Job Opening: Chief Strategy Officer
Reports to: CEO
Location: Bend the Arc National Office, New York, NY or Washington, D.C.
About Bend the Arc
Bend the Arc is a movement of progressive Jews across America who are building a country that lives up to our values of justice and equality for all. We are the only national Jewish organization focused solely on promoting these values here in the U.S.
Our vision at Bend the Arc is to build and activate Jewish power to help transform our country to be inclusive, equitable, and supportive of the dignity of every person across race, class, gender and faith. But we live in a moment when the President and his allies in Congress are fanning bigotry and hatred, and their disregard for democracy, religious freedom, and human rights present an existential threat to our values and our country. As Jews, our history and moral tradition call us to be bold and courageous in the face of this threat — we know it will take many of us, coming together to take collective action alongside partners in frontline communities, to resist and to win.
The Bend the Arc family of organizations consists of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, our 501(c)(4) organizing and advocacy arm; Bend the Arc: Jewish Action PAC, a political action committee dedicated to supporting candidates for federal office who champion our values; and Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice, our 501(c)(3) education and leadership arm. Headquartered in New York City, we have offices in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and San Francisco, with volunteer-led local groups organizing nationwide.
About the Position
Bend the Arc is seeking a strategic and innovative leader to help shape the future of the progressive Jewish movement in America. The Chief Strategy Officer will lead a talented multi-city team who are organizing and mobilizing a community of hundreds of thousands of American Jews to overcome the dangers of this political moment and achieve our long-term vision. The ideal candidate will combine sophisticated political judgment, a collaborative managerial style, and a commitment to movement-building grounded in racial equity and justice.
The Chief Strategy Officer is responsible for overseeing all of Bend the Arc’s external impact work, including supervising Bend the Arc’s field, advocacy, and communications teams and supporting them in developing and executing integrated campaigns that engage tens of thousands of American Jews in the most urgent struggles for justice, equality, and democracy. The ideal candidate believes that the Jewish community has a critical role to play in the progressive movement in America, and excels at building relationships with movement and organizational partners both outside and within the Jewish community. This role is a critical senior leader in the organization, reporting to the CEO and serving as part of the Executive Team.
Key Job Responsibilities
- Together with the CEO, play an instrumental leadership role in crafting Bend the Arc’s strategy and continuing to grow Bend the Arc’s impact, reach, and effectiveness.
- Develop and execute overarching campaign strategy for long- and short-term campaigns that have measurable impact at the federal and/or state level, unleash grassroots energy online and offline, and elevate our public voice.
- Lead a multi-city, intergenerational team, including supervision of senior field, advocacy, and communications staff; foster an environment of creativity, curiosity, and decisiveness.
- Manage interdepartmental processes with collaboration and transparency; incorporate the voices of stakeholders at many levels.
- Help the field, advocacy, and communications teams balance long-term priorities with rapid response opportunities; identify which rapid response moments are important to take on (and which aren’t) and work with your team to quickly pivot and generate creative and impactful actions and content that further our goals.
- Build new strategic partnerships and deepen existing relationships of trust with partner organizations; work with movement partners to collaborate on shared campaigns that elevate our movement and achieve our long-term vision.
- Engage board members and lay leaders in organizational strategy as appropriate.
Qualifications
Successful candidates will demonstrate the following qualities, skills and experiences:
- 10 or more years of relevant experience including 5 years of management experience
- Significant experience working in two or more of the following areas:
- Field-based organizing campaigns and prior experience with working with volunteers and developing leaders
- Digital campaigns including a wide range of online campaigning strategies and tactics
- Policy and/or issue advocacy campaigns
- Electoral campaigns
- Press relations
- An excellent manager of managers, empowering your team members to do their best work and catalyzing their individual and collective growth.
- Highly collaborative leadership style with a commitment to being both process- and results- driven, recognizing that both are necessary for success.
- High level of emotional intelligence and commitment to learn and operate within the norms and organizational culture of Bend the Arc.
- Effective decision-maker who can make tough judgement calls when there isn’t agreement among staff, and is able to make decisions when needed within a fast-paced environment.
- Experience with anti-racism work and a background and commitment to bring this orientation to all aspects of the job, including supporting the power and leadership of low- and moderate-income communities, communities of color, and immigrant communities.
- Experience working in an organization with a C3/C4 and a PAC or knowledge of the distinctions between these entities; experience integrating volunteers into a PAC or other electoral strategy.
- Strong commitment to and passion for the mission and values of Bend the Arc, including a passion for social justice and for communicating about and with Jewish values.
- Experience working with Jewish constituents and basic working knowledge of the organizations and dynamics within the organized Jewish community is ideal.
- Willingness and ability to travel within and out of state, and sometimes work on a campaign timeline that requires long and/or irregular hours.
Compensation and Hours
This is a full-time, exempt position. Salary is competitive and includes health and other benefits. Specific information about the salary range will be shared with any candidate selected for an initial phone screen. Work schedules sometimes follow a campaign timeline that requires long and/or irregular hours.
To Apply
Please submit your resume and a cover letter to [email protected] with “Chief Strategy Officer” in the subject line of your message. We sincerely regret that we will not be able to respond to all applicants. Only those considered for the position will be contacted to interview.
Bend the Arc is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. Bend the Arc encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, and record of arrest or conviction.
This job description is intended to convey information essential to understand the scope of the position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, or responsibilities associated with the position.