Chief Operating Officer

The
Jewish Grad Organization (JGO)
, the national movement for Jewish grad students and alumni, is seeking a strategic, results-driven, and mission-aligned
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
to help lead the organization into its next era of growth, excellence, and impact.

Now in its 15th year, JGO supports
over 150 grad campuses nationwide
, reaching
11,000+ Jewish grad students annually
through a network of grassroots campus clubs and national programs. With record engagement, a growing professional staff, and multi-year foundation partnerships, JGO is entering a major phase of scale and sophistication, building on its entrepreneurial DNA while strengthening its national infrastructure.

The COO will serve as a key executive partner to the CEO and senior leadership team, ensuring operational excellence, strategic alignment, and organizational sustainability. This role demands serious management expertise, strong financial acumen, and the ability to lead people, systems, and culture with clarity, empathy, and executional strength. We are a growing organization attempting to make the leap to the next level and this is a key hire for us.

Key Responsibilities
Program & Staff Leadership

• Oversee JGO's program departments and national team, ensuring coordination, accountability, and excellence across all initiatives.
• Translate JGO's mission into clear operational goals and systems with measurable outcomes.
• Supervise senior department heads (programming, operations, marketing, regional staff) and ensure effective cross-department collaboration.
• Build and sustain a high-performance culture rooted in teamwork, trust, and shared mission.
• Lead recruitment, onboarding, and professional development processes to strengthen staff capacity and retention.
• Establish and monitor metrics to evaluate program impact and student engagement nationally.
• Foster a workplace culture that values creativity, feedback, and work-life balance.

Development & External Relations

• Partner with the CEO and development team to advance fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and institutional partnerships.
• Strengthen systems for donor tracking, grant management, and stewardship to support revenue growth.
• Support the CEO in major donor cultivation, foundation reporting, and campaign execution.
• Collaborate on proposals, reports, and presentations that communicate JGO's measurable impact and growth story.
• Represent JGO externally with excellence and authenticity when engaging funders, partners, and community stakeholders.

Financial Management & Operations

• Oversee organizational finances, budgets, and systems in partnership with the CFO and Comptroller.
• Ensure fiscal discipline, transparency, and compliance across all programs and departments.
• Lead annual and multi-year budget planning aligned with strategic goals.
• Manage HR, contracts, and legal matters to ensure sound governance and risk management.
• Implement process improvements that streamline operations and enhance accountability.
• Guide technology and systems decisions that increase efficiency and data-driven insight.

Strategic & Organizational Leadership

• Partner with the CEO and board to execute JGO's long-term strategic plan and annual objectives.
• Translate vision into operational systems, timelines, and measurable performance targets.
• Manage priorities, staffing, and organizational decision-making.
• Strengthen interdepartmental coordination, ensuring the organization operates as one cohesive, mission-driven team.
• Embody and promote JGO's values of inclusivity, excellence, and Jewish pride at every level of leadership.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in operations, management, or organizational leadership. We are willing to take a chance on someone with less experience who can grow with us.
• Demonstrated success managing complex teams and organizational growth.
• Strong financial literacy, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis.
• Experience supporting development or advancement operations in a nonprofit or mission-driven environment.
• Proven ability to design and scale systems, policies, and teams that deliver measurable outcomes.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a talent for motivating and aligning diverse teams.
• Passion for JGO's mission and a deep appreciation for the role of Jewish community and identity in shaping future leadership.

Compensation & Benefits
Competitive salary commensurate with experience, comprehensive health and retirement benefits, and generous time off along with Jewish holidays.

About Us
We are the national movement for Jewish graduate stud and alumni. Our mission is to foster Jewish community on grad school campuses and to cultivate Jewish identity and leadership among young adults at this critical life stage.

Since 2011, our boutique nonprofit has built a network of grassroots Jewish affinity clubs at over 150 graduate campuses across North America, impacting 11,000 unique students a year through more than 650 annual programs. We have empowered a generation of young Jewish leaders and touched the lives of more than 40,000 individuals.