Senior Director of Cohort Programs

WHO WE ARE:

M²: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education is dedicated to promoting a proud and inspired community of Jewish educators who possess the personal and professional capacities to help learners find meaning and relevance in Jewish life. The educators and clients we serve are primarily in North America, though M2 has a growing presence in Israel and Europe. With offices in New York, Chicago and Jerusalem, we are a nimble, cutting edge and incredibly warm team guided by our organizational values: generosity, humility, rigor, innovation, and integrity.

BACKGROUND

M² is seeking to hire a highly accomplished and seasoned Senior Director to oversee our expanding portfolio of cohort programs.

Multi-month, immersive cohort programs are a prominent model of M² trainings. A typical M² cohort is comprised of offsite seminars, virtual engagements, mentorship and individualized support. Cohorts range from international fellowships like the Senior Educators Cohort to local Community Cohorts like the Chicago Educators Cohort. The commonality between these programs is a deep, ongoing investment in training a select group of educators, providing them with the theories, practices and skills to master the craft of experiential Jewish education, and foster a renewed sense of educational vision and purpose within an intimate professional community.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Senior Director of Cohort Programs is a New York-based position, reporting to the Chief Program Officer and working in parallel with the Senior Director of Fellowships and the Senior Director of Values in Action. Their primary responsibilities include managing all aspects related to M² cohort programs, as well as additional trainings, from A-Z. They’re responsible for cultivating an excellent, high functioning team of professionals who meet responsibilities and deadlines, and are growing as individuals and as a team in a positive and nurturing environment. Finally, this person will be responsible for serving as a direct program lead for one or more programs.

Reporting to the Chief Program Officer, our ideal candidate is one who –

• Appreciates M²’s approach towards Jewish education, which is experiential and values-based
• Is entrepreneurial and strategic, possessing the capacity to bring a bold vision to life by seeing both the big picture and the details; sees beyond the immediate to intuit what might need doing and always keeps growth and future needs in mind
• Has an exceptional capacity for supervising and leading people; strong social-emotional intelligence; capacity to enforce accountability, develop and empower top-notch leaders and build effective relationships
• Is an excellent project manager who can manage details under pressure
• Is flexible and adaptable, with the ability to navigate complex and changing environments; not afraid to take charge of situations with strong decision making and problem-solving skills.
• Is excited and able to travel and be fully immersed in multi-day seminars
• Is an effective group facilitator and community builder and has the educational sensibilities to create impactful experiences

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Direct and Manage the M² Cohort Programs & Trainings Portfolio (50%)
• Ensure that M² programs are successfully delivering outstanding content through a dynamic and personalized program experience, designed to meet stated goals and outcomes
• Hold supervisory responsibilities for project execution and team management, including recruitment, program development, delivery, staffing, budgeting, reporting, and more
• Continuously drive the strategic growth of cohort programs through the development of clear work plans, data collection and evaluation, and maintaining strong knowledge about programming trends and community needs
• Cultivating strong partnerships and engaging in ongoing relationships with partner organizations, program prospects, service providers and content experts all to ensure high levels of collaboration that grow and enrich the cohort program portfolio

Team Supervision and Management (30%)
• Supervising and nurturing the professional growth of a local team of 3+ direct reports, ensuring that they are performing at the highest standards; cultivating among them a positive work culture that maintains a strategic focus; and driving them towards creativity, efficiency, and excellence
• Managing an external team of faculty and consultants including mentors, program leads, program directors, adjunct faculty, consultants and external support staff positioned to develop, facilitate or support all aspects of the cohort programs

Program Leadership & Facilitation (20%)
• On-site leadership over a range of M2 initiatives to deliver excellent educational experiences and ensure quality control
• Serving as Program Lead and / or program facilitator and / or program faculty for select cohort and training programs
This requires traveling nationally and internationally up to 25 days per year (excluding organization-wide travel requirements, such as team retreats)

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
• A minimum of ten years of experience in managing organizational operations in growth oriented, mission driven organizations, including 5+ years of experience in leading, coaching and developing direct report staff
• Nuanced knowledge of the landscape of Jewish organizations and Jewish life in North America
• Masterful organizational and management skills, with a successful track record of overseeing programmatic initiatives with accuracy, timeliness, and an ability to effectively build organization and staff capacity
• Excellent project management skills, with an advantage to those familiar with Salesforce and Monday.com

WHAT M² OFFERS:

• Strong benefits package including generous paid time off policy plus Jewish and nationally observed holidays, professional development package, and additional perks
• An atmosphere that is guided by values, integrity, and passion
• A nimble, cutting edge and warm working environment
• A team of professionals seeking to learn, grow, share and effect real change
• As of 2023, our NY office is located in Brooklyn and practices a work environment in which staff can work from home on Wednesdays and Fridays

Start date: August 2023

To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume to jobs(at)ieje.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and will be accepted through May 28th. Due to high volume, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

M² is an Equal Opportunity employer. Personnel are chosen on the basis of ability without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, marital status or sexual orientation. We are committed to building a team that represents a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, experiences and skills.