Job Postings
Positions Available: 1) Managing Director
2) Teacher in Children's Learning Program
1) MANAGING DIRECTOR
Posted January 19, 2012
Deadline for applications March 1, 2012
Overview
• Full time exempt position
• Work from Kolot Chayeinu’s office in Park Slope, Brooklyn
• Work hours are generally Monday through Friday, adjusted to enable working on Saturday once a month and on Sunday for a monthly Board meeting; some evenings and weekends
• Salary is commensurate with experience
• Health benefits
• Position open immediately
Kolot Chayeinu/Voices of Our Lives is an 18-year-strong independent Jewish congregation of more than 350 members located in Park Slope, Brooklyn. We are creative, serious seekers who pray joyfully, wrestle with tradition, pursue justice, and refuse to be satisfied with the world as it is. As individuals of varying sexual orientations, gender identities, races, family arrangements, and Jewish identities and backgrounds, we share a commitment to the search for meaningful expressions of our Judaism in today’s uncertain world.
Kolot has been growing steadily and is now seeking a Managing Director (MD) who is a mission-focused, strategic, process-minded and action-oriented leader with experience scaling an organization; leading and supervising volunteers, staff and a management team; and developing a performance culture among talented, dedicated individuals, most of whom are volunteers. The MD must be a leader who effectively and efficiently coordinates the day-to-day operations and administrative side of the congregation; helps others deliver measurable, cost-effective results that make the congregation’s vision a reality. The successful MD candidate will have the skills, sensitivity, and personal confidence to tap into the power that each member of the team brings to this mission. While it is essential that the MD bring systems to enhance the efficiency of Kolot’s use of resources, it is also critical that the team continue to generate the spark that drives the synagogue.
Responsibilities
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the MD will manage all secular operations of the congregation and will have the following responsibilities:
• Serve as the internal leader and manager of the congregation’s secular and administrative operations:
• Supervise Kolot’s small team of administrative staff and consultants, including Data and Records Manager; accountant, custodians and any temporary/permanent administrative support staff.
• Liaise with Rabbi about all aspects of the congregation, including the ritual/religious programs of the Congregation.
• Ensure that administrative/operational support is in place for all aspects of the congregation.
• Manage human resources functions including: personnel policies and procedures, recruitment, hiring, training, compensation, benefits, employee relations, and performance evaluations. The MD will be responsible to conduct performance evaluations for all staff under his or her supervision.
• Provide a strong day-to-day leadership presence for all staff.
• Engage and coordinate operations and administrative volunteers.
• Manage and coordinate all space and facilities needs; liaise to the Church that is the congregation’s landlord and to the congregation’s Children’s Learning Program, secure and manage all other spaces that Kolot rents over the course of the year.
• Manage Kolot’s overall budget and finances, including: coordinating the budgeting process and timetable in coordination with the Board of Directors and other senior staff; monitoring Kolot’s cash position, receivables and liabilities; coordinating income tracking; overseeing annual financial audit; and, with the Treasurer and Finance Committee, developing and implementing fiscal oversight and tracking systems.
• Manage Kolot’s congregational communications including e-mails, e-mail lists, newsletters, annual reports, donor acknowledgements, mailings, and website. Supervise web content and technical web managers. Oversee all administrative systems and communications on which Board committees, congregational committees, and core initiatives and projects of the congregation rely.
• Oversee and supervise the routine and requested production of congregational membership records and data, including lists, reports, and analyses of information.
• Oversee congregational technology infrastructure and scope out the next level of information technology necessary to support the growth of specific programs and the congregation overall; this includes records management needs and general office equipment needs.
• Work with clergy to ensure necessary coordination of religious and secular programs, including organizing the congregational calendar as well as all-staff meetings.
• Provide primary support to the Board and its Executive Committee, Finance Committee and Fundraising teams, to the congregation’s Membership Committee, and as needed, other core committee’s of the congregation.
• Manage administrative support to the Children’s Learning Program.
• Provide support to other essential, ongoing and/or ad-hoc committees as identified by the Board.
