Mersky, Jaffe & Associates, an executive search and consulting firm, is conducting a search for the next Executive Director of Temple Sinai.
Temple Sinai is a Reform congregation in Washington, DC, with a storied history and vibrant future. We are seeking an Executive Director (ED) as our current ED is retiring in June after a successful 16-year tenure. This is an exciting time to join our leadership team and an opportunity that you should not miss. Our clergy and staff are stable and well liked; and they foster a collaborative dynamic and enjoyable work culture. We recently completed a major building expansion and renovation. (Our membership is strong and we are experiencing high levels of engagement across all demographics. The greater Washington, DC, metropolitan area was recently shown to be the third largest area for Jewish population in America and is a fulfilling place to live and work as a Jewish professional.
At the same time, this is a period of transition and we face interesting challenges in the coming years, including: navigating this ED transition well; learning how to use and maintain our new building most effectively; and, dealing with challenges facing all synagogues in a post-Covid, post-October 7th world (security, finances, technology, access, etc.); anticipating changes to our schools and programs designed to engage even more families. You will be joining an amazing team in a well-functioning organization AND you will not be bored. You will have the opportunity to shape and implement the future of Temple Sinai in many areas of our congregation’s operations, programs, and staffing. We believe this is a great job for anyone who wants to lead an egalitarian Jewish organization. We are looking for an ED who is committed to Reform Jewish life; but we welcome and encourage qualified candidates with relevant operations and non-profit management experience outside the Jewish organizational world.
For 75 years, Temple Sinai has been a leader in the Reform Movement's fights for justice, crafting thoughtful and inclusive worship, and creating robust programs to serve a large, multi-generational, and diverse community.
We have a growing membership of more than 1,200 “family” units of all sizes from singles to multiple children, 600+ students in the religious school and about 70 in the nursery school. Combining the rich traditions of Jewish practice and values with innovation and active engagement in the city, nation and world, the Temple recently completed a successful capital campaign with new construction and significant renovation of our existing space; raising $12 million, exceeding our initial goal of $8 million. We also expanded our social justice and pastoral care programs and our programming for families with tots and school-aged children. Temple Sinai is known for its strong sense of community for congregants, clergy and staff, a community that values everyone.
Please visit our website https://templesinaidc.org/ to learn more about our history, mission, core values, and our strategic plan. You can also get a feel for our spiritual life through viewing our high holy day service archive.
Position Overview. The Executive Director is responsible for the supervision, management and day-to-day operations of the Temple including human resources, fund-raising, finance, facilities, membership, communications, and security. The ED will have a robust staff to implement their vision and direction and will supervise the directors and staff leaders for the tasks noted below. The ED oversees an annual budget of $6.4 million and directly supervises 9 employees (plus contractors). The ED reports to the Board of Trustees through the President, collaborates and coordinates activities with the Senior Rabbi, and is one of the seniormost and impactful members of the leadership team.
Essential Functions include:
General Administration
- Evaluate needs, oversee purchase, use, maintenance, replacement, and operation of equipment and systems, IT, building systems, and live streaming.
- Lead agenda setting and participate in meetings of the Board of Trustees, Officers, and committees as needed, including Administration, Building & Grounds, Finance, Investment, Membership, and Strategic Planning.
- Coordinate with Religious and Nursery School leadership on personnel, security, logistics, and administrative matters.
- Maintain relationships with vendors and contractors, including benefits brokers, IT/Network hosting and support, corporate compliance, HR legal counsel.
- Co-lead, with the Senior Rabbi, the creation of a compelling vision for our congregation and co-lead the implementation of our Temple’s strategic plan.
Personnel
- Supervise administrative, fund-raising, financial, development, maintenance, security, and library staff (but not Religious or Nursery School staff).
- Set policies and procedures for hiring, paying, disciplining and terminating employees, and for providing employee benefits. Implement HR policies, assure compliance with tax, labor and other laws.
