Seeking Executive Director: Come Build the Future With Us!
Are you…
Passionate about nurturing joyful Jewish community and continuity?
A people connector and community builder?
Committed to member engagement across multiple generations?
Excited about collaborating with other dynamic leaders?
Inspired to innovate in Jewish communal life?
Beth Am Israel is a community that meets our members as they are, wherever they are in their Jewish journeys, and values and celebrates the unique contributions of all. We are looking for an experienced, enthusiastic leader to help us nurture joyful Jewish community and accessible spirituality, build meaningful relationships and live our Jewish values.
OUR BETH AM ISRAEL COMMUNITY: 100 years young!
Our 360-member ruach-filled, musical, egalitarian, family-centered community is looking to the future and transforming synagogue-based Jewish life for the 21st century and beyond. Jewish By Nature, our new Jewish learning program for tots through teens, offers inspired, child-centered Jewish experiences through outdoor nature education in our woodlands and a Hebrew-infused curriculum rooted in Torah and Jewish values.
We are nurturing a spiritually and intellectually diverse Jewish community that enjoys “Building Meaningful Jewish Lives Together”. We gratefully acknowledge our Jewish roots and tradition and seek to infuse the blessings of our beloved culture’s rhythms and rituals into our daily lives. We applaud and deeply encourage curiosity and challenging of Jewish custom, practice, and dogma. Through our shared life experiences, we are committed to creating a more kind and just world reflective of our Jewish learning and values. To learn more about us, we invite you to visit our website at: www.bethamisrael.org
POSITION OVERVIEW
At Beth Am Israel our Executive Director is the senior administrative professional and an integral member of our leadership team, along with the Rabbi, Hazzan, Education Director and the Board President. Our leadership team is jointly responsible for the programmatic, spiritual and financial realization of our mission. And, while each member of the team is responsible for overseeing a particular aspect of the synagogue’s operations and management, each is also expected to work collaboratively with and in support of the other members of the team in the fulfillment of their responsibilities. Your responsibilities will include assuring the successful coordination and execution of our leadership team’s collaborative efforts as they work in partnership with our lay leaders and other volunteers.
We are excited to identify an experienced and collaborative leader who will serve our multi-constituency congregation; organize, inspire and motivate our staff; foster a culture of respect and inclusivity; help grow our community; and bring the outstanding level of skill and professionalism necessary for success in this role. In this dynamic role you will manage our community today, while playing a pivotal role in shaping its future. You will partner with our Board of Directors to further evolve sound organizational operating and financial principles essential for our growth and long-term sustainability.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
1) Member Relationship Management and Engagement – You will be a critical brand ambassador for Beth Am Israel. You will effectively build positive relationships with members to assure a welcoming, positive experience for all members, long term, new and prospective. You will work collaboratively and responsively with our members, including lay volunteers and leaders, to ensure they feel valued, appreciated, inspired, engaged and supported, have the information and tools they need. You will also play a critical role in new member recruitment, welcoming and introducing prospects and encouraging their participation in our communal life as they seek to find new Jewish spiritual homes.
2) Operations Management
- Financial Management – You will serve as our senior financial manager, consulting on a regular basis with the Finance Committee and Treasurer to assure best practices in fiscal management as well as compliance by other members of the staff and lay leaders with appropriate financial controls and processes.
- Facilities and Property Management; Security – You will determine and direct the facilities work needed to maintain, repair and renovate our beautiful building and retain the security resources needed to keep our community safe and secure.
- People Leadership – You will recruit, supervise and support all administrative and maintenance personnel, creating a positive and productive environment both for them and for the members with whom they regularly interact.
- Office, Systems, and Vendor Management – You will manage the day-to-day functioning of the synagogue office, including allocation of staff resources to provide all members of the professional team as well as lay leaders and other volunteers with the support and tools necessary for their success. You will oversee the synagogue’s technology systems for membership, financial and administrative records. You will also retain and manage the services of our outside vendors, including managing our vendor contracts.
