engagement and growing both the annual campaign and overall donor base.
• Actively cultivate relationships with major donors and personally solicit leadership gifts for the annual campaign, designated initiatives, and endowment.
• Leverage data, analytics, and prospect research to strengthen fundraising systems and inform strategic decision-making.
• Expand and diversify the donor pipeline by engaging new and underrepresented donors while building meaningful, long-term relationships across the community.

Community Relations

• Advance JCO’s role as a convener and facilitator of strategic partnerships, programs, and community-wide initiatives, both internal and external to the Jewish community.
• Partner closely with volunteer and professional leaders to foster collaboration with community agencies and stakeholders.
• Strengthen JCO’s position as a trusted convener, partner, and catalyst within the Jewish community.
• Foster an inclusive and connected Jewish community by building strategic relationships with community organizations, leaders, and external partners, ensuring collaboration while promoting respectful engagement around critical issues, including Israel.
• Serve as the organization’s chief ambassador and spokesperson, representing JCO with community partners, funders, and local, national, and international stakeholders.
• Ensure that JCO’s story, messaging, and positions are clearly articulated and effectively communicated to both the Jewish and broader community.
• Maintain a visible and engaged presence across the religious, cultural, and social life of the community.
• Provide decisive leadership during crises, ensuring effective and sound decision-making, and continuity of operations, while maintaining transparent communication with key stakeholders.

Board and Lay Partnerships

• Develop and execute short- and long-term strategies to engage, cultivate, and sustain a strong pipeline of lay leadership.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Board across areas including finance, policy, programs, and governance.
• Partner with the Board to shape and advance JCO’s strategic vision and leadership priorities.
• Cultivate, recruit, and retain top lay leaders, ensuring thoughtful placement and ongoing engagement.

Financial and Operational Management

• Provide sound fiscal leadership and strong fiduciary oversight to ensure the organization’s financial health and sustainability.
• Partner with staff and volunteer leadership responsible for finance and administration to ensure effective financial management and oversight.
• Lead the development of JCO’s annual budget, ensuring alignment, transparency, and buy-in from lay leadership.

Qualifications

• Senior-level leadership experience, with the ability to set and articulate a clear vision, think strategically, and guide from a big-picture perspective while executing effectively.
• Proven success leading an entity of comparable size and/or complexity to JCO, ideally within a nonprofit or mission-driven environment.
• Track record of building, developing, and inspiring high-performing teams through effective supervision, coaching, and empowerment.
• Significant experience in total financial resource development oversight, including successful planning, implementation, and execution across campaigns and giving levels.
• Ability to personally cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors and build long-term philanthropic relationships.
• Strong leadership and communication skills, with the ability to build consensus, both with professionals and lay leaders, nav igate complexity, and collaborate effectively across diverse stakeholders.
• Proven experience in crisis management, with the ability to assess risk, lead organizational response efforts, and maintain stakeholder confidence during times of uncertainty.
• Excellent interpersonal, diplomacy, and organizational skills, with a leadership style grounded in integrity, authenticity, and the ability to inspire trust.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging to a wide range of internal and external audiences.
• Aptitude for partnering with professional and volunteer leadership utilizing a collaborative approach that fosters strong lay–professional relationships.
• Comfort with developing and executing integrated marketing and communications strategies, including effective use of digital platforms, social media, and technology.
• Meaningful experience engaging with and supporting Israel and global Jewish partners.

Benefits & Perks:

• health insurance
• 401(k) employer match
• life insurance
• Long Term Disability (LTD)
• Flexible Spending Plan
• paid parental leave
• tuition reimbursement
• holiday pay
• wellbeing programming
• a complimentary membership to the Jewish Community Center
• generous vacation and sick time

JEWISHcolorado is an equal opportunity employer.