Overview:
Congregation Kehillath Israel (“KI”) is one of the country’s most storied and inclusive Conservative congregations, serving over 400 families from an exceptional multi-use campus in the heart of Brookline, Massachusetts. Starting in 2016, KI embarked on a massive, thoughtful, and pioneering building renovation. Its 384 Harvard Street campus is now home to 5 prayer communities, several social service and civic organizations, a modern senior living community, many top tier programming spaces, and a socially progressive, accommodating early education center and religious school. KI’s innovative campus endeavor is redefining the community of faith in the 21st century.
KI’s vision for the future of its campus is to be more than a site for prayer, but also Boston’s Jewish hub for arts, culture, music, continued learning, and community gathering.
KI seeks a dynamic and innovative full-time Director of Family Engagement (DFE) who will manage a warm and friendly, highly functioning, and well-respected religious school, family activities, Bnei Mitzvah experience, Shabbat programming, and teen event calendar.
This role reports to the VP for Youth Education and the Executive Director. The DFE will be responsible for maintaining and growing a strong, vibrant culture of family engagement programming within the KI community, by managing (directly and with support from a team of staff):
- KI's B'nei mitzvah experience, together with an enriching and rewarding B'nei Mitzvah Seminar
- KI’s vibrant and growing religious school
- KI’s three weekly Shabbat youth worship programs
- KI’s family programming around chagim and the High Holidays
The DFE supervises religious school, youth, and family programming staff of part-time Jewish educators and thought leaders. The DFE collaborates with KI’s Executive Director, VP for Youth Education, education-related committees, and others to hire for positions when necessary, to ensure that periodic performance reviews are conducted, and to encourage and facilitate participation in relevant professional development opportunities.
The DFE engages with lay leadership in the Education realm, by working collaboratively with the VP for Family Engagement, and participating regularly in KI Board Meetings and meetings of the Religious School andYouth Education Committees.
The DFE facilitates the initiation and continuation of additional youth programming (ie, in addition to education and worship programs) for various age groups, including teen programming.
The DFE collaborates with a variety of stakeholders, including KI’s Clergy, Board of Trustees, the Director of Early Childhood Education, staff colleagues, leaders of 384 Harvard Street Campus partner organizations, community members, and committees. S/he participates regularly in weekly KI Senior Staff meetings.
The DFE looks outward, seeking to create meaningful partnership with campus partners and other organizations within the greater Brookline/Boston Jewish community.
The successful candidate will possess:
- Significant teaching experience and a background in and knowledge of Judaism and Jewish practice
- Classroom management skills and experiene with accommodating a variety of learning styles
- Previous leadership experience in a school or camp educational environment
- Supervisory/management experience
- Strong communication, problem- solving, organizational and interpersonal skills
- Ability to maintain a yearly calendar of events, and produce regular electronic and other forms of communications with stakeholders
- Creativity and flexibility
- Ability to understand, develop, and operate within departmental budgets
- The ability to foster warm and positive relationships with children, teens, and parents
Salary is competitive and will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Please email resume and letter of introduction to [email protected]. Use the subject line "DFE".
The duties and responsibilities in this job description may be subject to change at any time due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons.
Congregation Kehillath Israel (“KI”) provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, KI complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. KI expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of KI’s employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.
06/2025