Director of Programs and Education (F/T)
Ideal Start Date: June 2023
About Pardes North America
Pardes North America (PNA) is a new and growing division of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. Our mission is to reach over 50,000 North American Jews annually via rich, relevant and accessible Jewish learning. PNA is uniquely positioned to work at the intersection of deep Jewish content and relational engagement, and our devoted alumni Base is a critical pillar of our community waiting to be activated.
The PNA team works in four primary ways:
- As ambassadors in North America of our flagship programs and faculty in Israel
- As activators and guides for students transitioning back to North America as they integrate their learnings and develop new practices
- As community builders for the thousands of Pardesniks, offering support and opportunities for connection and learning across the life-span
- As educators and entrepreneurs, testing new ways of education and engagement to create more meaningful learning opportunities for a wide array of North American Jews
PNA seeks to live up to both meanings of the term Pardes (פרדס). On the one hand it refers to the four different layers of deep textual exploration. At its core, PNA is about deep, accessible, text-based Jewish learning that takes place in intimate communities. But Pardes (פרדס) also means “orchard,” and just like an orchard is open on all sides, Pardes encourages Jews from all backgrounds to enter to find community, connection and sustenance from Torah learning.
PNA believes that Jewish learning is not just about exploring content and building knowledge. The heart of our work centers around the question: How can our texts inform how we live our day to day lives? We believe that Jewish learning has tremendous power to improve the lives of learners, leading to a brighter and more vibrant personal and Jewish life.
Position Summary: Director of Programs and Education (F/T)
The Director of Programs and Education will be a senior member of the PNA team. The Director will be responsible for envisioning, planning and supervising the strategic expansion of PNA’s growing offerings. This role will play a key role designing educational offerings that advance PNA’s mission of bringing deep and accessible Jewish learning experiences to Jews across North America, in numerous forms including but not limited to, cohort and fellowship learning, immersive experiences, and online programming.
This role reports to the CIO, will supervise PNA’s Assistant Director of Programs and Program Associate. This role works in close partnership with the wider PNA team, and collaborates across other departments, both in Israel and North America, as needed and therefore can be physically based anywhere in the US (preferably in EST if possible.)
Core Roles & Responsibilities:
The Director of Programs and Education will:
- Support the vision and strategy for PNA’s growth and continued success through:
- Serving as a thought partner on PNA’s leadership team
- Partnering with the wider PNA team to drive the creation of PNA’s programming calendar
- Leadership of PNA’s efforts to build strategic educational arches in its core programming areas including but not limited to:
- Cohort/Fellowships Learning, including thematic cohort learning and fellowships, both online and in person
- Immersive experiences, themed including retreats, one-day bootcamps, alumni shabbaton(s) and holiday programs
- Online Education, including podcasts, courses, and online holiday resources.
- Collaborate with the PNA team to design high quality programs and support a diversity of learner pathways
- Work closely with the Assistant Director of Alumni and Strategic Partnerships, serving as a thought partner to grow a connected learning community and developing educational content to train and empower learning throughout North America
- Partner with PNA’s Senior Educational Advisor and PNA’s faculty on educational design, content, and learning journeys
- Collaborate with Assistant Director of Programs to develop high quality and impactful programs for Pardes’s NA community
- Work closely with CIO to determine program partnerships, faculty assignments, and guest teacher opportunities
- Supervise direct reports, creating opportunities for growth and leadership development among team members
- Support Assistant Director of Programs to project manage and execute offerings
- Support Program Associate in in areas of logistics, operations, execution, evaluation and follow up
- Create coaching and feedback opportunities for direct reports and help set organizational and development goals to be reviewed bi- annually
- Strategize with the CIO, PNA faculty, and other key stakeholders around the “Torah of Pardes North America”
- Support an organization-wide exploration around the relationship between the Torah themes and learning happening in Israel and those being developed in NA.
- Partner with the CIO to strategize around strengthening the faculty experience and support implementation.
- If a candidate has an education or teaching background, they can also serve as a PNA faculty member to teach throughout North America, and offer thought leadership through writing and speaking engagements.
Qualifications and Skills:
- A deep belief in our mission to make Torah more accessible and enlivening
- A passion for Torah learning, community building, and thought leadership
- A self-starter with a growth mindset and a commitment to ongoing learning, experimentation, and adaptation to meet the needs of our learners and community. Proven ability to adapt to evolving strategies.
- A nuanced and proactive relationship with Israel
- A track record of successful experience in most of these categories: supervision, team building, project management, program development, curriculum development, and strategic planning.
- Detail-oriented, with exceptional writing, organizational and interpersonal skills.
- Eager to collaborate as part of a larger global team
- Able to work independently and prioritize thoughtfully.
- Flexible and efficient, including under tight deadlines.
- Proficient with Google apps (G Suite), Zoom, Excel, email marketing and CRM database systems.
- A bachelor’s degree, masters or smicha preferred.
- 5-10 years post college relevant work experience.
- Personal experience studying with or at Pardes preferred, but not required.
- Teaching experience is a bonus, but not required.
Salary & Benefits:
- Annual Salary range – $85,000- $105,000 Commensurate with experience.
- Benefits
- 100% health insurance for the employee
- 403b retirement plan with up to 5% contribution by employer
- Paid time off
- Paid holidays (Jewish and secular)
- FSA
- Group Life and Personal Accident Insurance
- Parental leave
- Remote or hybrid working option and flexible hours
- Annual professional development budget of $500
- Opportunities to travel to Israel to collaborate with team and participate in learning opportunities
Pardes North America provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants in all organizational facilities without regard to race, color, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy, childbirth, (or related medical conditions, including, but not limited to lactation), physical disability, mental and/or intellectual disability, age, military status or status as a Vietnam-era or special disabled veteran, marital status, registered domestic partner or civil union status, gender (including sex stereotyping and gender identity or expression), medical condition (including, but not limited to, cancer-related or HIV/AIDS-related), genetic information, or sexual orientation in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.
To Apply
Please send your cover letter and resume to monica@pardes.org. You can expect to hear from someone on our team within 3 business days.
Application Steps (not all candidates will proceed with all steps)
- Resume/Cover Letter review
- Zoom interview with Chief Innovation Officer
- Zoom Panel Interview with PNA team
- (If applicable*) Teaching a shiur
*While this is not a direct education role, we are open to candidates who have a teaching background joining the PNA faculty as a part of this role.
- Zoom interview with 1-2 Israel faculty/staff members.
- Reference Checks