Director, Joan & Irwin Jacobs JFS Connect

Position Overview: 

The Director builds and leads Joan and Irwin Jacobs JFS Connect, a mobile community health and wellness program launching in early 2027, from launch through its first three years and beyond. The Director is the founding leader of JFS Connect and owns its launch, daily operations, partnerships, budget and results. This is a builder role: the program does not yet exist in the field, and this person will turn a funded vision into a reliable, trusted service.

The role combines four jobs. The Director runs a mobile operation with vehicles, food and rotating sites. They lead a multidisciplinary team that delivers trauma-informed, culturally responsive care. They manage a network of clinical, research, school and food partners. And they are a spokesperson for this important initiative alongside the JFS CEO, community partners, elected officials and supporters.

About JFS Connect

Jewish Family Service of San Diego is launching the Joan & Irwin Jacobs JFS Connect, featuring Lieber’s Corner Market, in early 2027. It is a mobile extension of JFS’s holistic service model that brings fresh food and wraparound support directly into San Diego schools and other programs with the goal of improving health and wellbeing.

One in four San Diego residents' experiences food insecurity, and about 100,000 county children are food insecure. JFS Connect meets families where they are, removing barriers such as transportation, cost, language, childcare and fear.

The program will first serve women and children at three higher-poverty elementary schools in the San Diego Unified School District. Each visit offers a dignified, farmer’s-market-style food experience alongside on-site services:

• Financial assistance and coaching 
• Women’s health and nutrition education
• Benefits and community resource navigation 
• Mental health support and screenings 
• Children’s health screening, prevention and early intervention 

JFS Connect will launch with four key partners: the Cornell Joan Klein Jacobs Center for Precision Nutrition and Health, San Diego Unified School District, the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, and Rady Children’s Health.

Responsibilities:

Program Launch and Strategy

• Lead the early 2027 launch, including finalizing site selection, visit schedules, service flow and community outreach at three SDUSD elementary schools. 
• Translate the program’s four goals into an annual operating plan: increase access to essential services, reduce food insecurity, strengthen financial stability, and improve child and family wellness. 
• Plan the program’s growth beyond the initial schools, including JFS Safe Parking sites and additional schools. 
• Keep the model trauma-informed, culturally responsive and centered on dignity and choice. 

Operations and Mobile Market

• Run Lieber’s Corner Market on the road, including food sourcing, inventory, food safety and the farmer’s-market-style client experience, in collaboration with the Director of Nutrition Services. 
• Coordinate with internal JFS programs whose staff deliver services on site, such as immigration legal, financial coaching and mental health. 
• Build policies and procedures for site visits, client intake, data privacy, emergencies and service handoffs. 

Team Leadership

• Hire, supervise and develop the Outreach and Education Manager. 
• Build a team culture grounded in trauma-informed practice, cultural humility and accountability. 
• Coordinate JFS staff from other programs who contribute time to JFS Connect. 

Partnerships

• Serve as JFS’s lead contact for the program’s four launch partners. 
• San Diego Unified School District: align with principals and school staff on schedules, referrals and attendance and wellness goals. Ensure proper MOUs and data sharing agreements are in place. 
• Cornell Joan Klein Jacobs Center: co-create nutrition programming, produce prescriptions and research protocols with the Center’s team, including the on-site practitioner-researcher. 
• Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank: manage food sourcing, backpack programs and produce recovery. 
• Develop new partnerships with community organizations, health plans and public agencies. 

Family Assistance Fund

• Administer the School Wellness & Family Assistance Fund ($2.25M over three years). It covers emergency financial help, school supplies, transportation, medical and behavioral health supports, and parent wellness programs. 
• Set clear eligibility, approval and documentation rules so funds reach families quickly and fairly. 

Research, Data and Innovation

• Work with Cornell to design and run evaluation of nutrition, health and family outcomes. 
• Guide the use of AI and digital tools for nutrition education and behavior change, with attention to privacy, consent and equity. 
• Track and report annual impact targets and use data to improve services. 

Budget and Stewardship: 

• Manage a three-year budget of about $15.2M, including the $5.5M sustainability endowment, with the JFS finance team. 
• Prepare donor reports, board updates and grant reports for the named gift and other funders. 
• Support fundraising and long-term sustainability planning with JFS leadership and development staff. 
• Represent JFS Connect to the media, policymakers and the community. 

Skills/Experience/Abilities That Are a Must-Have:

• Master’s degree in social work, public health, public administration, nonprofit management or a related field, or equivalent experience. 
• 10+ years of progressive experience in human services, community health or food access, including 5+ years leading teams and programs. 
• A record of launching or scaling a new program, ideally one delivered in the community or on a mobile model. 
• Experience managing multi-million-dollar budgets, subcontracts and restricted funds. 
• Experience building partnerships with schools, health systems, universities or public agencies. 
• Deep understanding of trauma-informed care, social determinants of health and the needs of low-income, immigrant, refugee and military-connected families. 
• Strong data skills: setting outcome measures, using program data and reporting results to funders and boards. 
• Valid California driver’s license and ability to travel daily across San Diego County. 

Skills/Abilities We’d Like You to Have:

• Bilingual in English and Spanish; other languages spoken in San Diego communities are also valued. 
• Experience with food as medicine, produce prescriptions, food banks or nutrition programs. 
• Experience working with research partners on program evaluation. 
• Experience with FQHCs, pediatric health systems or school-based health services. 
• Familiarity with digital health or AI tools for client engagement. 
• Experience stewarding major or named gifts and working with donors. 

Physical Requirements:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.
• The employee is regularly required to sit for extended periods of time, walk, use hands to finger, handle, or feel to type, use a mouse, and manipulate small components; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear to communicate in person, over the phone, or with others in a potentially noisy environment. Site visits require standing and walking, often outdoor

Other Duties:

Please note that this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. 

Position Title: Director, Joan & Irwin Jacobs JFS Connect 

Organization: Jewish Family Service of San Diego

Position Type: Full-Time (37.5+ hours/week), Exempt

Work Setting: Fully Onsite

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer  

Pay Range: $110,000 to $125,000/year

Total Compensation:  

In addition to standard pay, compensation for this position includes:

• Comprehensive, low-cost healthcare coverage for employees
• Generous employer 401(k) contributions
• Employer-covered life insurance

Time Away from Work:

Being able to take time away from work is critical in bringing your best self to work. Time off benefits for this position include:

• Paid vacation time and sick leave
• 15 paid holidays, including Federal and Jewish holidays (as long as the holiday lands on a normal scheduled work day), and floating holidays
• 2 Wellness Days to be taken any time during the year to support employees’ mental wellness

About Jewish Family Service of San Diego
Jewish Family Service of San Diego is a client-centered, impact-driven organization working to build a stronger, more resilient community.  For over 100 years, Jewish Family Service has been a trusted resource for the entire community, offering an array of services that are always life-changing, and often life-saving.  At Jewish Family Service, we believe our employees are the backbone of our Agency.  We strive to ensure that each employee is treated with dignity and respect.  Our goal is your success.  Come work at JFS and be our partner in Moving Forward Together.  To learn more about JFS, please visit jfssd.org. 

*Jewish Family Service is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.