Board Liaison and Governance Manager

Who We Are:

The Orthodox Union (OU) is one of the largest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. Founded in 1898, the OU supports a network of synagogues, youth programs, Jewish and Religious Zionist advocacy programs, programs for people with disabilities, localized religious study programs, and international units. The OU maintains a kosher certification service, whose circled U symbol,   Ⓤ , is found on the labels of many kosher commercial and consumer food products.

Position Summary:

The Board Liaison and Governance Manager will serve as a member of the Institutional Advancement’s Board Engagement team, supporting the Director of Governance and Leadership. The position will work with the Director of Governance and Leadership to ensure adherence to all governance protocols of the Orthodox Union, as well as work to increase board engagement and giving. Responsibilities include preparing lay leader communications, scheduling and coordinating materials for committee and Board meetings, and working with the Executive Office and other OU program departments on special projects and lay leader events.

The candidate will also serve as a thought partner to the Director of Governance and Leadership in developing new lay leader initiatives, streamlining workflows, and improving processes to engage and support the organization’s top lay leaders. He or she will work with the Director to execute programs aimed at building out the lay leadership pipeline and growing lay leadership networks within the OU’s Commissions and Committees.

This position may require working occasional evenings and weekends when there are meetings or events. The c andidate will have the opportunity to travel for lay leader events, as needed.

Responsibilities:

Governance Coordination

- Coordinating and staffing all OU Board meetings, ensuring that meetings are occurring as required by the Constitution, tracking action steps, and securing the necessary follow-up actions.
- Coordinating and staffing all meetings of the Executive Committee, Credentials Committee, Nomination and Board Resource Committee, and other committees and commissions as needed, tracking action steps and securing the necessary follow-up actions.
- Develop and provide high-quality execution of workflow and processes to support agenda development, preparation and review of materials, materials distribution and archiving for all Board of Director and relevant Committee meetings.
- Manage the onboarding process for new and returning board members, including coordinating in person and virtual educational onboarding sessions, working with the President and Director of Governance and Leadership to assign commission and committee chairmanship, and connecting mentors with mentees.
- Collaborate with Executive Office to craft and implement strategic retreats for the Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
- Design and launch initiatives that engage board members in creative and timely ways, such as interactions with OU department work or connecting with staff members in areas of interest.
- Keep board members well apprised of OU initiatives by preparing regular and timely reports of departmental activities and distributing materials at events, meetings, and via email.
- In partnership with the Director of Governance and Leadership and the Executive Officer, develop an annual strategic plan with board goals and strategies that align Board interests, organizational priorities and objectives, and ongoing.
- Following committee and Board meetings, prepare and distribute meeting notes.
- Work with OU Audit team to provide minutes for all official Board meetings in a timely fashion.
- During the 6-9 month period leading up to Convention, and in strict adherence to the OU Constitution, coordinate the new board slate and commission Chairmanship. This includes:   Identifying lay leaders who are reaching their term limits
- Working with the Nomination and Board Resource Commission and Executive Office to identify board members who will be offboarded
- Managing the Board nomination process, including updating the nomination submission form and distributing it to the relevant stakeholders such as synagogues, lay leaders, development directors, department heads, program managers, etc .
- Working with the Credentials Committee to ensure the OU is fulfilling its requirements for delegates as per the OU Constitution

Event Planning

- Work with the events team to coordinate various aspects of lay leader events, including site visits, missions, networking programs, scholar-in-residences, etc. This includes:     Supporting development of necessary materials
- Facilitating the program schedule
- Adhering to travel and program budget
- Coordinating communications schedule for board events.

Institutional Advancement

- Analyze report on Board members giving history and allocations and identify areas of interest.
- Research, identify, and recruit new board members to the organization in collaboration with OU Benefactor Circle.
- Ensure all Board members are meeting their minimum giving requirement by running quarterly reports on each member’s giving. Work with the Director of Governance and Leadership to strategize Board members meeting their giving goals through meetings with relationship managers.
- Liaise with all OU departments to highlight and steward the OU donors, bringing the needs of OU to their attention.
- Participate in targeted, personal outreach to Board members and lay leaders, as needed.
- Work with relationship managers and program departments to enhance communication regarding various touch points with relevant lay leaders.

Qualifications:

- Bachelor’s Degree required
- A minimum of 5-7 years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Experience in lay leader support, events management, development or related areas with a heavy logistical and donor interaction component is highly desired.
- Effective oral and written communication, tact and sophistication vis-a-vis managing sensitive and confidential information
- Proficiency in using various Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint and Outlook
- Time management skills and ability to work well under pressure
- Ability to multitask
- Outstanding problem - solving and decision-making skills
- Ability to interact effectively with all levels of management and diverse body of lay leaders and communicate effectively with both internal and external audiences

Salary and Benefits:

The salary range for this position   is   $ 60 ,000-   $ 70 ,000 , commensurate with experience.

Health, Dental & Vision Insurance:
The OU offers health insurance through an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA). Instead of a single group plan, employees have the freedom to choose their own health insurance plan that   fits their personal and family needs. The OU contributes a generous monthly amount directly toward your premium, making coverage more flexible, affordable, and tailored to you.

Employees enrolled in our health plan also receive an annual   BeniComp   stipend, a supplemental benefit that reimburses eligible medical, pharmaceutical, dental, and vision expenses.

In addition, the OU offers employees group dental and vision insurance through MetLife.

Additional Benefits and Perks:

- 10 Paid sick days

- 10-15 Paid vacation days
- Paid Jewish and Federal holidays
- Short Fridays to accommodate for Sabbath observance
- Free life and disability insurance
- Discounted continuing education opportunities
- 403(b) retirement plan with a 5% employer match after 3 years (requires a minimum 2% employee contribution)