Executive Director

Executive Director
Full-Time | On-Site | Tampa, FL

About Congregation Kol Ami
Congregation Kol Ami is a synagogue and kehillah (community) dedicated to innovation and tradition, resulting in an inclusive, multi-generational community committed to improving ourselves and the world through ritual, educational, and social activities consistent with contemporary Conservative Judaism.

The Executive Director Position
Congregation Kol Ami is seeking an experienced leader with a proven track record of building and sustaining high-functioning, thriving organizations. The Executive Director is responsible for the administrative operations of the synagogue, with routine and direct interactions with our congregants and with engaged oversight responsibility for financial, personnel and building and facilities operations of the synagogue. The Executive Director leads a professional team, including an Office and Facilities Manager, an Accounting Specialist, an Education Director, and a Youth Director, while working in close partnership with the Rabbi and the synagogue’s lay leadership. The Executive Director brings a customer-service mindset that is welcoming and warm to our congregants.

Key Responsibilities

Board & Lay Leadership Support

• Serve as the primary staff partner to the President, the Officers, and the Board of Trustees, including providing support for the Executive Committee and the standing and ad hoc committees in executing their respective work.
• Prepare Board and Executive Committee agendas and materials and provide appropriate support for other committee agendas and materials, all in collaboration with the Rabbi, the President and the Executive Committee, while providing oversight to help ensure timely follow-up on Board, Executive Board, and other committee decisions.
• Support leadership development, including Board onboarding and training, and the Nominating Committee's recruitment efforts, to help ensure continuity through leadership transitions.

Personnel Management

• Recruit, hire, train, supervise, evaluate direct reports, and terminate, when necessary.
• Establish and maintain personnel policies, job descriptions, and compliant HR practices, including personnel recordkeeping, subject to Board review and approval if required.

Financial Management

• Provide oversight of financial systems and reporting, financial statements and capital planning for quality and accuracy.
• Process accounts payable, payroll, and cash management functions.
• Oversee preparation of the annual operating budget in partnership with the Treasurer, the Finance Committee, the Accounting Specialist, and lay leadership; hold ultimate accountability for the budget in tandem with the Treasurer, the Finance Committee, and the Accounting Specialist.
• Approve membership dues reductions and financial-need accommodations within Board-approved guidelines and in collaboration with the Financial Secretary.
• File annual reports and other required corporate documents.
• Conduct insurance reviews, make coverage recommendations and negotiate and finalize insurance coverages and policies.
• Negotiate vendor contracts and leases, in collaboration with the President or designee.
• Approve capital and depreciation purchases, within Board-approved policies and guidelines.
• Review for accuracy and present regular financial reporting to the Finance Committee, Executive Committee and Board, identifying significant budget variances.
• Oversee cemetery financial process with the Cemetery Chairperson and the appropriate committees, identifying significant budget variances.
• Serve as the primary staff liaison to our financial institutions and to any outside auditors.
• Serve as staff liaison to the Endowment Committee.

Facilities Management

• Oversight for Congregation Kol Ami's facilities and Gan Shalom Cemetery, with collaboration with the Office and Facilities Manager and the House Committee.
• Direct the congregation's building management, including grounds, IT/Infrastructure, and access standards, in partnership with the Office and Facilities Manager and the House Committee.
• Maintain the congregation's master calendar, in partnership with the Office and Facilities Manager, and coordinate Congregation Kol Ami's calendar with other relevant external Jewish community calendars.
• Ensure appropriate systems are in place for accurate membership data, communications, scheduling, office operations, and the preservation of synagogue records and archives.

Event Management

• Lead High Holiday planning in coordination with staff and lay leadership, with close collaboration with the Rabbi, the Education Director and the Office and Facilities Manager.
• Maintain oversight of congregational events and programming, partnering with lay leadership on execution as appropriate to each event and with close collaboration with the Rabbi, the Education Director and the Office and Facilities Manager.