- Maintain a safe, efficient, collaborative, and member-friendly workplace encouraging staff cooperation and professional development.
Financial
- Supervise the Director of Finance and support his oversight of the teams and committees responsible for Temple finances.
- Approve expenditures, budget changes and contracts.
- Oversee and assure the maintenance of accurate financial records, help prepare and monitor Temple budgets, supervise bills, assure compliance with tax reporting requirements.
- Coordinate with auditors and Audit Committee.
- Approve contractual agreements with vendors, contractors, consultants, and other service providers.
Membership
- Oversee membership recruitment and retention including supervising the Membership Engagement Coordinator.
- Assure maintenance of accurate membership records.
- Oversee all aspects of membership financial commitments including member payments, tuition and fees; aid members seeking reduced financial commitment for membership and resolve delinquent accounts.
Program and Facilities Coordination
- Supervise the Facilities Manager and support his oversight of the building and security teams.
- Assure coordination and scheduling to maximize efficiency.
- Assure maintenance, cleanliness, readiness, security, and safety of physical facilities.
- Manage, protect and improve Temple facilities in collaboration with the Building & Grounds Committee.
Communications
- Supervise the Director of Communications & Programs and support her work with printed and electronic communications including the website.
Jewish Life
- Assure Temple facilities and staff are properly organized and ready for all services (this does not require you to attend all services but to oversee staff and plans for those services).
- Manage the Temple Sinai Cemetery at the Garden of Remembrance including selling plots to members. (The Garden of Remembrance is a non-profit Jewish community-wide cemetery with its own board, director and staff. We are a partner/member with our own dedicated section. Your job is to administer all aspects of our partnership; you are not responsible for the management of the cemetery).
- Participate as a member of the pastoral care team.
- Support member needs for lifecycle events, coordinating with clergy and administrative staff.
- Strengthen the sense of belonging and community connection among members by establishing and maintaining caring relationships and membership interactions.
Security
- ED is the leader in security matters, while the Facilities Manager directly supervises our unarmed security staff and armed security guards from our contractor/partner, Securemedy.
- Oversee security training for staff and members coordinated with and provided by contractors and local security officials, maintain target-hardening technology, apply for and administer Homeland Security and other grants.
- Maintain relationships with security partners, including DC police, FBI and Secret Service, and JShield (security service of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington).
The successful candidate will have
- Bachelor’s degree (required).
- At least 8 years of experience in a management role, preferably with populations diverse in age and background; with at least 4 years of proven track record in a supervisory capacity.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to set priorities, manage projects and meet deadlines.
- Capacity to deal with ambiguities typical in a synagogue/membership environment wherein many stakeholders (paid and volunteer) from across the organization collaborate in decisions and implementation.
- Commitment to Reform Jewish values and social justice.
- Ability to delegate and mentor.
The following characteristics:
- Creative and innovative
- Diplomatic yet decisive
- Flexible and forward thinking
- Personable and compassionate
- Highly organized, big picture vision, yet detail oriented
- Direct, honest, trustworthy
- Self-aware and self-reflective
- Social and emotional intelligence
- Patience in interpersonal situations
- A sense of humor
Compensation and benefits
- Compensation of $200,000 - $225,000 based on experience, skills, and education.
- Competitive benefits package including: 4 weeks paid vacation, paid medical leave, parental leave, comprehensive medical and dental insurance, generous retirement plan, life insurance, long-term disability, and flexible spending account and other benefits.
This job description is a thorough listing of the ED’s activities, duties, and responsibilities, and functions and responsibilities may change and/or others may be assigned over the course of your tenure.
Mersky, Jaffe & Associates is proud to conduct the search for Temple Sinai’s next Executive Director. If you, or someone you know, might be a suitable candidate, please forward, in confidence, the person’s name, cover letter, resume, and contact information to Katie Moreland at katie@merskyjaffe.com.
