Director of Family Education and Experience at Mishkan Chicago

Mishkan Chicago

Mishkan Chicago

This job is no longer accepting applications

See open jobs at Mishkan Chicago.
Full-time
Chicago, IL, USA
75,000 – 120,000 USD per year
Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2023

Mishkan Chicago is a growing Jewish spiritual community based in Chicago with a national audience, and our mission is to bring more purpose, connection and inspiration to people’s lives through Jewish practice and community. Since our first service in 2011, we have been the address in Chicago for inspired, down-to-earth Judaism, serving 620 households both in Chicago and around the country including over 100 families at Mishkan who are excited to go deeper in relationship with Judaism and with one another.

We’re post-denominational, interfaith, queer, POC and ability inclusive. We believe that Judaism has the power to bring light, love, healing, justice and joy into a world that desperately needs it. And that begins with how we educate our kids!

Position Overview

We’re seeking a visionary educator who will oversee our suite of Shabbat programs for kids ages 0-18, develop a Jewish foundations and BMitzvah preparation curriculum for 6th and 7th graders, and build out our teen programs, all in concert with our fabulous staff of full and part-time educators (including early childhood, music, and teen) and event producers. This job is highly collaborative and relies on strong Judaic knowledge, supervision skills, organization, and teamwork, as well as a deep love for the minds and hearts of middle and high school students.

This position supervises the BMitzvah Coordinator/Teen coordinator and Family Music Specialist and reports to the Senior Director of Programs. You’ll have a strong foundation of existing family programs to build upon and will be supported by a top-notch programs and logistics team, as well as you’ll be part of a larger organizational staff that’s there to help every program succeed. You’ll have Rabbi Lizzi as a content collaborator and thought partner, as well as you’ll work closely with the family music specialist and teen educator, who are both already deep into building programs and community for those populations.

This job is for someone who lives and breathes Jewish education and is excited about the prospect of helping kids of all ages having meaningful Jewish experiences that connect them more deeply to one another, to God (or however you refer to the unity that connects us all), and to the chain of Jewish tradition. Lastly, this job has a strong element of community building amongst kids and families, and will require ongoing connection and collaboration with The Mensch Academy, Mishkan’s unique Jewish learning program for kids K-5th grade.

What You’ll Do:

Manage B’Mitzvah Process and Teen Experience (60%)

  • Primary lead stewarding families through the BMitzvah process, about 24 per year.
  • Collaborates with Senior Rabbi to design curricular approach for 6th-7th graders that focuses on Jewish conceptual and synagogue skills, including Hebrew, trope, Torah, prayer, ritual, Jewish history.
  • Leads the educational, ritual and community building experience of pre-and-post BMitzvah students and families, including a 6th grade “fundamentals” program, and our KBM (Kehilat BMitzvah) program for 7th graders.
  • Works with teen educator to design robust experiences for teens at Mishkan.
  • Oversees communication (alongside BMitzvah Coordinator) with families about the multi-year process of assigning dates, preparation, and process.
  • Meets with families and students for individual preparation (designs the service with the families and student, works with students on their drash, facilitates honors for family members, runs the BMitzvah dress rehearsal).
  • Creates working pipeline of post-BMitzvah teens who can read Torah for Shabbat and holidays.
  • Represents Mishkan at city-wide efforts to engage teens in travel, retreats and programs.

Direct Vision and Content for Family Events around the Jewish Calendar (40%)

  • Holds educational and programmatic vision for Shabbat and oversees execution of programs for kids and families across multiple age groups. Regularly communicates with staff leading programs, evaluates and finetunes existing programs, designs and pilots new initiatives, manages relevant staff.
    • Attend and co-lead age-differentiated Shabbat programming for children
    • Oversee and regularly lead grade level family meet-ups at Shabbat and Havdalah
  • Provides educational content for family-oriented major and minor holidays
  • If clergy, provide Lifecycle support for new parents
  • Visions and develops programs across family lifespan.

What You’ll Bring:

  • Enthusiasm for Jewish education in a variety of settings–informal, formal, multigenerational, camp-inspired, etc–and familiarity with existing Jewish educational resources (textbooks, curricula, websites, networks)
  • Strong project management skills with experience meeting deadlines and bringing small and large projects to completion.
  • Supervisory skills, minimum 3 years of experience.
  • Thrives in team-based, collaborative settings.
  • Supportive and inclusive of interfaith families and non-traditional family constructions
  • Will travel on Shabbat and chag (different venues may require it).

Added Bonus:

  • Musical/guitar skills and songleading experience are a plus but not required
  • Graduate level study is a plus but not required (e.g. MAEd, MA in Jewish Education, or clergy). We are open to receiving applications from experienced Jewish educators without clergy ordination, or clergy (rabbi or cantor).

Salary, benefits and why it’s great to work here:

  • The salary for this position is $75-90k for non-clergy and $105-120k for clergy, commensurate with experience and education.
  • We have a competitive benefits package including 12 weeks paid parental leave, subsidized health insurance with a 100% employer-covered option and a defined benefit contribution to spouse/dependents, dental and vision covered 100% by employer; a 401k retirement plan with a 4% match after one year of employment.
  • A commitment to a positive and collaborative staff culture.
  • Generous professional development funds for full-time employees
  • Flexible scheduling

Where You Work:

Hybrid work environment with our main office located at 4001 N. Ravenswood Avenue in Chicago as well as holiday and prayer service venues across Chicago. This position requires work on Jewish holidays, the High Holidays, and Shabbatot (some Friday nights and Shabbat mornings), and some Sundays, with a generally flexible work schedule during the week.

To Apply:

If this sounds like a fit for you, please send a cover letter and resume to careers@mishkanchicago.org. Application materials are due by Wednesday, March 1st. Initial screening calls will begin on a rolling basis starting in early February.

Not sure you meet 100% of our qualifications? Research shows that men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria. Systemic inequities in hiring have caused women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ folks, and others to apply to jobs only if they meet every requirement. We encourage you to break that statistic and apply, as no one ever meets 100% of the qualifications. We look forward to your application.

Mishkan is an equal employment opportunity employer and does not discriminate against qualified applicants or employees with respect to any terms or conditions of employment on account of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related condition, citizenship, military service status, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law or local ordinance. When necessary, Mishkan will reasonably accommodate employees and applicants with known physical or mental disabilities or medical conditions if the person is otherwise qualified to safely perform all of the essential functions of the position.

Mishkan Chicago is an equal opportunity employer.

This job is no longer accepting applications

See open jobs at Mishkan Chicago.