Jewish Council on Urban Affairs - Executive Director

Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA)

Executive Director

Chicago, Illinois

Salary: $135,000-$145,000

The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA) organizes Chicagoland’s Jewish community to pursue justice. For more than 60 years, we’ve trained, mobilized, and connected Jewish individuals and institutions to combat injustice in deep partnership with our neighbors across Chicago and Illinois.

JCUA recently completed a new strategic plan that articulates the organization’s focus for the next three years as inspiring and accelerating the Jewish community’s role in local movements for racial and economic justice. We seek to do this through three key areas: i) Issue-based campaigns and community organizing; ii) Training and education for members and partners; and iii) Community building through Jews of Color, youth, Sephardi/Mizrahi, and other caucuses.

JCUA’s strategic plan also reaffirms the organization’s commitment to combating white supremacy. JCUA seeks to be an anti‑racist organization that works to dismantle anti‑Blackness, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate. Over the next three years, JCUA specifically seeks to elevate the organization as a resource on antisemitism for the Chicago community. JCUA operates with the understanding that our safety as Jews is inseparable from the well‑being of our neighboring communities.

JCUA’s work is powered by more than 2,000 members who collaborate with staff, board, and coalition partners to lead campaigns and initiatives. Members are key actors in implementing JCUA’s mission. Current campaign focus areas include immigration justice, community safety, housing, and economic justice. JCUA’s portfolio also includes the Community Ventures Program, a zero‑interest revolving loan fund focused on community development.

JCUA Votes, JCUA’s C4 sibling organization, mobilizes the Jewish communities of Chicagoland to endorse, elect, and co-govern with progressive leaders in Chicago and Illinois. JCUA Votes shares the values and vision of JCUA but pursues change through electoral organizing.

JCUA and JCUA Votes seek a dynamic Executive Director to guide the organizations by maintaining and strengthening their visions, building relationships with key stakeholders and partners, fostering a vibrant, thriving staff culture, and strengthening the organizations’ infrastructures.

Reporting to JCUA’s Board of Directors, the Executive Director will have oversight of JCUA’s $1.4 M budget, 3 direct reports and 11 staff responsible for programs, development, operations, and administration. Half of the current staff positions fall within a bargaining unit represented for collective bargaining purposes by a labor union (SEIU Local 73). JCUA Votes has an annual budget of approximately $65 000.

• Implement the  strategic plan with clear benchmarks, cross‑team alignment, and accountability.
• Diversify JCUA’s fundraising and revenue model to sustain and grow the organization.
• Strengthen collaboration between organizing and development teams to integrate power‑building and fundraising.
• Champion the outcomes of JCUA’s Stakeholder Engagement Process to ensure that JCUA remains a home for all Jewish people who want to organize around local campaigns for justice. Navigate ideological tensions while keeping the coalition intact.
• Better clarify and integrate the JCUA ecosystem of organizations, programs, and initiatives, including JCUA, JCUA Votes, and the Community Ventures Program (CVP).

• Ensure that JCUA's vision and values are expressed in every aspect of the organization, including its culture, personnel, and programs.
• Build trust and relationships across members, board, staff, and partners.
• Manage the leadership team and build their capacity, encouraging professional development. Balance empathy with accountability.
• Work with the board to identify, cultivate, recruit, and retain board members. Maintain transparency and collaboration.
• Ensure clear membership criteria and engagement ladders; maintain a presence with our members.
• Provide stability in a fast‑moving environment, make timely and…