Director, Access & Affordability Initiatives

POSITION OVERVIEW 

Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) works to grow, support, and strengthen Jewish camp across North America because Jewish camp is one of the most powerful experiences for building Jewish identity, belonging, leadership, and community. 

FJC's Access & Affordability portfolio is focused on expanding participation in Jewish camp by raising awareness for Jewish camp, reducing financial barriers, supporting camp growth, and developing scalable models that make camp accessible to more families. 

The Director, Access & Affordability Initiatives serves as the operational leader for this portfolio, responsible for building, implementing, and scaling initiatives that increase access to Jewish camp while generating learning that informs future growth and investment. 

Reporting to the Vice President, Grantmaking & Funding, this role translates organizational strategy into operational reality. The Director is responsible for designing and managing the systems, partnerships, technology infrastructure, workflows, and implementation models necessary to launch and grow complex initiatives. 

The Director will lead implementation of major multi-year access and affordability initiatives while helping establish the operational foundation for future expansion and growth. Success in this role requires exceptional cross-functional leadership, entrepreneurial thinking, systems-building, and the ability to move initiatives from concept to implementation and scale. 

The Director will work closely with colleagues across Grantmaking & Funding, Learning & Research, Finance, Operations & Technology, Advancement, Programs, and Marketing & Communications, while also serving as a key partner to camps, funders, partner organizations, consultants, evaluators, technology vendors, and community stakeholders. 

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES 

Program Strategy, Design & Implementation 

• Partner with the Vice President, Grantmaking & Funding to lead and advance FJC's access and affordability initiatives  

• Design, implement, and continuously improve program models, participant experiences, eligibility frameworks, and funding approaches  

• Oversee the operational success and strategic evolution of One Happy Camper® and other access and affordability programs  

• Incorporate stakeholder feedback, implementation learnings, and emerging needs into program design and future growth strategies  

Operations, Systems & Technology 

• Serve as the operational lead for access and affordability initiatives, ensuring programs are efficient, scalable, and well-coordinated  

• Own program-related technology platforms and partner with Operations & Technology to enhance systems, workflows, reporting, and user experience  

• Manage budgets, timelines, payments, compliance, reporting, and operational performance  

• Identify opportunities to leverage technology, automation, and AI to improve effectiveness and reduce administrative burden  

Learning, Evaluation & Continuous Improvement 

• Partner with Learning & Research to establish measurement frameworks and evaluate program outcomes  

• Monitor participation, enrollment, retention, utilization, and other key metrics to assess impact and inform decision-making 

• Analyze data and implementation experiences to identify trends, opportunities, and recommendations for improvement 

• Support reporting and knowledge-sharing with leadership, funders, camps, and other stakeholders  

Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement 

• Build and maintain strong relationships with camps, funders, Jewish federations, consultants, evaluators, and community partners  

• Support participating camps and partners in successful program implementation  

• Facilitate training, collaboration, and learning opportunities across the field  

• Represent FJC in conversations related to access, affordability, enrollment growth, and participant engagement  

Cross-Functional Leadership & Team Management 

• Coordinate work across Grantmaking & Funding, Learning & Research, Operations, Advancement, Finance, and other internal stakeholders  

• Ensure alignment around priorities, timelines, responsibilities, and decision-making 

• Supervise and develop associate-level team members and manage external consultants and vendors  

• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement 

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE 

Within the first 12–24 months: 

• Successfully launch and operationalize one or more major affordability initiative(s)  

• Manage and advance day-to-day operations and strategy of current incentive and affordability initiatives 

• Implement a technology platform and supporting workflows  

• Build strong relationships with camps, funders, and partners  

• Develop operational, reporting, and evaluation systems that support continuous learning  

• Create infrastructure capable of supporting future regional and national expansion 

WORK SCHEDULE & LOCATION  

• This position may be remote, hybrid, or based in FJC’s New York City office 

• The Director is expected to travel up to 20% annually to support participating camps, attend funder and partner meetings, participate in FJC staff retreats and convenings, and represent FJC at relevant conferences and field-wide gatherings 

• Occasional evening and weekend work may be required 

REQUIRED SKILLS & ABILITIES 

• Exceptional project management and execution skills  

• Demonstrated ability to build and scale complex programs, systems, or initiatives  

• Strong systems-thinking and operational design capabilities  

• Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder management skills  

• Comfort working across multiple teams, priorities, and functions simultaneously 

• Strong technology fluency and ability to partner effectively with technical teams and vendors 

• Experience leveraging technology, automation, and process improvement to improve efficiency and scale 

• Demonstrated curiosity about emerging technologies, automation, and AI and their practical application

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities 

• Outstanding written, verbal, presentation, and facilitation skills 

CREDENTIALS & EXPERIENCE 

• 8–10+ years of relevant professional experience  

• Experience launching, building, managing, or scaling complex initiatives  

• Experience managing significant budgets and operational complexity  

• Experience working with philanthropic partners, foundations, or funders preferred  

• Experience leading technology implementations, operational platforms, digital products, or workflow transformation initiatives strongly preferred 

• Experience supervising staff and managing consultants or vendors 

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred 

• Jewish communal, educational, nonprofit, youth-serving, or camp experience preferred 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT 

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• Must be able to sit, walk, stand, talk & hear for long periods of time

• This position works in an open environment with moderate noise level