Managing Director

Managing Director

Full-time (open to PT depending on circumstances)

Congregation Eitz Chayim | Cambridge, Massachusetts

Who We Are

Congregation Eitz Chayim is an independent, pluralistic synagogue in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that's spiritually alive, creative, and deeply connected. We're in the midst of growth and transformation—our Hebrew school is thriving, our young families' programs are bustling, our meditation retreats are booked solid, and our musical shabbat services pulse with multigenerational joy.

Thanks to transformative investments in our community —including $500,000 from the Mandel Foundation— we are launching an ambitious building renovation while expanding our programming in partnership with the JCC. This is a community hungry for depth, connection, and innovation in Jewish life.

We're a small team with big dreams. We value relational leadership, collaborative culture, and people who know how to get things done with heart, excellence, and joy.

The Opportunity

We need a visionary leader with the skills and drive to transform our organizational infrastructure. We're a lean, startup-style team and we need someone who can build the systems, develop the culture, and execute the strategy to get us there.

We're seeking a Managing Director to work with our Rabbi on congregational operations, organizational leadership, and community engagement. This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of a spiritually vibrant, growing congregation at a pivotal moment—with passionate leadership and a community ready to invest in its next chapter. The Managing Director holds responsibility for the operational and organizational health of the congregation, working in close partnership with the Rabbi and Board.

What You'll Do

Congregational Operations

• Supervise the Administrator and cultivate a healthy, joyful staff culture
• Partner with the Treasurer to develop, manage, and track the annual budget
• Oversee an exciting upcoming capital project: a full indoor and outdoor redesign of our building, in collaboration with the congregation's Building Committee
• Oversee event operations in partnership with the Administrator

Organizational Leadership

• Serve as strategic thought partner with the Rabbi on vision, implementation, and long-term direction
• Partner with the Board and Rabbi on governance, key decisions, and organizational policy — including facilitating community conversations on complex or sensitive issues
• Build and execute a development strategy; pursue grants and cultivate relationships with donors inside and outside the community
• Evaluate and manage strategic partnerships, including our growing relationship with the JCC
• Support internal and external communications: partner with our volunteer team on messaging, oversee website and social media, and maintain an integrated communications calendar

Community Engagement

• Help grow Eitz Chayim's membership and deepen contribution levels — including financial support, volunteer time, and other ways of investing in our community
• Have coffee meetings with prospective and current members to build relationships, understand their needs, and connect them more deeply to Eitz Chayim
• Partner with the Welcome Committee to build a warm, effective new member experience with clear onboarding systems and metrics
• Build pathways for volunteer engagement from first involvement through long-term leadership; recruit and organize volunteers across congregational life
• Partner with the Rabbi to reimagine our volunteer committee structure, ensuring every team fosters genuine relationships while achieving concrete goals

Who You Are

• A strategic operator who can see the big picture while managing complex details
• A relational leader with excellent interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence — comfortable having dozens of one-on-one conversations and asking people to join, give, and get involved
• Experienced in nonprofit leadership, ideally in Jewish communal settings (though we welcome leaders from other mission-driven organizations)
• A fundraiser comfortable with development work, grantwriting, and cultivating donor relationships
• A team builder who creates joyful, healthy institutional culture
• A problem solver who knows how to build and redesign systems for excellence, and thrives in startup-style environments
• A hands-on team-player who is willing to work on projects big and small
• Digitally savvy, familiar with social media, CRM tools, and website content management
• Excited by creativity and spiritual depth in Jewish community life

Why Join Us

• Shape the trajectory of a warm, close-knit, spiritually vibrant, growing congregation at a transformative moment
• Work in close partnership with passionate rabbinic leadership in an inspiring, loving community
• Join a collaborative, fun team

Compensation & Details

Work Environment & Reporting Structure

This position reports to the President(s) of the Congregation and works closely with the Rabbi and Board of Directors. It is a hybrid role with significant flexibility to work remotely during the week.

This is a community-facing role, and part of its joy is actually being in the room — seeing who's new, making connections, and executing our public programs with excellence. We ask that the Managing Director join us for Shabbat services 2 times per month and for Hebrew School 3 times per year, along with major congregational events.

Compensation & Details

• This is a full-time position, however, we are open to other arrangements depending on the circumstances
• Full time salary range is $80,000-95,000, commensurate with experience
• Paid Time Off
• Contributions towards retirement and health insurance
• Eligible for FMLA

How to Apply

Send a resume and cover letter and resume by March 31st to ecoffice@eitz.org.

Equal Opportunity Statement: Eitz Chayim is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity for all qualified applicants and employees, without regard to race, color, religion religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, marital status, gender identification identity or expression, or disability handicap (disability), HIV status, criminal record, veteran or active military status, or genetic information.

• Paid Time Off
• Contributions towards retirement and health insurance
• Eligible for FMLA