3) Marketing and Communications and Community Relations – You will oversee and assure appropriate and timely execution of all of our internal and external communications. You will work with the Marketing Coordinator and appropriate lay committees to assure consistent brand messaging and promote Beth Am to the broader Jewish community, including prospective new members, using multiple marketing channels, and represent Beth Am Israel and build relationships and partnerships with other area synagogues and community organizations both inside and outside of the Jewish world.
4) Professional Team Support and Collaboration – You will support and coordinate the day-to-day operational functioning of the clergy and professional leadership team and facilitate the team’s communication and collaboration with our lay leadership and other volunteers, including our Board of Directors and committee chairs, as we work together to carry out the vision and mission of Beth Am Israel.
5) Strategy – You will be an active participant in setting and implementing Beth Am Israel’s annual and long-term strategic goals and initiatives, including supporting the achievement of our fundraising goals and initiatives.
YOUR SUPPORTERS AND COLLABORATORS
- You will report directly to the Board President with a dotted line to the Rabbi for religious and spiritual matters.
- You will meet regularly with the Clergy, Board President, Education Director and appropriate committee chairs.
- You will attend Executive Committee and Board meetings, each held monthly.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
If you are the right candidate, you will have or develop a solid understanding of synagogue life; demonstrate experience in managing staff, operations, and finances; ability to build and nurture relationships; and possess the temperament to collaborate effectively across diverse generations, perspectives and traditions. You will project a genuine interest/passion for supporting Jewish life and community. You will be a problem solver who welcomes challenges and addresses them with creativity and sensitivity. You will model “best practice” principles in guiding Beth Am Israel through change so that it may continue to thrive for another 100 years.
Attributes we seek include:
- emotional intelligence and superior interpersonal skills; warm, friendly and engaging, with the ability to work sensitively with all of our various constituencies
- customer - service orientation: adept at anticipating and responding to constituent needs and challenging situations, with demonstrated understanding of how to work effectively with professional and lay leaders, donors, volunteers, and our diverse membership as well as prospective members
- intellectual curiosity and creative problem solving, with persistence in finding effective solutions to big and small problems and overcoming obstacles
- ability to think strategically and execute collaboratively and efficiently
- highest integrity and discretion and ability to maintain confidences
- enthusiasm for the realization of our mission, thoughtful, politically sensitive, calm under pressure and flexible
Some specific skills and experiences we expect:
- excellent written and oral communication skills
- a solid finance background with previous experience managing a budget and familiarity with not-for-profit accounting
- current technology skills, including database management, with ability to learn and implement new systems to streamline synagogue operations and enhance communication
- superior organizational skills and ability to manage projects and juggle multiple priorities at the same time
- quantitative and analytical skills to support sound decision making
- social media marketing savvy, including the ability to measure and analyze campaign performance
- Judaic background and/or knowledge or experience appropriate for managing synagogue operations and programs and for being a public representative of Beth Am Israel in the broader community
You will preferably be college-educated, but we will seriously consider you if you have equivalent skills and experience that can be demonstrated. Ideally you will have a minimum of 8-10 years of work experience in a Jewish communal organization or similar non-profit environment, with 5 years of relevant administrative leadership experience.
Not sure you meet 100% of our qualifications? If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you are new to this field, returning to work after a gap in employment, looking to transition in the midst of a successful career or to take the next step in your career, we will be glad to have you on our radar.
YOUR COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
This is a full-time position with competitive benefits and an anticipated salary range between $85,000 - $115,000, commensurate with your background and experience.
YOUR REGULAR SCHEDULE
Monday through Friday, with some flexibility as to how you arrange your hours. We also want to make sure that you are present for special Shabbat programs and celebrations that occur from time to time as well as for all Jewish holidays.
Because you will interact with the children in our community, we will require PA Child Abuse History, PA State Police Criminal Record Check, and FBI Child Abuse History. Beth Am Israel will cover the cost of these record checks.
TO APPLY
If you are interested in becoming Beth Am Israel’s next Executive Director, please email your resume with a cover letter highlighting a few proud and relevant accomplishments in your experience to Marci Wilf at [email protected], with the subject line, “Executive Director - YOUR NAME”. We will confirm receipt and keep you up to date on our hiring process. We hope to have you join us sometime in June 2025 as our current Executive Director is retiring on 6/30/25.