Our Vision:
Central Synagogue is one of the leading and largest Reform congregations in the country. Located in Midtown Manhattan, Central’s reach includes more than 3,400 member families, a livestream community numbering in the hundreds of thousands, and more than 900 students, from birth to twelfth grade, in the Central Tots program, Nursery and Religious schools. It has long played a significant role in the national Reform movement and is known for its innovation and leadership in worship, leading to a greatly expanded audience over the last two decades.
Central Synagogue works toward a world in which Judaism is core to the lives of Central members and Jews everywhere and is a profound and positive force for humanity. Central continually redefines what it means to be Jewish today, both within the Synagogue community and far beyond the Synagogue’s walls. The diverse clergy and professional team work hard, in collaboration with lay leadership, to build deep and enduring relationships among Central members, creating a caring, dynamic, and joyful community.
Central Synagogue is an inclusive and welcoming community. The Synagogue encourages participation from all who seek a connection to Jewish life and want to be part of its sacred community regardless of religious background, race, ethnicity, gender, ability, socioeconomic status, political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Central is committed to being an open tent, a place that welcomes all people, including those who have been historically and institutionally marginalized or excluded from the Jewish community.
The Synagogue is well resourced, has over 115 staff, and is governed by a 29-member Board of Trustees. To learn more, please visit: https://www.centralsynagogue.org/.
Job Summary/Objective: Food plays a pivotal role in creating meaningful and successful events at Central Synagogue, from nursery school activities and adult education classes to Friday night challah orders. The Catering and Administrative Coordinator (“Coordinator”) is central to this experience, ensuring that catering for classes, meetings, and events meets the highest standards for quality, safety, and inclusivity while minimizing waste and remaining fiscally responsible. This role involves managing catering needs across all departments, including the LCLJ (Lese Center for Living Judaism), Clergy Study, and Adult Education programs. The Coordinator must have exceptional attention to detail, particularly regarding dietary restrictions and food allergies, such as nut and dairy sensitivities, to create a safe and welcoming environment for all. While being a foodie isn’t required, the ideal candidate should have a solid understanding of food safety, dietary accommodations, and innovative catering solutions that enhance our members' ability to connect and enjoy their experiences at Central Synagogue.
In addition, the Coordinator will assist with managing some administrative functions of the Events Department, which may include tracking contracts and invoices for venue rentals and preparing expense reports, among other duties.
Reports to: Director of Event Operations
Department Hours:
- Monday – Friday 9:30am-5:30pm or equivalent. with some flexibility in shift start time preferred to allow for event coverage
- Full-time, non-exempt and eligible for overtime
- May be required to work the Jewish High Holy Days (Erev Rosh Hashanah, Rosh Hashanah, Kol Nidrei, and Yom Kippur) and other special events/programs from time to time.
- Given the nature of this work, availability after hours, weekends, and holidays is sometimes required
Date: August 2025
Key Responsibilities/Essential Functions:
Your responsibilities as a Catering and Administrative Coordinator will include, but are not limited to:
- Serves as the main contact between all departments for in-house catering needs
- Coordinates orders for all aged programs within the different departments
- Places and confirms all catering orders including ongoing/standing deliveries, dinners, food for meetings or one-time programs, challah orders, etc., and sends confirmations to event owners for all catering orders
- Maintains and regularly updates a detailed catering tracking sheet, ensuring it is accurate and distributed to relevant parties every Friday. Continuously revises and refines the sheet throughout the week to reflect any changes or additions
- Checks in periodically when catering is delivered to see if the correct amount of food has been ordered so they can adjust orders for the future accordingly
- Maintains constant contact with the facilities team and departmental event owners to ensure catering has been delivered, was correct and is satisfactory
- Meets with event owners to see if they need catering, their catering has been delivered and if there are any issues with catering
- Monitors Central’s event management software dashboard, catering report and emails to see if any requests have come for a catering order, as well as proactively reaching out to event owners to see if catering is needed for events
- Codes AmEx expense reports and submits to Finance Dept in a timely manner
- Tracks the status of contracts with congregants and outside organizations for venue rentals, including working with the Finance department to generate invoices [and working with Legal department to collect and track certificates of insurance]
- Maintains and builds relationships with vendors and Central staff from other departments
- Tracks amount of food ordered to ensure if over ordering/under ordering is happening and learns/adjusts for future events
- Researches new food trends and caterers
- Works with Director of Event Operations to ensure that catering costs are staying within approved budget
Core Competencies:
- Proficiency in Microsoft applications including Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint are a must. Preferred knowledge of Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Monday.com or other project management software a strong plus
- Strong attention to detail and ability to execute
- Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills
- High degree of enthusiasm, flexible attitude and open demeanor
- Takes initiative, anticipates needs and adapts to situations as they arise
- Strong email and phone etiquette
Qualifications:
- 1 – 2 years’ administrative or project management experience; work in hospitality/food industry or similar area is preferred but not required
- Strong project and time management and multitasking skills
- Exceptional customer service skills via email, phone and Zoom
- Comfortable working at a computer and handling phone calls
- Ability to remain positive and calm and to multi-task effectively and independently in a fast-paced, team-oriented work environment
- A great deal of flexibility, resiliency, and a ‘can-do’ attitude
Other Duties:
Please note, the above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or physical requirements. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s rights to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.
The expected salary range for this position is $63,000K to $68,000K. Central Synagogue offers an extensive benefits package designed to meet the needs of our dedicated and diverse community. The salary is commensurate with experience based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, skills, knowledge, training, education, areas of specialization and depth and scope of experience. The above salary range represents the Synagogue’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the possible compensation range at the time of posting.
Hybrid Schedule: One day remote on Monday and four days in the office.
Application Process: