Part-Time Director of Family Engagement
Temple Shaaray Tefila is in a time of renewal and growth. The world has changed, and we are called to reflect and change with it. Emerging from Covid, we have a dynamic staff and a strong core group of lay leaders (adults and teens) fired up to be part of reimagining how we engage and educate youth and families. We are seeking a creative person who thrives in a low-key, professional, high-relationship environment.
Located on the Upper East Side, we are an old-school neighborhood congregation, in that most families live within walking distance. At our best, we make a big city smaller, where folks find a home and sense of belonging in NYC. Like the world we live in, our community is not monolithic. The world is complex, as is our community. We seek to hire staff who are able to hold these nuances and complexities.
At the heart of all our work is building relationships– between kids, between parents, and between families. Torah and Jewish wisdom find their greatest voice in the life of our congregants, and congregants are the heart of our community.
We know developing relationships and building systems necessitates more of a marathon vs. sprint mentality, and we hope to find a leader willing to jump in with us, bringing their wisdom and vision to blossom in this k’hillah k’doshah, this holy community.
The part-time Director of Family Engagement (25 hours a week) will: strengthen relationships within parent cohorts in the nursery and religious school and with families with school-age children not formally enrolled in our educational programs; identify and partner with new and emerging lay leaders; co-create (with parents and staff) events and initiatives that bridge families from the nursery school age to the religious school age, and co-create opportunities to network and invite families from the larger community to join our congregation through events beyond the walls of Shaaray Tefila.
What will be so in three years:
- A working plan: There will be a comprehensive plan co-created with staff and parents for how we engage and animate families from nursery school, religious school, and families who are not part of either.
- “Renters feel like owners.” Families whose kids are enrolled in our nursery school will tell others not only that they are participants in a great nursery school but that they are members of a great synagogue. Families whose kids are not enrolled in nursery school or religious school will feel that the synagogue is a place for them, too.
- Parent leaders: We will have a motivated and engaged group of parents who are excited about being leaders at Shaaray Tefila.
- Mapping: The transitions from stage to stage in families' lives will be more seamless and natural and intuitive.
- Cultural integration: The culture of the congregation, the lay leadership, the staff and the membership will have shifted to see the congregation more holistically.
Temple Shaaray Tefila’s mission is to cultivate a community driven by making meaning, building connections, and living our purpose, rooted in Reform Jewish values, toward making lives and communities more whole and holy. We are a congregation of 700+ families and are an actively engaged Reform community. We take pride in our dynamic Shabbat worship, religious school, adult learning offerings, justice work, small groups initiative, lay leadership training, thriving nursery school, and so much more.
Position: Director of Family Engagement (part-time)
Reports to: Nursery School Director, with a dotted line to Religious School Director
Start Date: February-March 2025
Requirements: Dynamic, relational, creative, fun; a self-starter, an enthusiastic collaborator, someone who loves identifying and developing leaders
Experience: 3-5 years relevant experience
*This position is funded by a three year grant
Please send a cover letter communicating why this job is a good fit for you with your resume to Sara Beth Berman at [email protected]