Deputy Political Director

Reports to: Political Director

About us:

The Jewish Voice for Peace family of organizations organizes a grassroots, multiracial, cross-class, intergenerational movement of U.S. Jews in solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle, guided by a vision of justice, equality and dignity for all people.

Jewish Voice for Peace Action (JVP Action), which does business as Jewish Voice for Peace, is a 501(c)(4) organization that engages in legislative and limited election-related work, including but not limited to challenging the roles of Democratic and Republican officials and challenging AIPAC. JVP Leadership and Culture Lab (JVP Lab, formerly known as Jewish Voice for Peace, has worked for 30 years as an educational and basebuilding organization and contributed to a sea change in public understanding.

JVP Lab continues to carry out its educational, cultural, and leadership-development mission, and to provide nonpartisan educational and charitable programs that anyone can participate in, regardless of whether they are a member of the 501(c)(4).

About you:

You’ve been working in the progressive electoral world for years, and you have big ideas for how the movement can elect more progressives and build power to advance the demands of progressive movements, including the movement for Palestinian freedom. You know all the players and you have been around the block through many cycles and seen the pitfalls and strengths of past progressive campaigns. But at the end of the day, you are deeply excited by the potential for organized people to change who is in government when the odds are stacked against us. You have deep experience in the movement for Palestinian liberation and are excited about the role electoral strategies can play in strengthening that movement. You’re able to move at a rapid-fire pace and work on multiple things at once, while still bringing others along with you.

About the role:

JVP Action is seeking a qualified candidate for the role of Deputy Political Director. The Deputy Director will be responsible for growing and leading a multi-layered, cross-country, grassroots-powered electoral program that leverages one of the largest bases of progressive Jews in the U.S. into effective and strategic electoral campaigning, for the sake of building power to advance the demands of the movement for Palestinian rights and freedom.

About the role:

• You will be the primary leader of JVP Action’s electoral program, including: directing endorsements, holding engagement with campaigns, supervising broad strategy for grassroots field operations, and fundraising for both endorsed candidates and JVP Action PAC.
• You will work under the direct supervision of the Political Director, who will set the overall strategic direction and priorities for the organization’s political program, including the electoral work. You will work with the Development team to raise the PAC funds needed to execute and expand programmatic work, ensuring JVP Action PAC has the resources necessary to keep expanding its impact
• You will manage and maintain the PAC’s budget with oversight from Director of Finance and Operations
• You will supervise JVP Action’s Manager of Field and Electoral organizing, overseeing grassroots field work for candidates, and providing supportive, clear supervision and leadership development
• You will be responsible for building and maintaining our relationships with other progressive electoral organizations and growing JVP Action’s presence in the broader progressive electoral world, including representing JVP Action in coalition spaces

The ideal candidate will have the following core competencies:

• High level of management skill: Experienced in supervision, project management and cross-team collaboration. Brings a clear vision and recognizes the value of divergent perspectives. Regularly includes others in planning and decision-making. Able to make and communicate difficult decisions in the best interest of the organization. Uses coaching, training, and feedback to develop others and support problem-solving. Sees mistakes as learning opportunities. Seeks and engages well with feedback.
• Visionary program development : Able to develop and implement a roadmap for scaling an electoral program across a large base-building organization. This includes having an eye to media and social media engagement and opportunities, mobilizing volunteers at a growing scale, and deepening partnerships with key partners and electeds.
• Capacity for strategic and nimble thinking on electoral campaigns: Within specific campaigns, able to quickly and constantly assess the political terrain for opportunities, set ambitious but realistic goals, develop strategies that draw on JVP Action PAC’s strengths to reach those goals, and pivot quickly when the conditions change.
• Proven ability in fundraising: Demonstrated ability to raise funds through grassroots channels, identify and grow a base of grassroots and high net worth donors, and to not only raise money but organize those donors into aligned action and community.
• Project Management: Demonstrated ability to hold the implementation of projects across staff teams through a culture of respect, inclusion and justice within organizing structures; able to clearly articulate metrics for success and enable groups to work towards a common goal together.
• Political alignment with JVP Action’s core principles (Accountability to Palestinians, Racial Justice, Responsibility for Jewish Communities) and strategic approaches. This includes alignment with the organization’s approach to engaging Palestinian movement partners as part of our broader electoral strategy.