Director of Support and Wellness

Director of Support and Wellness

OPPORTUNITY SUMMARY: JQ International, a leading LGBTQ+ Jewish nonprofit, is seeking an innovative and experienced Director of Support and Wellness to nurture and improve queer Jewish mental health and wellness. This is a perfect role for a person who can hold both program vision and execution and who is fluent in the wellness challenges faced by queer Jews. JQ's professional team embodies a roll-up-your-sleeves culture that invites creativity and is laser-focused on enriching the lives of queer Jews and uplifting queer Jewish joy. Mental health professionals, social workers, and educators who are ready to come change the world with us should apply for this role ASAP.

KEY DETAILS:

Location: Hybrid Work Environment–approx. 70% work from home, 30% in-person in Los Angeles

Salary: $75,000 – $80,000/year, commensurate with experience

Application Details: Frequently cited statistics show that women, transgender, and nonbinary people, and other structurally marginalized groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. JQ encourages you to break that statistic and to apply. No one ever meets 100% of the qualifications.

Applications on a rolling basis until that date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as you can.

Anticipated Start Date: July 1, 2026 (potentially sooner)

TO APPLY: Please send your resume, cover letter, and writing sample to View email address on click.appcast.io. In your cover letter, please share with us how you are connected to the mission of JQ and your experience working with JQ's target audiences. Please write 'Director of Support and Wellness' in the subject line.

WRITING SAMPLE TASK: We encourage you to spend no more than 30 minutes total on this assignment. However, we also recognize that these tasks may take individuals varying amounts of time and encourage you to utilize the amount of time that works best for you.

• You will be offering a virtual psychoeducation workshop for parents and caregivers of LGBTQ+ youth. Write a newsletter promoting this event. Please include the purpose of the workshop, how to register, and any other information you believe is important and relevant.
• A helpline caller is transgender, recently relocated to Los Angeles, they are in their early 20s and are experiencing isolation and discrimination. They feel unsafe at work, and their housing situation is unstable. One of their roommates is harassing them with antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric. How would you guide them? What support can you offer this person?

ABOUT JQ

JQ International celebrates and strengthens queer Jewish joy. We are a Los Angeles-based 501(c)3 non-profit founded in 2004. JQ International (also known as JQ) provides programs and services to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) Jewish community and their friends, families, and loved ones. JQ does this by creating quality social and educational programming, offering life-affirming and life-saving support services, and providing activism/leadership opportunities inspired by Jewish values. JQ works to educate and empower LGBTQ+ community members, allies, and the Jewish community as a whole to increase understanding, acceptance, and inclusion. Programming and service offerings create safe spaces and provide access points for increased involvement, leadership development, and the healthy fusion of LGBTQ+ and Jewish identities.

OPPORTUNITY FOR IMPACT In this position, you will hold the vision and primary responsibility for executing JQ's key programmatic efforts for queer Jewish wellness, including helping LGBTQ+ individuals and families navigate communal support services, conceiving and executing JQ's wellness and psychoeducation programming, and compiling and disseminating community resources. This includes working with adult and youth community members on issues related to mental health, food and housing security, sexual orientation and gender identity, substance use, stress management, inclusion, identity, and more. In addition to managing the JQ Helpline, overseeing support groups, leading psychoeducational workshops and trainings, and offering wellness programs for adults and teens, there is a wealth of opportunities for creativity and agency to expand our current services and build new support networks and community-based resources.

DIRECTOR OF SUPPORT & WELLNESS

The Director of Support & Wellness (DoSW) oversees three integrated areas of JQ's work: JQ Helpline, Support Groups, and Wellness & Inclusion Education for Teens and Adults in the JQ community and in the field. The DoSW reports to our Managing Director and works closely with the professional team.

Not only are you a visionary, but you are warm, approachable, and can demonstrate the importance of interpersonal relationships. Most importantly, you are excellent at following through and not letting things slip through the cracks. Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication, clinical/pastoral/experiential background, programmatic, presentation, and relationship-building skills, and experience managing both professionals and volunteers are critical to success in this role. Some travel may be required. This is a full-time position based in Los Angeles, CA, expecting you to work remotely (approximately 70% of the time) and be available to attend meetings in the field weekly in Los Angeles and the surrounding area (approximately 30% of the time). Additional travel may be required for conferences and educational engagements.

JQ's support services are grounded in the Jewish prophetic tradition of pikuach nefesh, preserving and caring for human life, and imagine a world where all LGBTQ+ Jews and their allies realize themselves as inherently holy and worthy of self-care. This position requires tact and integrity due to the frequency of high-level internal and external contacts and exposure to confidential, sensitive, and privileged information. The DoSW is a motivated individual who is detail-oriented, proactive, and organized, and can support and manage many aspects of a growing portfolio of offerings for the organization. A successful DoSW will anticipate needs, problem solve, respond promptly to community members in need and the staff/volunteers who support them, and strategically design and execute service offerings in an ever-changing world.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The following list summarizes the essential responsibilities, and additional tasks or expectations may be assigned by your supervisor.

Helpline Management

• Oversee the training and supervision of JQ Helpline/support service employees and volunteers.
• Update and maintain the resource database, including the identification and cultivation of new and current relationships with referral resources and partnerships;
• Update and maintain the database of JQ Helpline contacts, including the tracking and inputting of contacts by other JQ professionals and/or Helpline volunteers on a weekly basis;
• Track Helpline demographic & testimonials to support grant writing and reporting;
• Edit and proofread grants and external communications as needed;
• Answer calls, texts, and emails from JQ Helpline inquiries, providing support and culturally inclusive resources to LGBTQ+ Jews, their families, and allies;
• Follow-up with JQ Helpline contacts within 1-2 business days. Work with contacts to fill out and complete an intake form, and document the reason for the call in JQ's Helpline database;
• Conduct outreach for resources (such as immigration and asylum resources, food insecurity, DV issues, housing and homelessness, Jewish spiritual resources, etc.) to Jewish organizations and institutions;
• Assist with the crafting of marketing content, such as digital assets, and assist with the marketing calendar as part of the JQ Helpline's annual marketing campaign;
• Represent JQ at public events and conferences (online or in-person) to promote JQ's support & wellness services.

Support Group Management

• Ensure high-quality implementation of JQ's support groups and create additional support groups based on community needs (potentially queer Jews of color, LGBTQ+ Jewish seniors, Orthodox/observant Jews etc.);
• Oversee the hiring, management, and supervision of the support group facilitators and facilitate JQ support groups yourself as well;
• Ensure support group notes are documented and tracked;
• Measure the impact of support groups;
• Provide resources, speakers, and referrals to group participants, while building rapport and addressing issues such as perceived identity and coming out to family and friends.
• Maintain a culture of learning among support group facilitators;
• Help to publicize and market JQ's support groups within the community while also networking to increase awareness of and participation in the support groups;
• Refer people to the JQ Helpline and outside services, as appropriate;

Wellness & Inclusion Education for Teens and Adults

• Develop, lead, and co-facilitate trainings on LGBTQ