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 candidate 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: