Background

Since its founding in 1825, B’nai Jeshurun (BJ) has been at the forefront of the American Jewish experience. As it approaches its third century, BJ’s vision remains focused on the spiritual work of transformation and on the creation of an authentic, profound Jewish path that helps all members of the community seek and live their purpose to the fullest. BJ’s spiritual leaders and its more than 1,800 member families share a vision of a diverse, dynamic, and inclusive community that offers many paths to Jewish religious and communal life, while supporting one another in their spiritual quests. BJ is committed to honoring tradition while re-imagining and innovating its practices and programs to create a vibrant, contemporary, and relevant Jewish life for all who are seeking it: on the Upper West Side, across New York City, and across the country through dynamic hybrid programming.

Position

Reporting to the Board and working in close collaboration with the Rabbis, the Executive Director (ED) will be a skilled executive with experience leading all administrative and operational functions of an organization. Overseeing a team of ~40 professionals, they will be a systems thinker committed to ensuring that the business aspects of the organization are commensurate with the excellence in all other areas of BJ. This is an incredible opportunity to play a key role in one of the most diverse Jewish communities in New York City and to work with inspirational, forwardthinking rabbis and engaged lay leadership.

Responsibilities

Organizational Leadership

• With a collaborative spirit and in alignment with BJ’s goals, lead all administrative and operations functions of the organization.
• Provide a prudent business perspective that considers financial, human and space resources, leading from a place of “yes” while also being flexible and creative in relation to how those resources are deployed.
• Be a proactive, trusted partner to the rabbis and senior staff, along with lay leadership, putting in place and overseeing the necessary plans, budgets, infrastructure, systems, equipment, facilities, two cemeteries, and human capital to ensure the realization of BJ’s goals.
• Work closely with a committed and energized staff, board of directors, and professional consultants to ensure that the planning and execution of BJ’s bicentennial in 2025 is seamless, enjoyable, and leveraged for maximum impact.
• Streamline internal communications across the organization, developing communications channels so that all staff share information, ideas, and inspiration and cross-collaborate in productive ways.
• Report regularly and in a timely fashion to the Board on operations, cash flow, and the financial and cultural state of the institution. Oversee the preparation of meeting materials, presentations, and agendas. Help reinforce board best practices and board roles and responsibilities to increase overall effectiveness.
• In tandem with a committed board and the development team, drive processes to effectively grow sources of contributed income, building the long-term financial sustainability of BJ.

Financial and Operational Leadership

• Direct the processes for developing and maintaining BJ’s ~$12M annual operating budget and a healthy endowment.
• Oversee the team responsible for financial and accounting operations, including budgets and long-term financial planning, ensuring BJ has effective operational and financial procedures in place.
• Supervise HR on all functional areas, including staffing, employee relations, compensation, benefits, policies, compliance, and procedures.
• Work closely with the director of operations and the facilities team to ensure the seamless operation of all synagogue activities and the management of major on-site tenants, including optimal efficacy of security, processes, space allocation, staffing, budgets, and projects.
• With the director of operations and lay leadership, manage a portfolio of capital projects to maintain and enhance the 100-year-old buildings that make up the BJ campus, including safety and security, and compliance with NYC regulations.

Staff Leadership

• Provide day-to-day, onsite management for six direct reports and ~40 total team members focused on operations, membership, development, finance, communications, technology, events, human resources, and facilities.
• Provide operational oversight to the rabbis and their team; ensure they have the support they need for their programs, including after-school programming and family life and learning, to be delivered seamlessly.
• Communicate effectively with all staff; ensure they understand the vision for BJ and how their work contributes to its realization; share information in an effective and timely way, ensuring staff understand Board and executive decisions and can align their work with institutional priorities.
• Be a positive, recognized, and accessible presence for the rabbis and staff and foster an inclusive and respectful workplace. Support staff in career advancement, ensuring that people have meaningful opportunities for professional development that enhance their growth.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will build trusting working relationships with the staff and board of directors and bring emotional intelligence, rigorous business discipline, and a sense of humor to the role. Specifically, the ED should have:

• 10+ years of management experience, with a track record of building and motivating results-oriented teams.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing the financial, administrative, and operational functions of a place-based institution with a supportive culture and strong community focus.
• Proven change management experience, with a track record of developing new systems, structures, processes, and approaches to work that allow for greater effectiveness and efficiency.
• Experience with planning and execution, with the ability to address unexpected priorities as they arise and set short-, mid- and long-term objectives and lead the team to achieve them; the ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on management of the team and day-to-day operations.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and a systems mindset; a proactive, can-do attitude and a commitment to supporting program areas at the highest level of excellence.
• Exceptional capacity for managing and leading staff, empowering a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and high performance; an ability and willingness to roll up sleeves as needed.
• Emotional intelligence; excellent judgment; exceptional integrity; a deep affinity for working with diverse groups of stakeholders; and the ability to engage with staff, board members, members, donors, and community partners with equal ease.

Compensation

• Anticipated salary range $200K-$250K; final compensation commensurate with experience.
• Comprehensive benefits package.

Frequently cited statistics show that women and people from underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they think they meet 100% of the criteria. If you meet many but not all the criteria and feel you may be a good fit for the role, B’nai Jeshurun encourages you to apply.

B’nai Jeshurun is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, national origin, ethnic origin, citizenship status, disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law in its employment policies. In addition, B’nai Jeshurun will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.