Job Title
Assistant Director of Congregational Life
Organization Name:
Job Type:
Full-time
Salary:
A competitive salary with benefits in the non-profit marketplace
Hours:
40
Deadline:
March 1, 2018
Job Summary/Description:
Adath Jeshurun Congregation, a thriving Conservative congregation of 1,250 households, seeks a full-time assistant director of congregational life to build on the success of and vision for young adult and young family life, powered inside and outside the walls of the synagogue.
A go-getter who is equally comfortable initiating contact on social media, in a coffee shop, and by the entrance of the preschool, the assistant director will be highly organized, detail-oriented, and reliable in initiation, planning, and execution. This person will be a network weaver: connecting dots among people and programs and creating experiences that make relationships thick and meaningful. The assistant director will execute the visions of Makom (Young Adults) and Young Families with supervision from our director of congregational life, Jennifer Gray, in the Center for Learning and Spirituality and with direction from Rabbi Aaron Weininger. The support of the programming staff and lay leaders will also help our assistant director thrive.
We are invested in thickening relationships and not pushing people in and out the door for the next event.
This full-time, 40 hour per week position comes with enormous flexibility and, therefore, requires great discipline. It comes with an understanding that you won’t be working the same hours each day or from the same spot. Your regular presence in this role on Shabbatot and all holidays, including High Holy Days, is essential. Your willingness to meet and plan programs on evenings and Sundays is vital to your success and our shared success. Strategic, intentional planning of programming will also be essential for the sake of connecting people to one another and the joy of Jewish living; not just to have another program on the calendar.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
What you’ll do:
- Learn about the existing visions for Makom and Young Families and develop a plan to build one-to-one relationships with young adults and young families by meeting them where they live, work, and study, utilizing creative methods to engage them in Jewish life and learning– from the lakes and coffee shops of south Minneapolis to the parks and playgrounds of the western suburbs. Translate those one-to-one relationships to community building activities, learning opportunities, moments of prayer, shared meals, hesed projects, and leadership cultivation that makes our community the most vibrant it can be, firing on all cylinders.
- Build an active Shabbat/holiday community inside and outside the walls of the synagogue including, but not limited to, planning logistics and attending monthly Makom Fridays and creating activities on Friday evenings and Shabbat mornings for young families (parents and children).
- Take a critical look, in collaboration with lay leaders, clergy, and programming staff, at High Holy Day young adult and young family offerings and be a team player in executing that vision for evening and day-time offerings on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah.
- Develop marketing, social media, and content for a vibrant young adult and young families web presence with direction from our Marketing/Communications Manager; maintain participant tracking database. Develop and oversee an accessible system for staff to follow up with major lifecycle and transitional moments including engagements, weddings, baby namings, transitions out of preschool, and relocation to the Twin Cities of transplants and lifelong Minnesotans.
What you won’t do:
- Be at a desk from 9-5.
- Throw programming at the wall and hope it sticks.
Experience and Qualification Requirements:
You will bring:
- A bachelor’s degree.
- Strong interpersonal skills to help each person chart a meaningful path through the many doorways of Jewish life.
- An entrepreneurial spirit – things may not always go according to plan, but you understand that learning and ambiguity are part of developing great new opportunities.
- Confidence initiating and running programs and paying attention to details, and comfort turning to others and asking questions.
- Stellar communication skills and active listening skills.
- An ability to work independently and collaboratively with a big smile.
- An inability to leave the grocery store without making a new friend.
- A willingness to admit what you don’t know, and excitement to learn in those areas.
- Creative problem-solving skills.
- Excitement in further developing your own relationship to Judaism.
- Abilities to play a musical instrument and lead a community in song are pluses.
Additional Information:
You will receive:
- A competitive salary with benefits in the non-profit marketplace.
- Great professional development, mentoring, and skill building opportunities.
- A congregational family standing behind you and supporting your Jewish journey.
- Plenty of caffeine from all your coffee dates.
How To Apply:
Please submit your resume and a detailed description of relevant professional experiences to Debbie Spencer, President of Adath Jeshurun Congregation, at [email protected]. Also include a statement outlining the qualities you possess that you feel make you an ideal match.
