Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Apply to Chief Executive Officer, Sixth & I

Sixth & I
Chief Executive Officer
Washington, DC

ABOUT SIXTH & I

Sixth & I is a center for arts, entertainment, ideas, and Jewish life in Washington, DC. We inspire more meaningful and fulfilling lives through an unexpected mix of experiences that embrace the multi-faceted identities of those we serve.

Housed within a revitalized historic synagogue dating back to 1908 in the heart of the Nation’s Capital, Sixth & I reimagines how culture, community, and Jewish life can enhance people’s everyday lives. Across wide-ranging, thought-provoking, and accessible experiences, we celebrate the unexpected intersections between culture and spirituality and, in so doing, expand our sense of what’s sacred.

As a cultural resource for the entire city, our talks, concerts, comedy shows, and live podcast recordings offer rare access to preeminent thought leaders, renowned performers, and pop culture influencers. Against the stunning backdrop of our historic sanctuary, these programs fuel curiosity, encourage new perspectives, and spark inspiration.

Our Jewish programming—including education, Shabbat services, holiday celebrations, and social justice work—offers dynamic ways for those in their 20s and 30s to explore life’s big questions through a Jewish framework and engage with Jewish values, ideas, and traditions on their own terms and without judgment. As a multi-denominational and non-membership spiritual home, Sixth & I creates space for people at a similar stage of life to find community with one another and to discover the value Judaism can add to their lives.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Sixth & I is hiring its next Chief Executive Officer. This is a rare opportunity to lead a nationally recognized institution at a defining moment in its story. The CEO will lead a deeply dedicated team who present more than 200 programs annually across arts, entertainment, ideas, and Jewish life, which draw audiences from across the Washington, DC region and online.

The CEO will serve as both the strategic vision-holder and the public face of the organization, driving business model strategy, stewarding a distinctive workplace culture, and representing Sixth & I as a voice for arts, entertainment, ideas, and Jewish life.

If you lead with creativity, kindness, humor, and heart, and you're energized by the idea of fueling and bolstering Sixth & I's reputation as a place where amazing things happen that you haven't seen anywhere else, we'd love to meet you.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Organizational Management & Team Leadership

• Steward Sixth & I's distinctive culture: hardworking and dedicated, welcoming and warm, intentional and equitable, with humor, grace, and room to be yourself
• Lead and develop a high-performing Executive Team (five direct reports, each leading a department), fostering the collaborative, creative, and mission-driven culture
• Promote strong internal communication, effective decision-making, and cross-functional alignment
• Operate hands‑on in a small organization (no job is too small) while building on the strong systems and stable structure already in place
• Ensure fiscal responsibility and operational integrity, including dashboard-level fluency with organizational data systems for philanthropy and event ticketing

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Lead an inclusive visioning and strategic planning process to set the organization's direction for the decade ahead
• Drive business model conversations in partnership with the Board and Executive Team, guiding annual balanced budgets and long-term financial strategies that strengthen the organization's runway
• Champion a creative vision that supports business development, new revenue streams, sponsorship models, earned income strategies, and partnerships

Board Collaboration & Governance

• Partner closely with the Board of Directors to achieve strong, effective governance
• Provide the Board timely and accurate reports on organizational performance, challenges, and opportunities
• Support continued Board development and evolution, recruitment, onboarding, committee structure, and ongoing engagement of an increasingly active and diversified Board
• Work closely with executive, finance, and nominations committees

Development & Revenue

• In collaboration with the Chief Development Officer, lead fundraising strategy and major donor stewardship; the ability to cultivate and close major gifts is essential
• Cultivate new and existing funding partnerships with foundations, corporations, and individual philanthropists, including national Jewish philanthropies
• Bring fresh ideas for revenue generation, donor engagement, strategies to convert loyal ticket-buying audiences into donors
• Apply an earned income lens across programming while recognizing that contributed revenue remains central to sustainability

Programming & External Relations

• Ensure that over 200 annual programs across arts, entertainment, ideas, and Jewish life are aligned with the organization's values and executed with excellence
• Continue signature programming as a foundation while inventing new formats and types of events that position Sixth & I as a place of true originality
• Champion programming that complements rather than competes with peer institutions, with special attention to connecting people in their 20s and 30s to Jewish life while bridging generations of audiences and supporters
• Serve as a compelling public spokesperson on arts and ideas, Jewish programming and community connection, civil conversation, and live events
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders relevant to Sixth & I's work – for example, leaders in the local and national Jewish communities, arts and culture institutions, and local DC stakeholders – to foster collaboration and shared community resources, navigate difficult situations, help Sixth & I continue its justice work, and embrace Sixth & I's role as a neighborhood anchor in downtown DC
• Champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in all aspects of programming and community engagement

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Experience & Skills

• Proven senior leadership experience with a demonstrated passion for mentoring teams and cultivating strong, diverse team cultures where everyone belongs
• Experience in arts and culture, live events, media, or mission-driven organizations is especially welcome
• Deep fluency with Jewish life, culture, and the contemporary Jewish communal landscape
• A track record of generating earned income and securing philanthropic support, paired with the entrepreneurial instinct to imagine and build new ways for Sixth & I to generate income in the years ahead
• Exceptional written and oral communication and interpersonal skills; a compelling organizational spokesperson

Mindset & Values

• Outstanding emotional intelligence, able to navigate politically and culturally sensitive conversations with tact, patience, and care, and to listen well to a diverse set of stakeholders knowing not everyone will always be happy
• A bridge-builder across diverse constituencies: age, education, socioeconomic, religious, and political backgrounds
• Leads with kindness, humility, honesty, and humor; open to criticism and feedback, willing to stand up and disagree
• Entrepreneurial and experimental: open to new ideas, willing to try things that may not work, energized by invention
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and belonging
• Mission-driven above all, with deep appreciation for the intersection of culture, spirituality, and community life, and an intention to lead for the long haul

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Salary: Sixth & I has a comprehensive pay equity philosophy which weighs years of experience at a particular job level and competency to determine an equitable salary within our organization. Sixth & I has budgeted the salary range for this role starting at $230,000.

FLSA Status: Exempt

Benefits: Sixth & I has a competitive benefits package that includes Health, Vision and Dental Insurance, Paid Vacation and Sick Leave, Retirement Savings with Matching Program, Pre-tax Transit Benefit, Paid Holidays, Parental Leave and more. In addition to regular vacation time and summer Fridays, our office is closed the week of July 4th and between Christmas and New Year’s, as well as for select Jewish holidays.

Sixth & I is an equal employment opportunity employer. Systemic inequities in hiring have caused many women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people to apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. If you don’t have all of the qualifications listed but are extremely organized, passionate about our mission, and believe you have applicable and transferable skills from other industries, we encourage you to apply for this job.