Religious School Principal

Temple Emanuel is a friendly, thriving, full-service URJ-affiliated Reform synagogue in Tempe, Arizona (in the southeast valley of the Phoenix metropolitan area). In addition to a Religious School, we offer a full slate of programming for younger families and adults, including many opportunities for learning and g’milut chasadim. Worship services, in a variety of styles (including 20-ish b’nei mitzvah ceremonies each year), take place on each Erev Shabbat and Shabbat morning, and on festivals. We have a vibrant Jewish community … and look forward to welcoming a fabulous new Religious School Principal as soon as possible!

Our 150+ student Religious School is the heart of our community. We are proud of the robust learning that goes on there, and we seek always to improve. Our curriculum is continually being re-envisioned, focusing on experiences, values, connections, and depth of knowledge. Our Madrichim program is thriving, with more than 20 post-b’nei mitzvah students participating this past year.

We meet on Sundays and Wednesdays, with a focus on Judaics on Wednesdays and Hebrew primarily taught on Sundays. We are excited to implement a new Hebrew curriculum during 2023-2024.

The Religious School Principal is a member of the Senior Staff of Temple Emanuel, reporting to our Senior Rabbi. Temple Emanuel’s Staff and lay leadership pride themselves on collaboration.

We seek to infuse quality Jewish learning in everything we do and value warmth, intelligence, creativity, and collaboration.

Summary:

Temple Emanuel is searching for a passionate Religious School Principal with excellent interpersonal skills and a unique blend of subject matter and pedagogical knowledge (someone who can teach, evaluate, and collaboratively upgrade curriculum) with a high level of managerial experience (someone who can maintain the administrative side of our team and school).

Responsibilities of Our Religious School Principal:

• Support, develop, coordinate, implement, and oversee our Religious School’s programs and goals.
• Cultivate an environment that promotes cooperation, innovation, critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication among and between the students, Staff, Clergy, parents, lay leadership, and community partners.
• Enhance the Religious School curriculum, as needed, in consultation with Clergy and Religious School Committee.
• Supervise, hire, and coach/train teachers and plan/implement teacher and madrichim professional development.
• Create and deliver school communications to existing families as well as outreach to potential students/congregants.
• Manage our Madrichim Program.
• Administer Religious School functions (student registration, teacher assignment, budget creation and management, behavioral/disciplinary issues, etc.)
• Plan potential Family Camps/Shabbatons and special events for our community’s children.
• Create, plan, and administer High Holy Days’ and holiday programming for Religious School students and their families.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for all Temple Emanuel families with children. Promote and market our Religious School, and engage with prospective families to encourage school growth.
• Attend Staff meetings, private teacher and school staff meetings, and parent-teacher conferences, and provide necessary feedback, updates, etc.
• Document teachers’ time for payroll.
• Substitute teach when necessary.

Ideal Qualifications of Our Religious School Principal:

• Be a friendly, collaborative partner, engaging professional, and reliable communicator with parents, teaching faculty, Staff, Clergy, and the Board of Trustees.
• Undergraduate or graduate degree in Education, School Administration, Judaism, or a related field.
• Significant formal and/or informal experience in Jewish education.
• Understanding of Jewish traditions and practices, particularly those of Reform Judaism.
• Experience teaching Hebrew to all ages, with excellent Hebrew reading skills.
• Ability to teach trope in the Reform Jewish tradition is a plus.
• Ability to lead engaging, age-appropriate t’filah in collaboration with Clergy and other participants.
• Proficiency with ShulCloud, or other CRM software such as Salesforce, etc.
• Willingness and ability to work with all personality types in a professional manner.
• Extraordinary interpersonal skills and dedication to excellent customer service.
• Flexibility and ability to work both independently and collaboratively as a team player in a fast-paced office environment.
• Exceptional writing, editing, proofreading, and communication skills are required.
• Proficient in MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel specifically).
• Familiarity with Canva, Constant Contact, and Facebook Meta Business Suite is a plus. Interest in and ability to learn new programs.
• Knowledge of databases and web page management is a plus.
• Ability to create a welcoming and inclusive environment that fosters deep learning in personally meaningful ways.
• Ability to develop strong relationships with children, teens, parents, colleagues, Clergy, and lay leaders.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented professional with high emotional intelligence who follows through while practicing non-judgmental, compassionate curiosity.

Hours/Salary Expectations:

• Compensation is commensurate with education, certifications, and experience. The range is $60,000 – $70,000 per year for a full-time, salaried employee. Temple Emanuel offers many benefits including health, life, and long-term disability insurance; paid time off; access to the Reform Pension Board retirement plan; and other benefits as negotiated.
Our Religious School Principal is expected to be on-site during our Religious School hours on Sundays and Wednesday evenings (before and after as necessary to administer the school). (On weeks with Sunday Religious School, the Religious School Principal is off on Mondays and in the Office Tuesday through Friday.) Occasional weekend availability is required depending on scheduled programming.