Director of the Wenger-Markowitz Family Education Initiative

Reconstructing Judaism seeks a Director of our Wenger-Markowitz Family Education Initiative, established in 2023 with a landmark $1M gift from Ruth Wenger and Jonathan Markowitz. This initiative grounds and bolsters educational offerings in Reconstructionist communities for our present moment and for generations to come, focusing on synagogues and havurot as a primary site for developing and strengthening Jewish identity in K-12 and family education settings.

Reporting to the Vice President for Thriving Communities and Partnership, the Director of the Wenger-Markowitz Family Education Initiative will work with Reconstructionist educators and the staff of Reconstructing Judaism and Havaya Summer Programs to create rich educational resources that reflect diverse Reconstructionist perspectives and core distinctiveness while covering fundamental Jewish concepts, providing innovative tools for educators and rabbis to cultivate strong Jewish and Reconstructionist literacy among families and children. Additionally, this role includes contributing to and staffing other Thriving Communities initiatives that support leaders across our network of 94 congregations worldwide.

We welcome regional and remote candidates to apply!

Candidates based in the Greater Philadelphia area will have a hybrid work schedule, with a minimum of one day per week in the Wyncote, PA office and as needed for meetings/events. For remote candidates outside the area, please note this position requires periodic travel (two-three times/year) to the Wyncote, PA office—and for all candidates, periodic travel to conferences and site visits to congregations and partner organizations to build relationships will be required.

Major responsibilities include:

• Development, oversight, and management of all aspects of the initiative, including:
  • Strategically promoting the newly-launched educator’s portal with curated resources, driving user engagement with materials, and soliciting contributions from the field
  • Identifying gaps in portal resources; creating new “in-house” resources and hiring and managing consultants to design other resources as applicable
  • Developing key relationships across the field to understand the educational needs and shape implementation goals
  • Researching and developing best practices for Reconstructionist educators
  • Building assessment benchmarks and metrics for the overall project as well as individual modules
  • Applying a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion to the creation of the overall competencies and each module, valuing the multiple identities of Jewish peoplehood
  • Consulting with and providing training for educators, rabbinical students, and rabbis on the resources available
• Working collaboratively to highlight the work and impact of RENA (the Reconstructionist Educators of North America), and to ensure maximal involvement of the educators
• Convening and facilitating groups of educators for learning and sharing, including monthly community of practice calls
• Contributing to and staffing other Thriving Communities initiatives that support leaders across our network of 94 congregations worldwide
• As the initiative evolves, supervising part-time staff members and/or a rabbinic intern and collaborating with staff from Havaya Summer Programs to maximize impact

Competencies:

• Experienced educator and project manager, with deep understanding of experiential and project-based education; additional experience with Hebrew language instruction, nuanced approaches to Israel education, and leading professional development programs for educators preferred
• A love of Jewish learning and strong knowledge of (or demonstrated openness to) Reconstructionist Judaism, as well as a desire and ability to share its approach and values
• Ability to design, create, edit and assess curricula and other educational material
• Experience and comfort with a range of relevant pedagogical tools and technologies
• A strategic and creative thinker who holds the larger context of the project while also being detail-oriented
• An excellent project manager with the ability to balance programmatic content with logistical and administrative tasks, to track multiple concurrent tasks and projects, and to manage outside contractors and specialists
• An orientation towards collaboration with staff, colleagues, rabbis, and specialists
• Respect for people of all ages and abilities, an attention to anti-bias, anti-racist, and gender diverse practices, and a commitment to accessibility and inclusion in program design
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, especially the capacity to develop and sustain relationships with stakeholders with diverse perspectives and experiences
• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally, both orally and in writing
• Ability to take initiative, scope projects, and manage multiple stakeholders
• Demonstrated organizational skills and ability to meet critical deadlines

Qualifications:

• Four-year college degree, with preference for a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in education or related field
• 5+ years of relevant work in the field of Jewish education; preference for direct experience with synagogue schools, though we welcome qualified applicants from other settings
• Demonstrated ability to develop learner-centered curricula and to work with learners across ages and backgrounds
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and Zoom; some database experience highly desired
• Supervisory/management experience preferred
• Demonstrated Project Management experience
• Marketing experience a plus

Salary:

$75,000-$90,000, commensurate with experience/qualifications.

Benefits:

We offer excellent benefits including health insurance, 401(k), generous paid vacation and sick time, and ample time off for major Jewish and American holidays. We offer a dynamic and progressive work environment that cares about its employees.

This is a full-time, exempt, benefit-eligible position with the opportunity to work a hybrid schedule (partially remote/partially in-person) for regional employees and a remote schedule for employees based elsewhere. (Conference participation and periodic visits to congregations and institutional partners is required.)

To Apply:

Please send cover letter, resume, and one written example of a curriculum you have developed or multi-part professional development program you have created to hr@reconstructingjudaism.org. Because of the importance of outstanding written communication skills for this position, submissions without these items cannot be considered. No phone calls please.

Diversity is a core value of our organization. We are an equal opportunity employer committed to economic, social, and racial justice. We do not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected classes. We know that many people – particularly those from historically marginalized groups – don’t apply for jobs unless they meet all listed qualifications. As an organization committed to diversity, if many (even if not all) of the qualifications describe you, we want to hear from you.

About Us:

Reconstructing Judaism is the central organization of the Reconstructionist movement. We train the next generation of rabbis, support and uplift congregations and havurot, foster emerging expressions of Jewish life, and encourage people to be their best selves — always helping to shape what it means to be Jewish today and to imagine the Jewish future.

Reconstructionists approach Judaism — and life — with deep consideration of the past and a passion to relate it to the present. We have originated many of the core innovations of today’s Judaism and lead efforts to make our congregations and havurot even more groundbreaking, inclusive and relevant.