What we are seeking: An individual with strong collaboration, communication, and leadership skills whose primary focus will be to implement a $3 million dollar grant to build out the Social Justice and Public Policy work within the Conservative/Masorti Movement. We are seeking a strategic thinker and founding director who, together with a project manager who they will hire, will:
- Develop Vision/Thought Leadership
- Serve as the founding Director of our public policy initiative, defining the initiative and bringing together movement organizations, key stakeholders, and funders to determine and support the Conservative Movement’s Social Justice work.
- Define unique Conservative/Masorti Movement centrist approach to social justice.
- Curate and develop materials to support clergy and professionals
- Develop impactful partnerships within the Conservative/Masorti Movement around social action.
- Establish partnerships with other social justice organizations with expertise in the space, establishing ways for our movement’s networks to engage with those issues.
- Work with the Masorti Movement worldwide to ensure that our social justice work is relevant.
- Processes
- Direct the Social Justice Commission – identifying focus areas and goals, staff resources to subcommittees.
- Oversee sign-on process for letters and statements. This includes Rabbinical Assembly statements, movement statements, and sign on letters from partner organizations in the social justice space.
- Oversee the Rabbinical Assembly resolutions process including liaising with the committee and integrating the social justice work within resolutions. Responsible for ensuring the Rabbinical Assembly follow-up actions and commitments made in the resolutions.
- Develop opportunities for individuals to organize across the movement in affinity groups taking action on specific issues.
- Ensure data collection, analysis, and reporting of key metrics to measure success of program and initiatives. Report findings to SJC to ensure informed strategic decision-making.
- Resources and Program
- Clearly communicate the centrality of social justice concerns within the Torah and practice of Masorti/Conservative Judaism.
- Curate Resources and Torah/text on key issues.
- Guide/train communities in their community organizing.
- Educational seminars – teens, young adults, and “activists”.
- Supervise staff including the hiring of a Project Manager.
- Establish measurable team, committee, and individual goals that support program strategy and create a culture of accountability ensuring that team and committee members are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to achieve goals.
Required Skills/Experience
- Masters degree in related field and/or at least 8 years experience preferred
- Facility with classical Jewish texts and teaching especially as they relate to this area of work.
- Familiarity with the global Conservative/Masorti movement and relevant Jewish Social Justice organizations.
- Experience building and developing non profits including skills in:
- Budgeting including developing an inaugural budget, monitoring, and implementing financial resource needs.
- Fundraising - ability to deliver a compelling story to donors
- Leadership Skills:
- Collaborative work style to build productive working relationships between lay leaders, staff and partners.
- Ability to develop partnerships and collaboration with relevant organizations
- Strong written and presentation communication skills
- Excellent problem solving and facilitation skills
- Organizing/Social Justice work:
- Experience in community organizing and political advocacy
- Current on relevant policy issues, legislation and emerging trends
- Ability to understand and connect different voices and perspectives across our diverse movement.
- Proficient in Google Workspace, Microsoft Suite; video communication technologies (Zoom); social media platforms; and CRMs
Reports to: Chief Movement Strategy Officer
Location: This position is remote with the possibility of working out of the RA’s NYC office. Occasional travel to NYC, DC and other locations is expected.
Salary Range: $125,000-$145,000 plus competitive benefits
Who we are: The Social Justice Commission of Conservative/Masorti Judaism (SJC) is the expansion and outgrowth of the Rabbinical Assembly (RA) Social Justice Commission and previously the RA Social Action Committee. The SJC brings together representatives of the Conservative/Masorti Movement - Rabbis, Cantors, congregational leaders, movement institutions including: United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ), United Synagogue Youth (USY), Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs (FJMC), Women’s League of Conservative Judaism (WLCJ), the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTSA), and Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies (ZSRS) to create a central address for educating, advocating, and organizing for Justice in the U.S. and worldwide, reflecting our unique Torah and values.
About the Rabbinical Assembly:
The Rabbinical Assembly is the international association of Conservative/Masorti rabbis. Its ranks include rabbis ordained at the seminaries of the Conservative/Masorti movement as well as rabbis of other accredited rabbinical schools who accept the tenets of Conservative Judaism. Its nearly 1,600 members serve as congregational rabbis, educators, military and hospital chaplains, professors of Judaica, and officers of communal service organizations throughout the world. While the majority of its members serve in the United States and Canada, more than ten percent of its rabbis serve in Israel and many of its rabbis serve in Latin America, in the countries of Europe, Australia and South Africa.
Additional information about the Rabbinical Assembly
SJC structure: The SJC resides under the auspices of the RA. We utilize RA Resolutions to help determine our public policy positions and external partnerships. The volunteer chair of the SJC has traditionally been a member of the RA and is appointed for a 2 year term by the RA President. The Director will also work with and oversee a staff member (currently a part time project manager) which supports both the SJC and the RA Resolutions Committee. Aside from the representative make-up of the SJC itself there are also SJC Subcommittee chairs and the SJC subcommittees each working on specific social justice issues.