Educator and Research Assistant

Makom Community
2401 Washington Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19146
Educator and Research Assistant 2025-2026 School Year
(Full-Time)
www.makomcommunity.org 

Makom Community is looking for an Educator and Research Assistant who appreciates a blend of classroom teaching and careful reflection and iteration in service of our pedagogy, Jewish Placemaking and our Lab School in Philadelphia. 

Primary Responsibilities

• Prepare and Teach Daily in Makom Community’s Lab School 

1. Engage in regular text study and goal setting with Makom’s incredible team of educators
2. Write clear, detailed lesson plans for your class
3. Coordinate with your part-time educator before each teaching day
4. Teach daily in Jewish Enrichment, which runs Monday through Friday from 3-6pm
• See our calendar for Jewish Holidays and other school closures. https://makomcommunity.org/about-makom/calendar/
5. Participate in a rotation of staff who are on for School’s Out Camp (8am-4pm) and Extended Enrichment (12pm-6pm) days
6. Pick students up by walking or public transit daily from an area elementary school; walk up to two miles round trip in temperatures between 15F and 105F 
7. Build strong relationships with students and families
8. Grow Makom Community’s culture of intentionality, empathy, and listening deeply to children and their adults.
9. Required within 30 days of hire: Maintain all appropriate background checks: PA State Police, PA Child Abuse History, and FBI fingerprinting
10. Help facilitate Family Programming throughout the year:
• Staff 5-6 Friday evening dinners or weekday evening learning showcases until 8:00pm
• Staff 1-2 Saturday morning or evening commitments
• Staff a prayer service and celebration the morning of the first day of Rosh Hashanah

• Support Research efforts in our Lab School Classrooms 

1. Be part of the research team with the Executive Director & Makom Making Project Director 
• This includes developing research interventions for the Lab School and strategies for data collection in each classroom pursuing Makom Community’s Lab School success criteria
2. Collect data in your classroom on the implementation of Jewish Placemaking
3. Reflect on where additional tools and resources are needed to support Jewish Placemaking
4. Develop and try out new tools, collect data on them, and make suggestions on how they could be improved
5. Create materials to share Jewish Placemaking with our national partners

Supporters & Collaborators

• You will have regular supervision with Director of Teaching & Learning where you will set goals for your own learning and growth and check in with them regularly 
• You will collaborate with
• Executive Director & Founder 
• Makom Making Project Manager
• Director of Strategy 
• Communications Associate 

Makom Community: A Lab School and Leader in the field of Jewish Education 

Makom Community is a Jewish Lab School that creates family-centered Jewish experiences. At Makom we take the practice of self-reflection and iteration in the classroom seriously, and this is the foundation on which we collect research data in our Lab School. This research is then used to strengthen our unique pedagogy of Jewish Placemaking. We then train and support Jewish educators across North America in bringing Jewish Placemaking to their home communities. 

At Makom we offer Monday-Friday high-quality Jewish education as after school enrichment for children in K-12th grade. Jewish holidays, text, Hebrew, and Jewish prayer are integrated into our daily time together.  We welcome the excitement of children. We strive to create an environment where it is safe for parents to learn alongside their children. We cultivate fluency and comfort in Jewish tradition through our joyful youth and family experiences. Makom is committed to building a Jewish community that is open to anyone who wants to engage with Jewish traditions alongside their family, and then use the foundation of community to create a more just world.

Salary Range and Start Date

$52,000-55,000, starting July 14, 2025 

Benefits

• Health Insurance (50% covered by Makom Community) and Dental Insurance (100% covered)
• 403(b) retirement account
• Up to 2 mornings (Thursday and Friday) per week available to work from home per our work from home policy
• 3 weeks paid time off and 1 week sick leave
• 10 days paid time off and 5 days sick leave available during the school year by approval, with at least 2 weeks advance notice, available beginning 60 days from start date.
• 5 days paid when our office is closed at the end of June 
• Office closed for Jewish holidays, except the first day of Rosh Hashanah 
• Funding available for professional development
• Supportive team environment
• Room to grow in this role and and on our team 

Makom Community is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome employees and prospective employees without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, marital status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or veteran status.

How to Apply:

Please submit a cover letter, resume, and three references who can speak to your teaching skills and your experience with planning and implementing a project to [email protected].

Our intention to have this position filled by June 9, 2025.