Regional Director, Cleveland

POSITION TITLE: Regional Director, Cleveland Regional Office

REPORTS TO: Divisional Vice President

SUPERVISION EXERCISED: Regional staff

LOCATION: Cleveland, Ohio

Grade/Class: Grade I, Exempt, PSA eligible

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION:

ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all.

The ADL Cleveland Regional Office serves the states of Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Western Pennsylvania and is part of the Southern Division of ADL, which includes the New Orleans, Atlanta, Florida, and Washington DC regional offices. The Region supports a multi-faceted educational, community relations, and legal approach to combat antisemitism and hate of all kinds, promote diversity, equity and inclusion and build bridges of understanding between communities. The Cleveland Office is currently comprised of 3 regional staff members. The office is supported by a Regional Board, as well as a robust young leadership program.

This region is known for developing and implementing innovative initiatives, geographic engagement and programming, and has achieved great status with elected officials and leaders in all 4 states.

Examples of key fundraising and donor engagement initiatives/events include:

• ADL’s National Annual Never Is Now Summit on Antisemitism and Hate
• ADL’s National Leadership Summit
• Cleveland’s Walk Against Hate, launched in 2022 with great success
• Cleveland Annual Meeting designed to engage all regional board members, donors and community partners

Examples of programmatic initiatives include:

• No Place for Hate and A World of Difference Institute in over 75 schools across the region
• Regionwide Parlor meetings: State of Hate Presentations
• Law Enforcement and Society trainings regionwide
• Antisemitism workshops for youth, community leaders and corporate partners
• Presentations to synagogues, Hillel’s and other Jewish communal organizations
• Security partnerships with federations and law enforcement regionwide
• Glass Leadership Institute, young leadership initiative

PRIMARY FUNCTION:

Plan and execute the direction and administration of all regional office activities, including fundraising, program delivery, leadership development, communications, government relations, fact-finding/research and office management to advance ADL’s mission within the region. Represent ADL in the community, to the media and to public officials. Manage, engage, and develop regional board, committees and staff. Report to and communicate regularly with the Southern Division team and the national team (i.e., the Community Support Center or “CSC”).

Primary:

• Strategize and direct the implementation of ADL programs and policies tailored to local community needs and issues. Develop innovative initiatives that serve the mission and create value for the community. These could include outreach, programs (e.g., conferences and education/training) and legislative networking.
• Serve as the “general manager,” responsible for driving revenue and managing expenses. Along with the divisional development team, lead regional fundraising efforts by developing and then executing the strategy to grow revenue and meet regional goals. Cultivate key donor relationships and directly solicit major donors including high-net worth individuals, foundations and corporations. Develop budgets and manage team to meet spending goals.
• Recruit, engage, develop, and retain superior talent in the region. Develop and maintain a culture that is consistent with ADL’s values and brings out the best in people, allowing them to perform at the highest possible level.
• Recruit, engage, and work with volunteer leaders, including members of the regional board and committees of the board (i.e., “lay leaders”) to support the revenue goals and activities of the region. Consistent with the regional by-laws, establish and implement guidelines for including lay leaders in regional activities and create appropriate training opportunities to ensure the effectiveness of lay leaders.
• Represent ADL in the public eye and give speeches in a variety of forums to promote public awareness of ADL’s mission, work, and programs. Respond to inquiries from the press and from members of the public, demonstrating authoritative knowledge of ADL’s policies and positions as relevant to local, national and world events. Read, monitor, and respond to media reports and opinion articles. Write and/or edit press releases, opinion pieces and social media posts on local issues in a manner consistent with ADL’s policies and principles.
• Promote visibility and leadership of ADL in the community. Establish and maintain relationships with appropriate community institutions and leaders, the Jewish community, legislators and government officials, media representatives, law enforcement personnel, and ethnic and interfaith group leaders.
• Develop and implement community outreach, including initiatives and joint ventures with elected officials, political leaders, business leaders and community figures. Build diverse interfaith and intergroup programs within the region.
• Oversee constituent services, ensuring discrimination bias complaints and incidents are received and resolved timely and appropriately. In coordination with counsel, direct fact-finding activities and implement procedures for reporting results.
• Participate in government affairs activities, maintaining regular contact with public officials at the local and state level. Advocate for ADL issues in state and local legislatures and other governmental settings. Collaborate with law enforcement and advise them on issues.
• Monitor relevant civil rights lawsuits in the region and identify potential Amicus brief involvement. Keep the Civil Rights Area Counsel informed of developments.
• In collaboration with the Regional Operations team, establish the regional operating budget and manage to both revenue and expense commitments.

