itrek launched in 2011 with a mission to empower leaders to engage their networks in meaningful Israel experiences, fostering an understanding and appreciation of Israel’s unique culture, diversity, richness and complex reality. More than 25,000 graduate students representing 130 nationalities from schools in the U.S., Canada and Europe have traveled to Israel through itrek. Over the last two years, itrek has expanded beyond graduate school students by piloting Launchpad, a program that connects with mission aligned leaders and organizations to create Israel Treks for their influential peers and members.
REALITY, now a key part of itrek, has led more than 3,000 influential leaders from diverse backgrounds and sectors—entertainment, policy, social innovation, technology, and more—on life-changing journeys to Israel over the past 15 years. Together, we inspire participants to deepen their leadership skills, build meaningful peer connections, and develop a nuanced understanding of Israel and the region.
Position Overview
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will serve as a strategic partner to the CEO, driving operational excellence, efficiency, and alignment across itrek’s work. As both a strategist and builder, the COO will translate vision into execution, developing systems, processes, and culture that enable itrek to scale impact in a complex, fast-changing environment.
The COO will lead the organization’s efforts to operate at scale in pursuit of itrek’s 2034 vision: delivering transformative Israel experiences to 10,000 rising and current leaders annually through a data-informed, multi-model approach.
Reporting to the CEO and serving as a key member of the Executive Team, the COO will oversee multiple functions including operations, legal, finance, technology and data, HR and organizational effectiveness, ensuring alignment across functions and positioning itrek for long-term success. The ideal candidate brings consulting-level strategic insight and a proven ability to lead meaningful organizational transformation. This person is both visionary and execution-oriented, analytical yet empathetic.
Primary Responsibilities
Operational & Strategic Execution (top priority)
- Partner with the CEO and the Executive Team to translate strategy into coordinated action and strengthen alignment across teams.
- Lead structured planning cycles (OKRs, quarterly reviews, annual work plans) that connect daily operations to strategic goals.
- Develop and manage frameworks such as RACI and EOS/operating models to build efficiency, accountability, and performance.
- Anticipate organizational risks and design proactive crisis management and brand protection strategies.
- Advance policies and practices that sustain a high-performing, safe, and values-driven organization.
- Oversee all legal and contractual matters in both the U.S. and Israel.
Finance & Resource Stewardship
- Supervise the Senior Director of Finance & Administration, aligning financial strategy with organizational priorities, growth plans, and resource allocation
- Lead strategic financial decision-making that balances short-term needs with long-term sustainability.
- Oversee financial management to provide accurate, timely, and transparent financial reporting to funders, the Finance Committee and Board of Directors.
- Provide executive oversight of itrek’s endowment and investment management.
- Support compliance, audit completion and reporting requirements in the U.S. and Israel, including 990 submission and state filings.
Business Systems and Data Operations
- Supervise the Director of Business Systems and Operations, guiding technology decisions that enhance scalability, efficiency, and engagement.
- Oversee the modernization of systems and processes to streamline operations and promote data-driven decision-making.
- Uphold organizational data integrity, accessibility, and the consistent use of insights to inform strategy and measure impact.
- Champion the strategic adoption of AI tools and practices to enhance organizational efficiency, streamline workflows, and strengthen data-informed decision-making.
- Lead impact measurement to assess program effectiveness and communicate organizational outcomes.
- Strengthen knowledge management systems to preserve institutional learning and accessible documentation.
Organizational Effectiveness and Culture
- Partner with the CEO and Director of HR to cultivate a culture of innovation, collaboration, and accountability.
- Champion HR systems that attract, retain, and develop top talent.
- Serve as a culture leader who fosters inclusivity, trust, and shared purpose, ensuring itrek remains an inspiring and high-performing workplace.
Skills and Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred
- Proven track record of leading large-scale organizational growth and change, with strong systems-level thinking and creative problem-solving
- Demonstrated financial acumen and experience managing budgets and P&L responsibilities
- Entrepreneurial, proactive, and highly organized, with the ability to align cross-functional teams around strategic goals
- Emotionally intelligent and collaborative, with a leadership style that inspires adaptability, innovation, and high performance
- Passion for itrek’s mission and embrace of nuance and open dialogue around Israel
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills; fluency in English required
- Proficiency in Google Workspace with familiarity in Salesforce, Slack, Monday, and generative AI tools such as ChatGPT
- Willingness to travel to the U.S. (4-5 times per year) and to work flexible hours overlapping with U.S. time zones.
Benefits
- Dynamic and fast growing non-profit organization
- Opportunity for travel to the U.S.
- Generous vacation time package
- Work from Anywhere weeks and a wellness stipend
itrek is an Equal Opportunity employer. Personnel are chosen on the basis of ability without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, marital status or sexual orientation, in accordance with federal and state law.
itrek is a hybrid work environment with a minimum of two days per week in the office.