Executive Director

Congregation Bonai Shalom - Executive Director

Congregation Bonai Shalom is a dynamic and growing USCJ-affiliated Jewish community in Boulder, Colorado. We are on the cusp of taking a generational step by building a new, modern building. We are seeking an Executive Director who can lead the congregation into its next chapter. 

About Bonai Shalom

Our mission is to build a community rich in:

• Avodah – vibrant spiritual practice and meaningful lifecycle events. We are blessed with the inspiring and acclaimed Rabbi Marc Soloway, creative offerings from other spiritual leaders in the community, and dedicated lay leaders. We are a proudly egalitarian synagogue of diverse membership that embraces tradition and practice with openness and creativity.
• Torah – a flourishing K-7 religious school, new USY teen group, and adult learning. We recently welcomed Rabbi Jacob Chatinover as Director of Congregational Learning. We believe Torah is available to all, regardless of ability, race, color, economic status, ethnic origin, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation. 
• Kehillah – an inclusive and proudly egalitarian community where members connect with one another socially and care for each other through acts of loving-kindness. We steward the world beyond our walls through social action and environmental initiatives. 

Our growing membership, resources, and participation back our excitement for the community’s future. While many synagogues struggle to maintain membership, Bonai Shalom has grown by over 25% since 2018 to over 260 membership units. Our religious school enrollment has grown by 63% from 55 to roughly 90+ over the same period. Our annual budget has grown to $1 million in the current fiscal year through membership growth and the generosity of our donors. Membership growth and donations have put us in a strong fiscal position. We have strong participation in a variety of service offerings, our social hall overflows for kiddush lunch and events, and our playground is filled with children laughing together. 

Bonai Shalom is now building a new congregational home to support and continue this growth. We are two-thirds of the way through a capital campaign to construct a ~12,500 square foot synagogue on the Boulder Jewish Commons, next to the Boulder JCC and across the street from our current building. The project to design the new building brings forward the many hopes and dreams of members of our community – dedicated space for the religious school, the ability to run multiple programs simultaneously, a community courtyard and gathering space, a flexible ritual space that blends indoors and outdoors and can accommodate high holidays, tighter integration with the JCC, and more. 

About the Executive Director position 

Congregation Bonai Shalom seeks an Executive Director who can lead our community into its next chapter. The Executive Director will strategically advance the synagogue’s mission, grow and strengthen the congregation’s membership, expand our offerings so every member sees value in being part of the community, and build an organization that matches the quality of our new space. 

The Executive Director is a full-time exempt position reporting to the President of the Board of Directors, managing the synagogue’s professional staff, and working in partnership with the Rabbi. The position requires flexible hours including occasional evenings and weekends to meet the needs of the Congregation. 

Compensation: $110,000-$125,000 commensurate with experience, plus benefits

Essential functions

We have estimated the rough priority and time allocation of the essential functions below. However, we expect to work with the ED on how they best see the needs of the synagogue and community.

• Strategic vision (~20% of time): The ED is the executive leader of the synagogue at an inflection point in the community. A new building and a more solid financial footing open up possibilities for community impact and growth. The ED will lead the Board, staff, and congregation to see and realize those possibilities.The ED is responsible for harnessing and prioritizing financial resources, staff time, and volunteer skills to advance the congregation’s mission. The ED works in partnership with the Rabbi to set the congregation’s course under the auspices of the Board of Directors.
• Team and operational leadership (~20% of time): The ED provides mentorship and management for the Director of Congregational Learning and the office staff and leads recruitment for new positions (e.g., facilities manager, programming and community engagement, development, kitchen staff). We expect the new ED will streamline or restructure current processes and identify how best to meet the moment of our growth and new building.
• Financial management and development (~30% of time): The ED oversees the growth and use of synagogue resources, proposes a budget to the Board of Directors and manages against that budget, cultivates donor relationships and seeks new funding, and grows volunteer resources to support the long-term health of the community.
• Execution on the new building (~10% of time): Bonai Shalom is currently 68% of the way through its capital campaign with pledges of just over $11M and an expected construction start in 2026. The ED will work in partnership with an active and engaged Capital Campaign Committee and New Building Committee to ensure the needed funds are raised, the building design is finalized, the new building is built, and the move across the street is successful.
• Other (~20% of time): This category likely will include building relationships with members and the broader community, overseeing a facilities and operations manager (see below), and programming.

Expected staff growth

We recognize that the valuable time of a synagogue ED too often gets consumed by the myriad operational tasks that are urgent but not long-term important, or gets split between far too many job functions. As a growing community and organization, we are building towards a more fully-developed professional staff that can handle the day-to-day and week-to-week needs of the community.

We are currently applying for a matching grant to hire an Operations and Facilities Manager and to provide various technical assistance and capacity building support. We also expect to hire further positions as we grow. 

Who Should Apply

The ideal candidate has substantial experience in organizational development and leadership, an entrepreneurial mindset, and a passion for building Jewish community. We welcome applications from those with experience in secular non-profit and business sectors. 

Required skills include:

• Adaptive leadership and management: Ability to direct the skills and resources of an organization to help the board and community plan and build for the future; balance day-to-day needs while maintaining focus towards longer-term initiatives; develop a vision and act entrepreneurially to achieve it; motivate, mentor, and manage a diverse team.
• Finance, development, and business skills: A proven track record of growing and managing organizational resources and building relationships with donors; sufficient financial acumen to develop and manage against budgets, oversee the relevant staff, and understand the financial implication of decisions.
• Relationship-building: Fluency in building  trusting relationships with community members and leaders; facilitating divergent views; and establishing strong working relationships with peer organizations (e.g., the JCC, other synagogues).
• Jewish community-building: Understand the macro trends impacting synagogues and the Conservative movement; familiarity with Jewish ritual and synagogue life; and excitement about the green shoots of engaged Jewish practice within and beyond synagogues.
• Operational abilities: Must effectively manage competing priorities and requests; establish systems and policies for efficient workflows; recruit high-performing team members.

Congregation Bonai Shalom is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.