Vice President of High School Partnerships

PASSAGES

Remote

THEIR STORY

Founded in 2016 by Robert Nicholson and Rivka Kidron, Passages has become the premier program among Christian college students for educational travel to Israel. A trip to Israel should be a rite of passage for every Christian. There is no substitute for walking the land where Jesus walked and traversing the paths of the patriarchs, kings, prophets and the first disciples. The origins of both ancient Biblical faith and of a present-day nation—rich with culture, diversity, beauty, and challenges—are in Israel. The land and the people of Israel have a story to tell. By coming to Israel, you make Israel’s story part of your own.

The need for an organization such as Passages arose during Rivka's days as Adviser for Diaspora and Christian Affairs to Prime Minister Netanyahu, where she managed key relationships with global Jewish and Christian leaders. Leveraging her expertise and connections with Israel's top political and business leadership, Rivka also runs a firm that creates exclusive content-driven Israel travel programs for various leadership groups from around the world.

Robert Nicholson is the President and Executive Director of the Philos Project, an organization that strives to promote Christian engagement with the Middle East and its cultures. His work largely focuses on spreading the vision of a multi-ethnic and multi-religious Middle East based on freedom of rule and law.

To date, Passages has given over 8,000 students a transformative, 9-day experience in Israel and engaged those alumni in post-trip programming that has led to continued personal and professional development and career opportunities in many industries.
All this, under the leadership of Scott Phillips, CEO of Passages, who from childhood had a passion for Israel. He began his journey working in the Israel advocacy space as the Midwest Outreach Director for AIPAC (American Public Affairs Committee). During his tenure with AIPAC, Scott organized both grassroots and grass tops coalitions in the Christian leadership community and spoke regularly on topics related to the US-Israel relationship.

Passages recognizes that the future of our nation rests in the hands of the next generation, and our vision is to see young Christians equipped with the experiences, understanding, and skillset to lead with kindness, strength, and integrity. To be a friend to Israel. To make space for voices that are different from their own while standing firmly on their convictions. To lead the church and our nation into a brighter future.

WHAT THEY DO

In four phases, Passages offers a transformative leadership experience for students. The first phase of Passages introduces the core goals of the program: strengthened Christian faith, introduction to modern Israel, and leadership development. The course includes modules on the roots of Christianity, the biblical redemptive narrative, Jewish-Christian relations, the history of modern Israel, and trip logistics and preparation.

The second phase walks participants through the roots of their Biblical faith and the complex landscape of modern Israel. Participants visit sites including Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and the Garden of Gethsemane. They hear from a diverse range of local speakers who help them understand Israeli culture, government and economy, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the geopolitical and security issues surrounding Israel, and issues affecting the Jewish community globally.

After returning from Israel, participants begin the Passages Capstone. This post-trip course expands upon the educational themes from the trip to Israel and offers participants the opportunity to reflect on their experiences. Participants apply these lessons by completing three short assignments, including two electives. As participants complete the Capstone, they are welcomed into the Passages Leaders Network as alumni and awarded a Certificate in Christian Leadership and Israel Studies.

Finally, the Passages Leaders Network (PLN) equips the alumni of our program for influence by offering opportunities to lead, learn more, grow in their careers, and build life-long relationships with like-minded people. In PLN, alumni can attend the annual RISE Conference, participate in a mentorship program, find job opportunities, join industry-specific networking groups, and attend community events. Our goal is to facilitate continued faith discovery and friendship with Israel and the Jewish people among our alumni for years to come.

Watch HERE for more about their organization.

POSITION PROFILE

Title: Vice President of High School Partnerships

Classification: Full time/exempt, 40 hours per week

Reports to: Chief Israel Operations Officer

The internal division of Israel Operations consists of two teams: the VPs of the various market divisions (e.g., Catholic, High School), and the operations teams that recruit students and plan and execute Israel Trips.

Travel: 35-50%

Department: High School Division

Location: Remote

Summary:

The VP of High School Partnerships (VP) serves as the driver for the growth of Passages within the High School market. The VP develops relationships with these constituencies to send select Christian High School students with leadership potential on culturally immersive educational tours in Israel.

The VP is the primary leader and manager of the High School Division. This role is responsible for the growth and management of new high school partners, fundraising support, divisional budget, and strategic planning. This role is responsible for collaborating with the Passages central office to define limited program adaptations, strategic planning, fundraising collaboration, constituency relations, and other administrative duties to assist in successful market prospecting, growth, and student impact.

