Executive Director, Israel Educational Travel Alliance

Key Responsibilities

Convenings & Professional Engagement
Lead IETA’s major in-person and virtual convenings, including the annual Leaders Summit, virtual community conversations, Advisory Committee meetings, and other field-wide gatherings.
Shape convenings around clear field needs and practical outcomes, helping organizations move from shared conversation to stronger practice.
Develop opportunities for professional learning, peer exchange, and collaboration across the Israel educational travel ecosystem.
Maintain regular mechanisms for understanding field needs, including partner check-ins, working groups, structured feedback loops, and ongoing relationship management.
Support partner organizations with timely information, resources, and field-wide updates.

Research and Best-Practice Dissemination
Manage IETA’s research and learning agenda so that field data and partner insight inform strategy, education, advocacy, and program improvement.
Lead field research activities, including surveys, interviews, landscape scans, partner feedback, and post-program learning.
Work with internal and external research partners to synthesize data on participation trends, field conditions, program models, and emerging needs.
Translate findings into clear reports, presentations, webinars, tools, and practical resources.
Manage IETA’s website and resource hub as a central platform for research, tools, best practices, and timely field information.

Field Infrastructure & Partnerships
Lead IETA’s field infrastructure work, translating shared needs into practical systems, tools, resources, and coordinated supports.
Build out IETA’s emergency infrastructure system in partnership with the Jewish Agency for Israel to support organizations during changing or urgent conditions.
Support the Vice President of North American Israel Strategy in advancing shared priorities with funders, Israeli institutions, industry partners, government stakeholders, JFNA colleagues, and field leaders.
Manage follow-through on cross-sector initiatives, moving field priorities from conversation to implementation.
Prepare clear materials for field infrastructure and external engagement, including proposals, reports, briefings, presentations, and meeting follow-up.
Represent IETA in selected meetings and forums where IETA’s perspective can advance field solutions.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a strategic operator with strong judgment, high follow-through, and a deep commitment to strengthening Israel educational travel. They are energized by building something that serves an entire field, not just one organization.

They can move between big-picture strategy and practical execution, bringing clarity, structure, and momentum to complex work. They know that trust is built through preparation, listening, responsiveness, and delivery.

Qualifications

Candidates should bring many of the following qualifications and experiences:

7–10+ years of relevant experience in nonprofit leadership, Jewish communal work, Israel education, educational travel, field-building, philanthropy, or a related area.
Demonstrated ability to manage complex initiatives, build systems, and move work from strategy to implementation.
Strong understanding of Israel educational travel and/or the North American Jewish communal ecosystem.
Experience working across networks, coalitions, funders, institutional partners, or other multi-stakeholder environments.
Strong project management, writing, communication, relationship-building, and analytical skills.
Strong judgment, emotional intelligence, discretion, and comfort operating in a fast-changing environment.
Hebrew proficiency preferred.
Willingness to travel within North America and to Israel, as needed.