Overview of AJWS

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is the leading Jewish organization working to fight poverty and defend human rights in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. By supporting hundreds of social change organizations on three continents and advocating for U.S. and international policies for human rights, we respond to pressing global issues – from disasters, authoritarianism and the climate crisis, to the persecution of women and minorities worldwide. With Jewish values and a global reach, AJWS is making a difference in millions of lives and bringing a more just and equitable world closer for all.

Overview of Team

Through Grassrooted Grantmaking And Advocacy, The AJWS Programs Division Provides Financial Support And Builds Strong Partnerships With Activists, Organizations And Social Movements Facing Complex Global Challenges – From Authoritarianism, To Attacks On Women, Sex Worker And LGBTQI+ Rights, To The Climate And Humanitarian Crises. The Programs Division Works At The Intersection Of Jewish Values And Global Issues. In a Deep Collaboration Between Our Advocacy And Jewish Engagement Teams, We Advocate For U.S. Laws And Policies That Help Overcome Injustice And Elevate Support For Grassrooted Change In The Global South; And We Also Use Strategic Communications To Amplify Our Grantees’ Voices And Those Of Our Supporters To Influence Policymakers In The U.S. And Around The Globe. The Programs Division Also Houses Our International Operations And Grants Management Team, Which Oversees The Execution Of AJWS’s Grantmaking Policies, Procedures And Systems In Alignment With The Organization’s Values Of And Commitment To Flexible, Responsive And Trust-based Practices. The Work Of The Programs Division Is Rooted In Detailed Strategies That Each Team Designs And Implements, And Can Be Summarized As Follows

Civil and Political Rights: Supporting Democracy and Justice and Defending Against Authoritarianism: AJWS supports pro-democracy social movements seeking to push back against authoritarianism, promote democratic ideals and advance justice. We work to center the voices of those often marginalized in governance, including youth, women and ethnic, religious or other minority groups.
Humanitarian Response: Supporting Humanitarian Response led by Local Communities: AJWS prioritizes support for local, grassroots groups that work to meet the unique needs of historically marginalized communities in the wake of disasters so that they can recover fully and become more resilient to future crises.
Land, Water and Climate Justice: Defending the Rights to Land, Water, Forests, and Livelihoods and Advancing Climate Justice: AJWS supports social movements of rural, indigenous, and marginalized communities, especially women and youth, who are on the frontlines of the climate crisis and advocate for their land, water, forest, and livelihood rights to address climate change. Through funding and accompaniment, we bolster their struggles for natural resource rights and amplify their solutions for climate justice.
Sexual Health and Rights: Advancing the Rights of Women, Girls, Sex Workers, and LGBTQI+: AJWS funding and accompaniment enables movements led by AGYW, sex workers, and LGBTQI+ to strengthen coalitions with allied communities to jointly advocate for rights-affirming laws, services and other empowering resources so that these focus communities have improved access to rights free from discrimination, violence and abuse and can enjoy the full spectrum of opportunities in society and live in health, safety and dignity.
Advocacy Department: Advocating for U.S. laws and policies that help overcome injustice and elevate support for grassrooted change in the Global South: AJWS advocates domestically to ensure U.S. officials and policy stakeholders hear the human rights issues and priorities of our partners in all our grantmaking portfolios. Working with the U.S. Congress, Executive branch agencies, peer advocacy NGOs and the American Jewish community and clergy, the Advocacy and Jewish Engagement teams work to create an enabling U.S. foreign policy environment globally and in the communities of our grantees and partners around the world.
International Operations Department (IOPS) and Grants Management: Operationalizing AJWS’s values of and commitment to flexible, responsive and trust-based grantmaking practices: AJWS oversees all grants management functions for AJWS’s $19 million core grantmaking portfolio, as well as up to $3 million donor-advised funds (DAFs). Executes strategic and values-based grantmaking policies, procedures and systems that operationalize AJWS’s commitment to flexible, responsive, and trust-based practices. Ensures the integrity and efficiency of AJWS’s grantmaking systems, including its foundationConnect/Salesforce grants management database.

Position Summary

The SHR Director is a visionary social change strategist, experienced grant maker, and exceptionally talented manager and staff developer leading a department in one of the four critical thematic areas. The Director is responsible for overseeing a $5 million SHR grantmaking portfolio across eight countries, leading ongoing program strategy development, implementation and evaluation. Reporting to the Vice President of Programs and serving as a member of the Programs Leadership Team, they also collaborate closely with colleagues in other thematic content areas to continue to build and strengthen AJWS’s broader international portfolio.