The VP is responsible for championing and leading successful coordination, collaboration, and alignment with the Passages central office and fellow divisions in organization-wide strategic planning and support of the organizational mission and vision goals.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Divisional Development Growth & Strategic Partnerships

Lead Responsibilities

Work with the Chief Development Officer and the Chief Executive Officer to design and execute revenue growth strategies to sustain and grow the High School Division
Work with the Chief Development Officer and Passages central Development team on prospecting, acquisition, renewal, and management of relevant High School Division donor relationships
Prospecting, acquisition, and management of strategic partnerships that elevate the High School Division and Passages central brand awareness and opportunities (e.g., influencers)
Design and execute a plan for alumni giving for alumni from the division

Coordinated Responsibilities with Passages Central:

Adhere to all development standards, workflows, and policies as defined by Passages central in the execution of development activities
Coordinate and assist revenue-generating and organization-wide development strategies and activities

Programming Operations & Partner Relations

Lead Responsibilities

Prospecting, acquisition, renewal, and management of partner relations for recruitment of Israel trips, as well as alumni opportunities

Coordinated Responsibilities with Passages Central:

Develop and oversee effective programming for division. This includes but is not limited to:

Thought partnership on strategic, limited, and agreed upon adaptations to Passages programming to achieve market relevance and value for High School
Thought partnership on divisional branding and marketing for programing and recruitment materials
Coordinating with trip departments for successful Israel trip planning, recruitment, registration, pre-trip management, and on-the-ground execution
Working alongside the departments that serve alumni to support division peer leadership, alumni relations, network development, and job placement of top divisional alumni
Champion and support education and pro-Israel advocacy efforts as they arise.

Divisional Management & Oversight

· Lead strategic planning for the High School Division in coordination with Passages central office

· Annual budget development, oversight, and management

· Oversight and management of divisional staff, and division culture

· Oversight and management of administrative functions such as expense reporting, payroll, and HR duties

· Oversight and management of division office, if there is a physical space

Passages Organization Coordination and Collaboration

· Adhere to standard operating procedures and agreed-upon processes to execute operational tasks and activities with Passages central departments

· Adhere to standard operating procedures and agreed-upon processes to execute Passages programming tasks and activities with the Passages departments of Strategic Operations, Israel Operations, Education, Leadership Development, Advocacy, and the Passages Leaders Network.

· Execute and champion organization-wide strategic planning season and activities

· Collaborate with fellow divisions to determine the best fit for cross-divisional partner relationships (financial and recruitment), recruitment efforts, and programming activities.

This job description is intended to provide guidelines for job expectations and the employee's ability to perform the position described. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills, and abilities. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate. This document does not represent a contract of employment, and Passages reserves the right to change this job description and/or assign tasks for the employee to perform, as deemed appropriate.

Position Requirements:

· 5+ years development experience in the field of faith-based high school leadership

· Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred

· 5+ years of progressive project and team management experience preferred

· Ability to travel in the US and internationally including Israel

Character

· A comprehensive understanding of Israel, the Jewish people, and the Hebraic roots of the Christian faith

· Proactive, innovative, and engaging leadership style

Competence

· Proven experience in fundraising

· Experience in executive-level leadership

· Engaging leadership, collaborative, with high EQ and good listening skills

· Problem-solving and analytical skills

· Proven track record of being forward-thinking and creative

· Excellent verbal and written communication skills

· Experience and proficiency in public speaking and networking. Able to “take a meeting” with either a high-level donor or network contact with confidence

· Motivated by key performance indicators and deadlines

· Proficient in Mac OS and Microsoft Office Suite

Chemistry with Culture:

· Ability to prioritize, multi-task, and adapt to shifting priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment

· Humble, hungry, smart. (The Ideal Team Player!) High drive and low ego is the ideal combination for this start-up, entrepreneurial culture.

· Attention to detail; Self-starter

Benefits Package:

A basic overview of our current benefits:

· Employer sponsored health insurance for employee and dependents with

· employee cost sharing.

· Employer paid dental, vision, basic life, short term disability and long term

· disability.

· Employee paid optional voluntary life and AD&D insurance for employee

· and dependents.

· Employee contribution FSA (Flexible Spending Account).

· Employee contribution 401k plan (w/Roth option) with Employer matching

· contribution up to 5%.

· Paid Holidays.

· Paid Time Off (PTO) (12 for the first year of employment)

· Standard Leaves such as bereavement, jury, military, parental, etc.

OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES

Opportunities

1.The High School Division has fresh funding and vision to open up a new-for-them market of a whole generation waiting to experience Israel for themselves.

2.Passages is healthy and excited about the future… they have operational efficiencies in creating a signature experience for students in Israel… now they are ready to scale in new markets.

Challenges

1.Passages needs a strategic leader experienced in the High School market who can establish partner relations that can help them break into this strategic market for recruitment and financial growth. They need a “subject matter expert” to help.

2.Passages needs to grow its brand awareness in the Christian marketplace… both in terms of partnerships and donors.