Location: Memphis, TN
Position Type: Full-time
Who We Are:
NCSY, a program of the Orthodox Union, connects with Jewish teens through innovative, cutting-edge social and recreational programs to develop a positive Jewish identity. NCSY inspires Jewish teens through informal Jewish education, retreats and summer programs. NCSY empowers teens through leadership development and guidance to become passionately-committed leaders of the Jewish community and instruments for positive change and renewal.
The Orthodox Union (OU) is the largest Orthodox Jewish organization in the United States. Founded in 1898, the OU supports a network of synagogues, youth programs, Jewish and Religious Zionist advocacy programs, programs for the disabled, localized religious study programs, and international units. The OU maintains a kosher certification service, whose circled U symbol, ?, is found on the labels of over 100,000,000 kosher commercial and consumer food products.
About Midwest NCSY:
Midwest NCSY is dedicated to inspiring and empowering Jewish teens of all backgrounds to live more passionate Jewish lives. We offer cutting-edge social and educational programs, helping make Judaism relevant and meaningful for everyday life. Midwest NCSY’s programming – and impact – begins on the chapter level. Midwest NCSY has 8 chapters across the region, as well 4G, a girls-only program in Chicago, and the Jewish Family Experience, a Hebrew School for unaffiliated families along Chicago’s North Shore. We have earned an outstanding reputation among NCSY’s regions as a trailblazer in unique and innovative programming that appeals to today’s Jewish teen. Midwest NCSY is a region of NCSY, the international youth group of the Orthodox Union.
The Director of Memphis NCSY is responsible to achieve the objectives of the Midwest Region of NCSY as defined by the Regional Director within an assigned geographic area, in this case the Memphis metropolitan area. The City Director is the local NCSY leader responsible for promoting greater Torah observance to local youth, and must, therefore, possess the Torah knowledge and represent the values necessary to accomplish that goal.
Position Summary:
The City Director requires personal, organizational, and leadership skill and experience to make decisions, communicate objectives, delegate authority, guide and excite community youth. The position requires diverse activity with varying types and levels of responsibility to ensure a successful youth program, and promote greater commitment to Torah Judaism (for all age groups, Jr. & Sr. NCSY if required). The position requires engagement of the community, which includes but is not limited to the parents of NCSY participants, community Rabbis, and all other community stakeholders.
The Director of Memphis NCSY reports to the Regional Director or his designated appointee.
The duties and activities of this position include:
Relationship Building
- Keep in touch with your NCSYers by phone or e-mail on a regular basis.
- Maintain positive relationships with the parents of your NCSYers. Communicate all information about the programs that you are running in an open and honest manner.
- Cultivate relationships with educational, rabbinical and lay leadership in your community.
- Invite NCSYers to your home for Shabbos on a regular basis.
- Manage relationships between teens and regional advisors
General
- Encourage your chapter members, where appropriate, to participate in national NCSY programs, including summer programs, National Yarchei Kallah, and National Convention (when applicable).
- Work with the Regional Director to determine a target number of participants in such programs.
- Record all activities and events in the National Database.
Chapter Activities
- Plan, organize, advertise and recruit for chapter events and meetings.
- A good monthly chapter schedule should include but is not limited to:
- Chapter board meetings: 1-2 per month
- One Shabbat program which should include two chapter shabbatonim per year
- Recreational trips (bowling, movie, mini golf, arcade, etc.): 1-2 per month
- Educational programming (Latte and Learning, Partners in Torah): weekly (can be in conjunction with the chapter board/membership meetings)
- JSU clubs – regularity based on each club.
- Other programs for annual chapter calendar include but not limited to:
- Chessed Project/Trip (clean a shul, raise tzedaka money, help out at an area charity, etc.): 1 to 2 per year
- Recruit teen participation and advisor staff for the regional events and Shabbatonim.
- Work with the Regional Director to determine the target teen participation number for your chapter. Work to achieve that level of participation.
- E-mail information to chapter members regarding chapter events and put up flyers in all appropriate areas of the community.
- Send out a quarterly constant contact newsletter to all community members
JSU Club Activities
- Plan and organize weekly club activities to inspire Jewish pride and identity in the Memphis City-area public high schools for which you are responsible.
- In consultation with your Regional Director, determine a target attendance level for the JSU club at each school. Advertise and recruit for those clubs, utilizing print materials posted within the schools, homeroom announcements within the schools, and emails to club participant lists in order to reach your target attendance number.
- Develop educational materials (multimedia, source/reference material, skits, creative educational presentations) for use in your JSU clubs. You may also (of course) make use of any materials developed by other JSU staff people in the Midwest and North America, however the creation of new and innovative materials is also expected.
- Pick up kosher pizza, beverages, and other refreshments to bring with you to each JSU club meeting.
- Work with your Regional Director to identify 2-3 other area public high schools that are ripe for hosting JSU clubs. Endeavor to initiate JSU clubs at those high schools by contacting school officials, faculty, and Jewish teens from those schools. Report on a bi-weekly basis to your Regional Director on your progress.
- Develop relationships with the participants in JSU clubs so that those teens can be exposed to Jewish life outside their club time. Recruiting such kids for mainstream NCSY programs is of great value, although anything Jewish that the teens do outside of club time is a positive.
Junior NCSY (6th-8th grades)
- All of the same responsibilities related to Senior NCSY chapter events and Regional Conventions, EXCEPT
- Events are every month, rather than twice monthly.
- Meetings are weekly in any week that there is no other Jr. event, and may be conducted by phone, chat room, or in person.
- There should be at least one Chapter Shabbaton per year.
- Work with the Regional Director for event ideas and report on events.
Develop Chapter Board
- Appoint or hold elections for a chapter board.
- Ensure that the board meets as often as the advisor deems necessary.
- Encourage the board to schedule and plan events and activities.
Regional events
- Recruit teen participation from your chapter in regional events and conventions.
- The target participation number for your chapter in regional events is:
- Work with the regional office liaison to arrange for transportation of your chapter to regional events.
- Attend regional events
- Supervise your chapter members at regional events.
Financial management
- Chapters should plan and maintain a chapter budget with the Regional Director, and it is expected that chapter finances will be handled professionally and responsibly.
- This plan must include anticipated costs for each event (local and Shabbatons) so as to ensure that any losses are anticipated ahead of time and are reasonable.
- Work with the Regional Director to develop a fundraising strategy so that chapter finances are covered.
Fundraising
- Work with Regional Director to set an amount that is realistic to be raised in the Memphis
- Memphis Director will be responsible to either raise the money or set up the meetings in order to help get the money raised.
Many of the above duties may be performed either by the City Director him or herself, or by an NCSYer (likely a chapter board member) whom the advisor deems responsible enough to carry out the duty. However, the successful accomplishment of the task is the ultimate responsibility of the City Director. Summers should be used for planning the upcoming year’s programing and running programs for teens that are in the Chapter area for the summer.
Qualifications:
- Ability to develop meaningful relationships and community connections across diverse constituencies.
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
- Proven ability to multitask, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines.
- Demonstrated passion for organization’s mission.
Salary and Benefits:
Salary commensurate with experience.
We offer employee-sponsored healthcare, dental and vision plans.
Other benefits include:
- Paid sick days
- Paid vacation days
- Paid parental leave
- Paid Jewish and most Federal holidays
- Short Fridays to accommodate for the Sabbath
- Free life and disability insurance
- 403(b) retirement plan which the OU will contribute 5% of your wage towards retirement savings after you contribute at least 2% (match eligible after 3 years of continuous service)