Vice President of Rabbinic Initiative

Vice President of Rabbinic Initiative

Mission and Philosophy

The Shalom Hartman Institute is a leading research and educational center serving Israel and world Jewry. We work to enrich the moral and spiritual life of Israel and the Jewish people, deepen the commitment to pluralism and Israel’s Jewish and democratic character, and rebuild the covenant between Israel and the Jewish world.

Through our community of outstanding scholars and educators, the Institute develops innovative responses to the challenges of our time, cultivates a new generation of leaders and change agents, and builds transformational educational projects that help inspire a better Judaism and a better Israel for the 21st century.

Position

The Vice President for Rabbinic Initiatives will serve as a key thought leader on rabbinic innovations and rabbinic training for the field of the North American rabbinate.

This professional will oversee the overall rabbinic strategy of our rabbinic programs (Rabbanut North America, RLI, and RTS), and will supervise a team consisting of full-time and part-time staff and faculty.

Primarily, the Vice President for Rabbinic Initiatives will oversee the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Beit Midrash for New North American Rabbis, which trains visionary leaders in the Jewish texts, ideas, and skills they need to lead the North American Jewish community as cutting-edge rabbis. Rabbanut North America graduates will be ordained as rabbinic thought leaders fully equipped to lead communities and institutions grounded in pluralism, moral aspiration, commitment to Jewish peoplehood, and courageous leadership. Read more here.

The Vice President of Rabbinic Initiatives will be responsible for designing and overseeing the curriculum and coursework, domestic retreats, Israel-based seminars, all aspects of student recruitment and experience, and liaising with faculty and mentors. This person will also oversee evaluation and hold relationships with our key funders.

Based in our office in Manhattan, this professional will report to the CEO of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Lead the visioning, designing, and spiritual directing of Rabbanut North America.
• Oversee the overall content and curriculum of the program, which now includes weekly Major courses, professional skills seminars, spiritual formation projects, modern Jewish thought courses, a mentorship program, and Hartman Thought Leadership seminars.
• Design and lead three domestic retreats per year and the month-long summer seminar in Israel.
• Oversee the Mechina program, which includes both distance learning and a summer seminar.
• Provide and oversee one-on-one mentoring, coaching, pastoral care, recruitment and placement programs for Ordination students.
• Hold accountability for the Department budget.
• Design and sustain an alumni network of ongoing professional support and learning, new curricular resources, online learning opportunities, and more.
• Hold the strategic partnership with Rabbanut Yisraelit leadership to design and implement joint programming between the Rabbanut North America and Rabbanut Yisraelit networks.
• Sustain relationships with national organizations and denominational movements that work with rabbis to further Hartman’s impact and elevate the work of those partners with Hartman’s unique approach.
• Hold relationships with program funders and advisory board members.
• Supervise other SHI NA rabbinic initiatives, namely RLI and RTS, and serve as a thought leader on rabbinic innovations and rabbinic training for the field of the North American rabbinate.

Qualifications

• A senior professional with more than 20 years of experience, either with ordination or something equivalent, who is gifted intellectually and interpersonally.
• Strong facilitation experience to hold space for rabbinic communities of learning and growth.
• Strong understanding of or ability to learn SHI NA’s educational content, key questions, and unique approach.
• Excellent writing, communication, and curriculum development skills.
• Deep knowledge of the Jewish communal landscape and institutions, relationships with local leaders.
• Strong supervisory experience.
• Strong track record developing and cultivating individual and institutional partnerships.
• Experience with conceiving of and developing educational programs.
• Exceptionally organized and detail-oriented; able to manage multiple complex tasks
• Proven ability to thrive in a dynamic, high-energy environment.
• Track record of demonstrating sound judgment by making appropriate decisions and knowing when to take initiative in identifying problems and devising solutions.
• Capable of working independently as well as collaboratively.
• Flexible work style with the ability to work under tight deadlines and with shifting priorities.
• Inquisitiveness and an openness to learning, including new software and technologies.
• Ability to travel to Israel twice per year and nationally as needed.
• Good sense of humor.

Salary range and benefits:$200,000 - $240,000, commensurate with experience. Very competitive benefits package. SHI NA is an equal opportunity employer.

To apply:

Please send a resume and cover letter in one document below.. The cover letter should include descriptions of positions with relevant experience, and demonstration of successful expertise in the core demands of the position. No phone calls please.

We deeply value the diversity of insight, perspective, and experience brought by people from backgrounds typically underrepresented in Jewish institutions. We also welcome applications from people of diverse religious, spiritual, and cultural backgrounds. The organization provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, alienage or citizenship status, creed, genetic predisposition or carrier status, national origin, disability condition, marital status, status as a disabled or Vietnam-era veteran, or any other protected characteristic as established by law. In addition, the organization affirmatively seeks to advance the principles of equal employment opportunity as it applies to all policies and procedures relating to recruitment and hiring, compensation, benefits, termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment.

We thank you for your interest in career opportunities with The Shalom Hartman Institute. Due to the anticipated high volume, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Candidates who will be interviewed can expect a response within 3-4 weeks.