Description
About Montana Jewish Project
The Montana Jewish Project (MJP) is a dynamic, mission-driven organization building Jewish community and fostering interfaith connection across Montana. Founded in 2021 with an entrepreneurial spirit and deep roots in place-based Jewish life, MJP serves Helena's local Jewish community, brings together Jewish communities statewide, and builds bridges with Montana's broader non-Jewish public.
Montana Jewish Project proudly calls Montana's oldest synagogue home. Although it is no longer a house of worship, we are a community organization dedicated to Jewish life and culture. We celebrate traditions, welcome all, and believe in the power of connection. In recent years, we've developed strong programs, built goodwill with donors, and professionalized our operations. Now, we're entering an exciting new chapter and seeking a visionary leader to move us forward.
The Opportunity
This is a rare chance to step into a role with an established foundation, meaningful community relationships, and real room to grow. The incoming Executive Director will not be starting from scratch, but they will have the opportunity and the responsibility to help shape what MJP becomes next.
This role is deeply relational. Success here means showing up for your community, building trust with donors, partners, rabbis, board members, and neighbors, and doing so with warmth, cultural fluency, and consistent follow-through. It also requires clear-eyed leadership: the ability to prioritize, hold appropriate boundaries, and make decisions with confidence while remaining genuinely collaborative.
Think of MJP less like a traditional nonprofit and more like a purpose-driven startup with deep community roots. The person who thrives here will be energized by that environment, someone who can envision a long arc, roll up their sleeves on the details, and genuinely love the people and place they're serving.
Position Summary
Reports to: Board of Directors Direct Reports: 1 Employee (Operations/Programs Support) Status: Full-Time, Exempt
The Executive Director is responsible for the strategic leadership, operational management, fundraising, and community engagement of Montana Jewish Project. Working in close partnership with the Board of Directors, the ED translates MJP's mission into action, building programs, relationships, and resources that sustain and strengthen Jewish and community life in Montana.
Requirements
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Leadership & Strategy
- Serve as the primary visionary and operational leader for MJP, translating mission and board direction into clear priorities and action.
Participate in facilitated strategic planning in partnership with the Board, developing goals, timelines, and metrics that reflect organizational capacity and community need. - Right-size programming and operations over time, maintaining quality, community presence, and mission impact while building toward sustainability.
- Establish and maintain a healthy organizational culture: clear expectations, professional boundaries, and a positive working environment for staff, volunteers, and contractors.
- Make final calls on operational and programmatic scope, empowered by the Board to lead day-to-day decision-making.
Board Partnership & Governance - Build a productive, trust-based relationship with the Board of Directors, providing regular updates on finances, programs, strategy, and organizational health.
- Collaborate with the Board on annual goal-setting, fundraising strategy, and key decisions.
- Bring confidence and clarity to the ED/Board relationship: know when to seek input, when to act, and how to communicate both.
Fundraising & Development
- Lead all aspects of fundraising and development, with Board support; this is a primary focus of the role and essential to organizational sustainability.
- Comfortable with relational fundraising, cultivating and stewarding relationships with individual donors, institutional funders, and community partners.
- Develop and implement annual fundraising goals in consultation with the Board.
- Serve as MJP's primary external representative: with donors, rabbis, media, stakeholders, and the wider Montana community
Programs & Community Engagement
- Oversee MJP's programming across three core audiences: Helena's local Jewish community, Montana's broader statewide Jewish community, and interfaith and non-Jewish Montana neighbors.
- Evaluate and refine program offerings annually; prioritize quality, mission alignment, and overall ROI.
- Maintain and deepen MJP's relationships with rabbis, lay leaders, community members, and partner organizations.
- Represent MJP as a welcoming, culturally fluent, and values-aligned presence in the community.
Operations & Staff Management
- Manage daily operations within the approved budget; identify financial risks and opportunities proactively.
- Hire, supervise, and develop MJP's support staff, fostering a collaborative, mission-aligned team culture.
- Oversee contractors and vendors (teachers, rabbis, consultants, etc.).
- Recruit, support, and steward volunteers as a critical organizational resource.
- Oversee the maintenance of MJP's operational systems: CRM, communications platforms, event logistics, and organizational records.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
- 3-7 years of progressive leadership experience, with demonstrated success in an executive or senior management role.
- Experience working with or managing a board of directors, including supporting governance development.
- A track record of building relationships that generate support, whether through fundraising, community organizing, sales, partnerships, or other donor or constituent-facing work.
- Experience in nonprofit, startup, or business environments strongly preferred.
- Community-building experience, with a track record of cultivating meaningful relationships across diverse constituencies.
- Valid driver's license and insurability; ability to travel within Montana as required.
Competencies, Skills & Attributes
The ideal candidate will bring:
- Genuine connection to or appreciation of Jewish community, values, and identity, with an understanding of Jewish observance and the significance of the Jewish calendar, and curiosity about what Jewish life looks and feels like in Montana.
- An understanding that MJP is a welcoming, community and education organization, not a house of worship.
- A deeply relational leadership style, energized by building trust across donors, partners, rabbis, board, and community.
- High emotional intelligence: able to read a room, navigate complexity, and build consensus without losing decisiveness.
- Comfort in a startup-like environment where no task is too small, initiative is essential, and systems are still being built.
- The ability to prioritize decisively while holding a long view of organizational sustainability.
- Strong organizational skills, sound judgment, and excellent communication across all formats.
Compensation & Benefits
Salary range: $70,000 to $75,000, commensurate with experience and appropriate for the Helena, Montana market. FSA or retirement contribution negotiable. Generous paid time off from the start of employment. Flexible scheduling to support work-life balance.
Physical Demands & Working Conditions
- Primarily office-based, with regular community and off-site work, including events periodically held on evenings, weekends, and select Jewish holidays.
- Travel within Montana is required; occasional out-of-state travel may occur.
- MJP's office is located in a designated historic building; the primary workspace is on an upper floor accessible by stairs only.
- Ability to sit or stand for extended periods and lift and carry items up to 30 pounds.
Equal Opportunity Employer
MJP is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by applicable law.
We encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every qualification listed. If this work excites you and you meet most of what we are looking for, we would love to hear from you.
How to Apply
Please send a resume and cover letter to jobs@montanajewishproject.com with the subject line: Montana Jewish Project -- Executive Director
The initial application window closes EOD Friday, April 24. We encourage early applications, as materials will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