The SHR Director leads a department of domestic staff and in-country colleagues team and is responsible for hiring, coaching and empowering staff/in-country colleagues within the department to drive AJWS’s ambitious goals for social change. They partner closely with the Strategic Learning, Research and Evaluation team to evolve AJWS’s evaluation systems and metrics to continue to improve the organization’s capacity to learn from its work and share that learning with colleagues in the international development and human rights fields. This position also partners with staff in the Development and Communications Divisions to advance the organization’s fundraising and communications strategies. The Director is a proven leader with a record of success managing teams toward ambitious and measurable goals.

Responsibilities Include But Are Not Limited To

Lead the SHR thematic content area strategy development and implementation;
Supervise the work of U.S.-based staff and in-country colleagues, including coaching and developing new managers, helping staff set and meet time-bound strategic and programmatic goals, and facilitating partnership among staff and in-country colleagues;
Develop annual departmental budget and track spending within budget parameters;
Oversee SHR country strategies, budgets and operational plans;
Review and approve grants, ensuring that they are aligned with strategy;
Represent AJWS as a thought leader among colleagues and networks in the fields of sexual health and rights;
Collaborate with AJWS advocacy colleagues to advance agendas from local partners in US foreign policy and global advocacy spaces;
Present grantmaking strategies and approaches to the AJWS Board of Trustees;
Partner with the Programs Leadership Team to establish divisional priorities and build a shared divisional identity;
Support the organization’s fundraising efforts by developing content for and participating in donor engagement programs; developing grant proposals with Development Division colleagues; contributing content and input for proposals and reports; and nurturing relationships with AJWS institutional and major donors;
Support the organization’s communications efforts by writing, editing and contributing to promotional pieces, blogs and policy papers;
With programs leadership, lead team through volatile and changing contexts.

Required Qualifications

Masters or Law degree in a related field preferred;
15+ years of human rights, international programmatic and/or philanthropic experience;
At least 5 years of global grantmaking experience in the sexual health and rights field;
Deep knowledge and experience working on feminist approaches to grantmaking including experience working with LGBTQI+ and/or adolescent girls and young women;
Minimum 8 years of experience in a leadership role in the Sexual Health and Rights field;
Experience working at the grassroots level to support this body of work and knowledge of the international human rights framework that guides the work;
Knowledge of key global actors including funders in the field and as well as strong local organizations in Asia, Africa or Latin America;
Proven excellence as a manager of high-performing and globally dispersed teams;
Experience in budget management;
Adaptive leader willing to adjust to changing contexts and with experience in managing teams through transitions;
Strategic planning, peer learning and monitoring and evaluation skills;
Excellent communication skills in English including in writing, editing and analysis required;
Excellent public speaking and interpersonal skills;
Experience in fundraising;
Ability to communicate cross-culturally;
Ability to travel extensively;
Commitment to AJWS’s mission and values of advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion across the organization.

Preferred Qualifications

Spanish or Hindi fluency a plus.

Current AJWS International Regions

Africa
- Kenya
- Senegal
- Uganda
Meso America and the Caribbean
- Dominican Republic
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
South and South-East Asia
- India
- Sri Lanka
- Thailand

Additional Information

Salary Range: $112,000-$157,000
This role is full time (40 HRS), Exempt

Location:

Remote – Contiguous US-Based or Current AJWS International Region*

This role is flexible in nature and can be performed from a home office.

Compensation And Benefits Information

AJWS is committed to a salary framework that aligns with our culture and values. The compensation range reflected is in alignment with our framework and individual pay decisions will vary based on skills and experience while still allowing for growth.
Paid Time Off: 15-22 Federal and religious holidays off each year in addition to generous vacation and sick days;
Full health benefits coverage with minimal contribution by employees;
403(b): 4.25% company match (Safe Harbor);
Flexible Spending Account and Commuter Benefits;
Workplace flexibility and generous leave policy.

Additional Considerations

Black, Indigenous and People of Color; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Intersex, Trans and Gender non-conforming people; women; and differently abled people are encouraged to apply. We also encourage applications from people of diverse religious, spiritual and cultural backgrounds.

As an organization committed to promoting social justice around the world, it is essential that we incorporate a diverse, equitable and inclusive lens into all aspects of our work at AJWS. We encourage applicants with a global perspective and a commitment to values around diversity, equity, and inclusion to apply.

How to Apply

For immediate consideration, apply below. Applications submitted without a resume and personalized cover letter will not be considered. We thank you for your interest in career opportunities with AJWS. Due to high volume, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

American Jewish World Service (AJWS)

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