Lavine Chair & Executive Director – Brandeis Jewish Studies Consortium

Lavine Chair & Executive Director – Brandeis Jewish Studies Consortium

Requirements

• Familiarity with Jewish communal issues and institutions.
• A PhD or relevant terminal degree. For an appointment on the tenure track (Associate or Full Professor), a scholarly record related to Jewish Studies. For appointment off the tenure stream (Professor of the Practice), a record of accomplishment in an area related to Jewish public activity and leadership.
• A minimum of 8 years of related work experience in administration or leadership in a higher education, a governmental, or a non-profit setting. Supervisory experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a public-facing resource to provide intellectual expertise on matters pertaining to Jewish Studies and the American Jewish Community.
• Lead the Jewish Studies Consortium in envisioning and implementing Jewish Studies related activities beyond what individual units plan or have the capacity to implement.
• Direct the Sarnat Center for the Study of Anti-Jewishness.
• Work with members of the Jewish Studies Consortium to set and coordinate priorities for the future of Jewish studies at Brandeis.
• Foster integration of the activities of the Jewish Studies Consortium with the undergraduate and graduate academic programs in Jewish Studies.
• Advise the Provost and other offices on matters related to Jewish studies.
• Supervise the directors of the five existing Jewish studies units: the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies/Steinhardt Social Research Institute; the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute for Jewish Women’s and Gender Studies; the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education; the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies; and the Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry.
• Supervise the director of the Consortium for the Teaching of Hebrew Language and Culture.
• Increase coordination and communication among each of the units that report to the Director, along with two degree-granting units (the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies Department and the Hornstein Program in Jewish Professional Leadership), to enhance their research, teaching, and overall impact.
• Teach courses related to Jewish Studies, as determined by departmental and programmatic needs.
• Define and advocate for the resources necessary to maintain and strengthen Jewish studies research, teaching, and service.
• Participate in fund-raising efforts in support of the Jewish Studies Consortium, individual units, and any related activities or initiatives.
• Coordinate with, and provide counsel to, other relevant offices at the University, including: the President’s office, Institutional Advancement, Admissions, Communications, Brandeis University Press, Hillel and the Chaplaincy, the Library, Pre-college Programs, and the Brandeis Osher Life-Long Learning Institute (BOLLI).
• Other duties as assigned by the Provost.

Preferred Qualifications

• A public intellectual or institutional leader OR scholar with an established international reputation for excellence in a sub-field of Jewish studies, who can articulate an innovative, pluralistic vision for the future of Jewish studies.
• A record of collaboration in complex organizations with faculty, staff, and students, OR in other non-profit or governmental organizations.
• A record of building productive relationships with stakeholders within and outside an institution, and a record of external visibility in the field of Jewish Studies.
• Ability to work on complex and often confidential matters in a collaborative manner.
• Proven success in securing and administering funding in the field of Jewish Studies.
• Ability to manage staff effectively.
• Ability to facilitate and lead meetings, both in-person and virtually.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.