Position Title: Director of The Sam

Reports to: Executive Director

Status: Full-time

About the Organization

The Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue (IADS) is a hub for Jewish life in Detroit. In 2024, we completed a $7.5M renovation of our historic downtown building and named the building the Samantha Woll Center for Jewish Detroit. As part of our strategic plan, and in memory of Sam Woll (z”l), we’re launching The Sam, a new arm of the organization focused on Jewish civic and cultural engagement. The Sam extends Jewish connection beyond synagogue life, creating an innovative, collaborative space for Jewish learning, culture, identity, and civic dialogue.

Position Summary

The Director of The Sam will lead the design, launch, and growth of The Sam. They’ll bring vision, creativity, and relational leadership to shape this new hub: building relationships across the Jewish and civic landscape, cultivating new audiences, and ensuring that The Sam reaches people who may not yet see themselves reflected in Jewish community life. They will build partnerships, develop meaningful programming, and foster a welcoming environment that invites participation.

This role combines strategic vision, community partnership, and program innovation to build The Sam as a dynamic, collaborative platform for Jewish life and civic vitality in Detroit. The Director should be a creative, magnetic, well-connected, and forward-thinking leader with a passion for Jewish communal life and a demonstrated ability to execute with excellence.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Leadership

• Serve as the face of The Sam in the community; represent The Sam in collaborative initiatives, coalitions, and public conversations.
• Build and sustain relationships with local and national Jewish organizations, funders, creatives, and civic leaders.
• Convene and lead an advisory council made up of community leaders.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director to align The Sam’s initiatives with IADS’s vision and goals.
• Develop and implement a strategy and operational plan for The Sam, including programming and partnerships.
• With the Executive Director, support fundraising for The Sam through relationship building, stewardship, and collaboration on grant proposals and reports.
• Build strategy to increase the number of Jewish organizations working in and/or programming in The Sam.

2. Program Design & Curation

• Supervise the Associate Director of Programming and support their growth. As such, oversee and collaborate on:
  • Co-create programs with partner organizations across the Jewish and civic landscape.
  • Launch and steward signature events and series (e.g., speaker forums, residencies, community dialogues).
  • Design civic, cultural, and identity-based programs that invite exploration, dialogue, and connection.
  • Integrate The Sam’s offerings with IADS’s broader ecosystem, ensuring alignment while maintaining distinct identity and focus.
  • Manage program budget, evaluation, and impact.

3. Engagement & Relationship-Building

• Leverage a wide personal and professional network to connect with leaders, speakers, artists, authors, and creative collaborators locally and nationally.
• Use social media and other digital tools to raise awareness, share stories, and grow The Sam’s audience.

Desired Characteristics and Competencies

The ideal candidate will be:

• An inspiring communicator and convener, comfortable speaking publicly and facilitating dialogue across diverse audiences.
• Jewishly fluent and values-driven, able to connect Jewish wisdom and ethics to civic, cultural, and social issues.
• Visionary and entrepreneurial; guided by curiosity and a commitment to building something that serves the community.
• Collaborative and relationship-oriented, capable of fostering trust and co-creation among partners and community members.
• Grounded in Detroit’s civic energy and the Metro Detroit Jewish community (or eager to immerse themselves in it), with sensitivity to the local context.
• A natural connector who thrives on meeting new people, building relationships across differences, and expanding networks in meaningful ways.

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of relevant professional experience in Jewish, nonprofit, cultural, or civic leadership.
• Strong background in creative programming, stakeholder engagement, and community building.
• Demonstrated ability to steward donors and build meaningful relationships with stakeholders.
• Deep knowledge of Jewish culture, learning, and values, expressed in accessible and creative ways.
• Supervision experience
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in Jewish Studies, Public Affairs, or related field preferred.
• Candidates may come from a range of backgrounds, including Jewish professional, educational, cultural, or civic leadership.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $110,000–$150,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Comprehensive benefits include health insurance, paid time off, cell phone stipend, 403b contributions, parental leave, professional development funds, and opportunities for national collaboration and visibility.

To Apply

Submit a resume and cover letter detailing your experience in Jewish engagement, civic or cultural leadership, and your vision for Jewish connection in Detroit to Rachel Rudman at rudman@downtownsynagogue.org