Membership & Congregant Engagement

• Serve as a chief point of contact for congregant needs, questions, and concerns.
• Partner with the Membership Committee on outreach, welcoming, and retention of congregants, with particular focus on engagement during a member's first year.
• Build and maintain relationships with congregants to help ensure every member feels personally connected and supported.
• Administer the prospective member process from initial inquiry to initiation of membership.
• Coordinate and support life-cycle events in partnership with Rabbi.
• Support the Rabbi's pastoral care responsibilities and the congregation's Ma'asim Tovim (good deeds) efforts by keeping the Rabbi, staff, and lay leadership informed of congregants' needs and ensuring timely follow-up.

Security

• Direct Congregation Kol Ami's overall security policy and standards, including required training for staff and lay leadership, in coordination with the Security Committee.
• Approve building access and security protocols.

Fundraising & Development

• Support lay leadership and the Rabbi to build and implement Congregation Kol Ami's fundraising strategy and to apply for and secure any applicable grants.
• Help identify and steward medium and large-dollar donors, in partnership with the lay leadership and the Rabbi.

Communications & Marketing

• Set Congregation Kol Ami’s overall communications and marketing strategy, in coordination with the President or designee, the Executive Committee and the Rabbi.
• Responsible for production of all congregational communications and social media, such as: Weekly Watch, congregational emails, Website, WhatsApp, etc.
• Coordinate, together with the President or designee, Congregation Kol Ami’s representation at community-wide and inter-organizational events involving the broader Jewish community.

Key Relationships

• Reports to the President of the Congregation, and through the President to the Executive Committee and the Board of Trustees.
• Works in close partnership with the Rabbi on matters affecting religious life, pastoral needs, and congregational programming.
• Directly supervises the Office and Facilities Manager, the Accounting Specialist, and the Youth Director, USY Advisor and other associated staff, and partners with the Rabbi in jointly supervising the Education Director.
• Serves as staff liaison to the Executive Committee, Board of Trustees, and any relevant standing committees (e.g., Finance, Human Resources, Membership, House).
• Supports the Rabbi as mutually agreed, with flexibility to adjust as needs change.

Core Competencies

• Strong leadership, management, and organizational ability, with experience supervising a multi-function team.
• Welcoming, timely, and attentive approach to follow-through with congregants and stakeholders.
• Financial acumen, including budgeting/planning, financial reporting, and internal controls. Knowledge of Online QuickBooks preferred. Familiarity with Shul Cloud software desirable.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrates sound judgment in handling responsibilities and congregant relationships, knowing when to act independently and when to seek input.
• Ability to delegate effectively while retaining accountability for outcomes.
• Present a positive image through professional appearance and welcoming demeanor, serving as an important, often first, point of contact for members and guests.
• Ability to implement and enforce, in a firm yet friendly way, policies for staff to present professional appearance and welcoming demeanor.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Google Workspace.
• Demonstrate comfort with emerging technologies, including AI tools, and understand how to leverage them to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and creativity, while maintaining accountability of their application.

Qualifications

• Required experience: Minimum 5–7 years of office management experience, in a nonprofit, religious, or community organization desirable.
• Prior experience as a synagogue Executive Director, Assistant/Associate Director, or comparable nonprofit office executive leadership role desirable.
• Staffing management: Demonstrated experience in office personnel management, including hiring, evaluation, and policy development.
• Experience with event planning
• Experience with volunteer coordination.
• Ability to effectively manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in business, associated degree, or equivalent experience required.

Work Environment & Conditions

• This is an on-site position requiring periodic evening availability for monthly Finance (by Zoom), Executive Committee, and Board meetings, as directed by the President, along with occasional weekend commitments.
• This is a full-time, exempt position; hours may extend beyond a standard schedule to meet operational and communal needs.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary: $85,000.
Benefits: Vacation time, synagogue membership, health insurance allowance, and full conference sponsorship. How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter to [email protected].