Skills:

• Proven leadership ability and strong team building skills. Need superior managerial, mentoring and supervisory skills.
• Strategic thinker who relishes problem solving and enjoys a challenge. Must be comfortable working inside a large organization while operating in an entrepreneurial manner.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills, including public speaking; ability to represent complex and diverse issues in an articulate and compelling manner.
• Highly organized and detail oriented. Can lay out a plan, engage people to make it happen and manage the project to completion.
• Highly effective interpersonal skills; ability to work with a broad range of leaders and advocates and develop mutually beneficial relationships; ability to build coalitions and establish strategic partnerships.
• Ability to absorb and learn new information quickly (e.g., ADL policies and positions)
• Proven diplomatic and conflict resolution skills.
• Ability to handle a heavy workload and respond effectively to rapidly changing priorities.

Attributes:

• Visionary, entrepreneurial mindset.
• Intellectual curiosity.
• High energy, positive attitude.
• Problem-solving orientation.
• Unafraid to make an “ask.”
• Emotional intelligence.
• High level of self-confidence coupled with humility and empathy.
• A general bias for action and sense of urgency coupled with the judgment to know when a crisis calls for calm and restraint. 
• Prefer a person who truly enjoys engaging with others – “a people person” who builds and maintains long-term, even life-long, relationships.

Other:

• A commitment to and passion for ADL’s mission and work.
• Subject matter expertise with antisemitism, civil rights, and social justice strongly preferred.
• Willingness to work evenings and weekends when necessary to represent ADL and to attend community events; travel across the region is required; occasional overnight travel is required.

Work Experience:

• Five plus years’ experience in a leadership role with management responsibility; prefer seven to ten years’ experience.
• Track record of scaling a business or nonprofit organization a plus.
• Strongly prefer fundraising experience with an emphasis on major gifts, program development and volunteer relations (business development/sales experience could be an alternative).

Education:

• A bachelor’s degree or comparable experience is required. A graduate degree in law, business, nonprofit management, or a related field, is preferred.

Work Environment: 

• ADL COVID-19 Protocol (updated periodically): ADL is adhering to public health guidance regarding COVID-19. ADL will require that all employees are vaccinated with exceptions for medical and religious accommodations. ADL is requiring proof of vaccination. ADL is a hybrid environment; this role may require 3 days in the office. 

Compensation: 

• This position has a salary range of $84,000 to $122,250. This salary range is reflective of a position based in Cleveland, Ohio. Please note that actual salaries are commensurate with experience and reflect the budget for a given position, and since ADL has a location-based compensation structure, there may be a different range for candidates in other locations. For an overview of our total rewards package, please visit https://www.adl.org/about/careers.

ADL values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of underrepresented ethnic groups, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply. ADL is an equal opportunity employer. Recruitment, hiring, promotions and other terms, conditions and privileges of employment shall be maintained in a manner which does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, marital status, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or military status, or in violation of any applicable Federal, state or local laws.    

ADL will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. For individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation to support the interview process, please contact Talent & Knowledge at talentacquisition@adl.org.    

ADL will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and all other applicable State, Local, and Federal laws. 

The information in this job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain, or be interpreted as, a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications and objectives required of employees assigned to this job, nor is it to be interpreted as a contract for employment.