Project Shamash Program Manager

Project Shamash Program Manager

Position Title: Program Manager, Project Shamash
Reports to: Senior Director, Project Shamash
Location: California (remote). The heart of this work will take place in the Bay Area, and therefore the person who takes on this role must have the ability to travel frequently to the Bay Area (in particular, the East Bay).
Classification: Full-time, Exempt

About Bend the Arc:

Bend the Arc is a movement of over 125,000 progressive Jews across America who are working together to achieve our vision: to transform our country to be inclusive, equitable, and supportive of the dignity of every person across race, class, gender and faith. We are the only national Jewish organization focused exclusively on social change in the U.S.

We’re rising up in solidarity to repair the damage of the last 4 years, confront the racial injustice of the last 400 years, and to build a new America for all of us. Alongside all who are impacted by antisemitism and white supremacy we’re working to expand civil rights, defend democracy, and protect each other. We’re mobilizing in cities and states across the country and advocating in Washington to win a new future — where everyone can thrive, no matter what we look like, how we pray, or where we come from.

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, the first and only Jewish PAC to advocate exclusively for progressive policies in the U.S.; and Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice, our 501(c)(3) education and leadership arm.

Headquartered in New York City, we have remote staff nationwide with clusters in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Washington DC. with a network of staffed chapters, volunteer-led local groups, and affiliates organizing nationwide.

About the Project Shamash Program:

Project Shamash is a racial equity and leadership initiative designed as a direct intervention to ensure that Jewish communal organizations keep pace with the racially and ethnically diverse Jewish community, and to correct for the historic absence of Jews of Color (JOC) from prominent leadership positions across Jewish life. Project Shamash supports JOC in deepening their connection to Jewish leadership, and Jewish institutions in evaluating their culture and developing customized racial equity frameworks rooted in anti-racist and Jewish values to ensure the success of future JOC staff or board members. These goals are achieved through the delivery of a JOC+ Professionals Network, an Organizational Change Cohort and community programs.

About the Position:

The Program Manager will be responsible for supporting day-to-day program operations, facilitating and co-planning the JOC+ Professionals Network, leading community-wide programming that welcomes and serves JOC from all walks of life, and supporting the Senior Director with the delivery of the Organizational Change Cohort.

The program finds its roots in Bend the Arc’s long-standing work to move toward racial equity in the Jewish community and beyond, as well as our strong presence in the Bay Area. The East Bay region, covering Solano, Alameda, and Contra Costa Counties, is home to approximately 122,000 Jews; this Jewish community is one of the most racially diverse in the nation, with 1 in 4 Jewish households including a person of color.

Under the leadership of the Senior Director, the Program Manager will be part of a team that will:

  1. Develop an array of program opportunities for JOC in the Bay Area;
  2. Support a cohort of Bay Area Jewish organizations in building or refining an organizational culture and infrastructure that supports racial equity and racial justice;
  3. Work with an evaluation team to assess project success and needs through a racially and culturally responsive lens.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Manage the programmatic offerings for the JOC+ Professionals Network.
  • Manage the development of programmatic offerings that build community for JOC in the Bay Area.
    • Conduct outreach and engagement to and with the broad Bay Area JOC community.
    • Evaluate and assess community needs to inform the development of the program
    • Identify partners and people as collaborators and amplifiers.
  • Work closely with Bend the Arc’s Bay Area chapter Racial Justice Team in program development and coordination.
  • Serve as a thought partner to the Senior Director in all aspects of the project.
  • Develop and hold relationships with key organizations and stakeholders in the project
  • Work with the Communications team to market program offerings and develop promotional collateral.
  • Participate in funder meetings and support fundraising efforts as needed.
  • Administrative and logistical duties (e.g., scheduling; vendor management; spreadsheet maintenance) as part of the project as a whole, or the program design pillar specifically.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

  • Minimum 4 years of program development /or other relevant experience
  • Understanding of the Jewish communal ecosystem (in the Bay Area and nationally), and of the needs and experiences of JOC in multiracial Jewish spaces
  • Strong and exhibited commitment to racial equity and to social justice more broadly
  • Experience developing creative and engaging programming, and analyzing data for program evaluation
  • Self-starter and flexible thinker; able to work independently in a dynamic and changing work environment
  • Consummate relationship builder; proven ability and high level of emotional intelligence to build trust and connect with and motivate people and organizations
  • Experience with Google Suite and Microsoft Office; and general overall comfort in learning and working with new technology and software

Strongly Preferred:

  • 2-3 years leading/managing people/teams
  • Previous experience in a start-up setting
  • Program marketing and outreach experience
  • Pre-existing relationships in the Bay Area Jewish community

Essential Physical Tasks:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This role requires someone to sit in a stationary position for prolonged periods of time, and constantly operate a computer and other office machinery such as copy machines, computer printers, and video and voice telecommunications. The person in this position must be able to identify, discern, and communicate constantly, and collect and analyze information. There is staff travel at least once a year to our conference and/or staff retreat (once non-local travel resumes), and frequent travel for this role to the East Bay Area.

Compensation and Benefits:

This is a full-time, exempt position, with occasional evening and weekend work based on need. The annual salary range is $65,000 - $75,000 commensurate with experience, and includes a comprehensive benefits package:

  • Medical, dental and vision benefits fully paid for by Bend the Arc for individual coverage and generous employer contribution of 80% toward monthly premiums for dependent and family coverage;
  • Long and short term disability benefits fully paid for by Bend the Arc;
  • 401K with employer contribution of 2% after your first year;
  • Paid time off including:
    • 15 vacation days during your first three years with an increase to 20 vacation days in your fourth year
    • 12 sick days per year
    • 23 paid holidays each year
    • Generous Caregiving / Personal Leave of Absence policy with a Paid Leave Benefit that covers 3 weeks of paid leave for each year of employment, up to 12 paid weeks after four years on staff
    • Fully paid Sabbatical of up to 12 weeks for long-term employees;
  • Adoption Assistance Program providing reimbursement of up to $1,500 for qualified adoption expenses;
  • Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account;
  • Flexible Spending Account or Health Savings Account for eligible health related expenses
  • Commuter Benefits;
  • Employee Assistance Program;
  • Life Insurance fully paid for by Bend the Arc
  • And more!

In addition to this benefits package, Bend the Arc has a commitment to a thriving and intentional organizational culture, as well as a commitment with staff and board to be in ongoing practice and learning around racial equity and inclusion.

To Apply:

Please submit your resume and a cover letter to [email protected] with “Project Shamash Program Manager” in the subject line of your message. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, with the goal of the position being filled by early November. Your cover letter should highlight why you want to join the staff at Bend the Arc and in this particular role. Only those applications submitted with a cover letter will be reviewed by our hiring team.

Due to the number of applications we typically receive, we sincerely regret that someone from our hiring team will not be able to respond to all applicants. Only those considered for the position will be contacted to interview. No phone calls please.


Bend the Arc values a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture because we recognize that diversity within our staff helps us organize and work well with diverse Jewish and progressive constituencies. Candidates should be willing to work within the Jewish community, but may be of any (or no) faith or background.

Bend the Arc provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, record of arrest or conviction, or any other legally protected status. Women, people of color, people with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and gender non-conforming individuals are strongly encouraged to apply.

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.