Senior Director/Director of Special Projects

About the Shalom Hartman Institute

The Shalom Hartman Institute is a leading research and educational center serving Israel and World Jewry. We work to enrich the moral and spiritual life of Israel and the Jewish people, to deepen the commitment to pluralism and to Israel’s Jewish and democratic character, and to rebuild the covenant between Israel and the Jewish world.

Through our community of outstanding scholars and educators, the Institute is developing innovative responses to the challenges of our time, cultivating a new generation of leaders and change agents, and building transformational educational projects that are helping to inspire a better Judaism and a better Israel for the 21st century.

The Opportunity and Position

The Senior Director / Director of Special Projects is a new role responsible for taking initiatives from idea to working reality. This person will work closely with the President in managing key relationships and in building and launching a portfolio of innovative projects and partnerships that expand the Institute’s impact on Jewish leaders and communities across North America.

The initial portfolio may include intergroup work, initiatives at the intersection of antisemitism and liberal democracy, and liberal Zionist movement building and partnerships. This is an opportunity for an entrepreneurial leader who combines intellectual depth with a proven ability to get new things designed and executed.

The Senior Director / Director is based in our New York headquarters four days per week and reports directly to the President.

Key Responsibilities
Innovative Initiatives

Design, launch, and manage new initiatives that extend the Institute’s reach and impact, from concept and funding through implementation and evaluation. This includes leading and managing all stages of a project’s development, engaging key internal and external stakeholders, facilitating strategic planning sessions, creating documents/presentations for internal and external stakeholders, and ensuring the process moves forward effectively and efficiently. This also includes management and oversight of the implementation and day-to-day execution of the strategic project, as relevant.
Initial areas of focus may include:
Intergroup work: Build partnerships with faith, ethnic, civic, and educational leaders, and develop programs that apply Hartman’s approach to shared challenges, including antisemitism, polarization, and tensions around Israel.
Antisemitism and liberal democracy: Shape initiatives that help Jewish and civic leaders respond to antisemitism in ways that strengthen democratic norms, pluralism, and public trust.
Liberal Zionism and movement building: Advance a compelling liberal Zionist vision by cultivating aligned leaders and partners and building infrastructure for lasting communal impact.
Partner with the President on program innovation, tracking trends in American Jewish life, philanthropy, and Israel and Jewish identity to help the Institute respond with agility and integrity.
Serve as a thought partner to VPs, program directors, and development leadership as needed.
Qualifications
Required

Minimum 10 years of senior leadership experience in complex organizations, with demonstrated success in program strategy/design, program execution, entrepreneurial growth, and multi-functional management
Exceptional relational and communication skills — written, verbal, and presentational — with the ability to engage diverse audiences and manage inside organizations with diplomacy and savvy
Deep knowledge of and commitment to the major issues facing Israel and North American Jewish life, including the communal and political tensions of this moment
Experience working at the intersection of ideas and community engagement — whether in nonprofits, academia, policy, or Jewish communal organizations
Graduate degree or equivalent advanced training
Willingness and ability to travel: to Jerusalem potentially twice yearly (7–10 days each visit), domestic travel as needed
MA or equivalent preferred
Salary range and benefits:
The salary for this position is $140,000 - $180,000 annually, commensurate with experience. We offer a very competitive benefits package. SHI NA is an equal opportunity employer.