About Hebrew Union College

Founded in 1875, Hebrew Union College is North America's leading institution of higher Jewish education and the academic, spiritual, and professional leadership development center of Reform Judaism.

HUC educates leaders for service to American and world Jewry as rabbis, cantors, experts in Jewish education, and Jewish nonprofit management professionals, and offers graduate degree programs to scholars and clergy of all faiths. With centers of learning in Cincinnati, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and New York, HUC's scholarly resources comprise renowned library, archive, and museum collections, biblical archaeology excavations, and academic publications.

Mission

Hebrew Union College is North America's premier institution of Jewish higher education and the center for professional leadership development of Reform Judaism. A multi-campus academic and spiritual learning community, HUC builds vibrant progressive Judaism in North America, Israel and around the globe by:

• Studying the great issues of Jewish life, history and thought with an open, egalitarian, inclusive and pluralistic spirit;

• Educating innovative, visionary clergy and professionals who embody the sustaining values, responsibilities, practices and texts of Jewish tradition to inspire future generations; and

• Advancing the critical study of Judaism and Jewish culture in accordance with the highest standards of modern academic scholarship.

Position Summary

Hebrew Union College seeks a visionary, dynamic and strategic leader with a demonstrated passion for Jewish education and community building to serve as the next dean of its Los Angeles campus.

This senior role will lead the Los Angeles student, staff, and faculty community, help shape the development of campus life, and serve as Hebrew Union College’s lead representative in Los Angeles and the western region. The dean is responsible for raising the profile of Hebrew Union College and securing the financial resources, partnerships, and collaborations required to strengthen our local and regional impact.

Reporting directly to the President and serving as a member of the President’s Cabinet, the dean will help build and support a flourishing and inclusive community of academic and spiritual inquiry. While teaching is not an expectation for the position, it is an option depending on course availability and candidate qualifications.

Essential Responsibilities:

Community Leadership

As an active spokesperson and community leader, the Los Angeles dean will communicate the mission and importance of Hebrew Union College as a global institution of Jewish leadership development and scholarship, inspiring potential students and supporters to engage with our work. Specific duties include but are not limited to:

• Engaging in regular speaking and teaching opportunities on behalf of the College in Los Angeles and in the western region,
• Actively participating in Jewish community, Reform Movement, and local academic events, forums, and meetings, and welcoming external groups to the campus,
• Maintaining strong relations with the College’s local partners, including but not limited to the University of Southern California, western region congregations, and the broader Los Angeles and Southern California Jewish community,
• Overseeing the ordination / graduation coordinator in developing an annual community-oriented ceremony and celebration,
• Cultivating, maintaining and growing the College’s Los Angeles and western region philanthropic community in partnership with the Vice President of Philanthropy,
• Serving as an active partner in local prospective student recruitment activities in collaboration with the Director of Recruitment and Admissions,
• Working with the Director of Alumni Engagement to develop a robust strategy for engaging local alumni in the work of the College, and
• Building close relationships with western region members of the College’s Boards of Governors and Advisors to support these aims.
  

Management and Culture

Working with a team of professionals, the Los Angeles dean will serve as the leader of the campus community, drawing on Jewish and academic values to foster a vibrant campus culture for students, faculty, and staff. Specific duties include but are not limited to:

• Convening an internal management team comprised of department heads,
• Fostering strong working relationships with student and faculty leadership,
• Ensuring regular communication streams for all stakeholders, facilitating campus meetings, and hosting campus events,
• Supervising administrative and operations staff,
• Ensuring compliance with institutional and HR policies on campus, and
• Supporting staff members dedicated to student success, health, and wellbeing, and providing enrichment programming to students, staff and faculty.

Facilities Management

The Los Angeles dean is responsible for overseeing the maintenance, security, and allocation of space on campus. Specific duties include but are not limited to:

• Serving as the lead for Los Angeles campus renovation plans, including understanding the needs of students, faculty, and staff and representing them on a building redevelopment committee,
• Overseeing the campus operations manager and facilities director to support strategic and thoughtful space deployment that prioritizes HUC’s needs but may also accommodate community partners and renters,
• Ensuring the campus is in a state of good repair and that maintenance issues are addressed effectively and expeditiously by the facilities team, and
• Maintaining strong and consistent communications with the campus community regarding all renovation and facilities matters.

Employee Benefits

Hebrew Union College recognizes employees as one of the most valuable assets to the success of the college. That is why we make it our highest priority to offer a competitive benefits package. Some of those benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Medical, Dental, Vision
• Life Insurance, Long Term Disability
• Retirement Savings Plan -403b
• Paid National and Jewish Holidays
• Paid Vacation and Sick Days
• Paid Parental Leave
• Tuition Remission Benefits
• Employee Assistance Program

Education

• Terminal degree relevant to HUC’s mission (Ph.D. in related field, EdD, rabbinic or cantorial ordination, etc.) preferred.
  

Experience

• Minimum of 10 years’ management experience in academic administration, congregational leadership, nonprofits, or related field preferred.
• Equivalent experience through a combination of voluntary and philanthropic activities in complex organizational environments will also be considered.
• Demonstrated success in creating inclusive organizational cultures.
• Experience managing teams, supervising staff, and working with senior leadership and board members.
• Demonstrated experience representing an organization to external stakeholders to advance institutional aims
  

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Exemplary leadership and people management skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, public speaking, written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong change management, organizational planning, and strategic problem-solving skills.
• Experience supporting institutional fundraising and cultivating donor relationships.
• Community and external relations experience.
• Facility in Jewish culture, history, ideas, and/or teaching.
• Experience working with college and graduate students is a plus.

Core Values

Employees are expected to model Hebrew Union College’s Core Values:

• Honesty and Integrity
• Kindness and Decency
• Openness and Transparency
• Responsible Empowerment
• Trust and Security
• Diversity and Inclusion

Work Environment & Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

Work is typically performed in an indoor office or classroom environment. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit or stand, walk, talk, and listen; the employee may occasionally have to stoop, bend, reach, and lift up to 20 pounds. Employees need manual dexterity to operate standard office equipment and a personal computer, clarity of speech and hearing or other communication capabilities to discern verbal instructions and to communicate effectively with others and visual acuity to comprehend written work instructions and review, evaluate, and prepare a variety of written materials and documents.