• Develop and implement controls, systems, and procedures for effective operations and timely monitoring and reporting required to enable the Board to measure and evaluate progress against goals for the organization.
• Develop and implement systems for reporting and measuring that provide quick access to financial and other information to enable strategic budgeting and planning, including fundraising and membership outreach/connection efforts.
• Serve as key member of Kolot’s management team, participating in the development and implementation of policies, strategy, planning, and operational goals and objectives.
Key Qualifications
The successful candidate must believe in Kolot Chayeinu’s core values and be driven by its mission. We are seeking a candidate that has proven experience in scaling a multi-site organization and a demonstrated ability to both lead and build the capabilities of a driven, bright, and diverse team.
The successful candidate will most likely have had management experience of a relatively complex nature. As noted, this is an organization driven by the values of its people, so experience in managing a “values-driven” organization will be highly prized. Additional requirements are:
• Results - Proven track record and a bottom-line orientation; evidence of the ability to consistently make good decisions through a combination of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment; the ability to balance the delivery of programs against the realities of a budget; and strength in problem solving, project management, and creative resourcefulness.
• Capacity Building - Ability to effectively build organization and staff capacity, developing a top-quality workforce and the processes that ensure the organization runs smoothly.
• Leadership and Organization - Exceptional capacity for managing and leading people; a team builder who has experience in scaling up organizations; ability to connect staff both individually and in large groups; capacity to enforce accountability, develop and empower people from the bottom up, lead from the top down, and learn the strengths and weaknesses of people so as to put them in a position to succeed.
• Action Oriented - Enjoy working hard, able to act and react as necessary, even if limited information is available; not afraid to take charge of a situation and make decisions; can overcome resistance to leadership; able to meet challenges head on.
• General Management - Understanding of and experience with core organizational/business needs including finance, HR, planning, budgeting, business analysis, information systems, marketing, fundraising.
• Communications – Possess excellent oral and written communications skills and enjoy using them.
• Solid educational background - Undergraduate degree or commensurate work experience required.
• Jewish knowledge, awareness and/or sensibility - required.
• Experience working with Jewish organizations - desired.
• Sense of humor. - desired.
Kolot Chayeinu is an equal opportunity employer.
To apply, please send your resume and 3 professional references
by February 10, 2012 to:
Kolot Chayeinu Search Committee
No telephone inquiries. All qualified candidates will be considered.
2) TEACHER IN CHILDREN'S LEARNING PROGRAM
Seeking teachers for our Children's Learning Program starting classes again January 9, 2012.
We are looking for educators with good and clear Hebrew and English handwriting, confidence and familiarity in
teaching Torah, Jewish holidays, and tefillah. Our educators also need to have experience working with children in 2nd and 3rd grades, strong creative lesson planning skills, and effective classroom management skills. Applicants must also have experience with and positive attitudes towards team teaching.
At Kolot, we develop the core curriculum for each kitah, provide a week by week skeleton for the lessons, and provide supportive materials, activity suggestions, and resources for teachers to use as they develop their own lesson plans within the framework and structure we provide. We strive for a healthy balance of support and supervision and teachers getting to express and develop their own individual ideas and approaches to things.
The logistics of the position briefly summarized:
- Monday afternoons we meet at M.S. 88 on 7th Ave and 18th Street in Brooklyn
- arrive at 3:30pm to set up your room (including snack for students)
- clean up your room and be ready to bring students down to school entrance for dismissal at 6pm
- teachers leave at 6:15pm after filling out lesson evaluation forms (you'll receive it back the following week with handouts, answers to your questions, materials you requested, etc)
- attendance of once a month one-on-one meetings with the director and once a month group meetings (the first Monday of every month, 6:30-8pm)
- attendance of Family Havadalah Program on March 17th and end of year Siyyum with congregation (date TBA)
Our interview process involves an in person conversation with the director and a member of the parent-led Education Committee calling references. We also ask that you take a look at the curriculum outline we will provide and write a sample lesson plan to email to us.
If you are interested in this position, email your resume and two references to Ora Wise by December 13th, 2011.
Ora Wise
Director of Children's Learning
