Torah Day School of Dallas, TX

Executive Director

Torah Day School of Dallas is a Jewish day school that brings children of all levels of observance together in a warm and caring environment that stresses excellence in Judaic and general studies. Located in Dallas, Texas – one of the fastest growing and most diverse Jewish communities in the country – TDSD has ~70 staff members and educates 400+ students from preschool through 8th grade (and is growing quickly). The large majority of students come from Torah-observant families, but the school includes families of all levels of observance.
TDSD’s mission is to provide Jewish children from all backgrounds and circumstances with a rigorous and progressive general studies curriculum and an exceptional Judaic curriculum. The school seeks to impart to each of them a positive Jewish identity, a lifelong passion for learning, and a love of and commitment to Torah and the Jewish people. TDSD’s positive and nurturing environment encourages moral and ethical behavior, personal achievement, and respect for individual differences.

Bringing the Vision to Life
Since its inception in 2003, TDSD has innovated to maximize the impact of its limited resources as a 501(c)3 nonprofit serving a niche population. For much of its history, TDSD operated on a shoestring budget and faced various financial perils that necessitated a lean approach to staffing. However, with a robust stabilization effort over the past several years, the school has begun to operate on a budget surplus and is in a position to focus on improving its strategic position and fostering operational evolution and excellence.
The school’s day-to-day administrative team currently includes the Head of School (also Head of Jewish Studies), Principal (also Head of General Studies), Director of Development, Preschool Director, academic coordinators, and several support staff who execute on various facets of business and educational operations. These operational activities presently lack centralized ownership or a leader focused on ensuring they are informed by and contributing to educational needs. (TDSD’s previous CFO/COO relocated away from the area but continues to advise the school as needed and will be available to assist in onboarding activities and knowledge transfer.) TDSD is actively looking to strengthen its professional team and it is expected that operational support staff will be hired and/or reorganized as needs and solutions are identified.
TDSD is undergoing a massive transformation, with enrollment and the rate of enrollment growth increasing annually. The school is beyond capacity in its physical space and expects to undertake a capital campaign in support of a new building or campus during the coming years. Building out the right operating team will be crucial to the school’s success in thriving through this transformation.

The Executive Director Role
Torah Day School of Dallas is looking for an experienced and dynamic Executive Director who will welcome the challenge of bringing a new level of rigor and professionalism to the school’s business and educational operations. This leader will evaluate, supervise, and support the school’s finance, business operations, security, IT, HR, and admissions functions and partner closely with the Director of Development and academic administrators and coordinators. Reporting to the Head of School and Board of Trustees, the Executive Director will draw on leadership/educational best practices and a robust body of past experience to:

Responsibilities

● Actively participate in cross-functional meetings of educational administrators and coordinators, internalize and synthesize priorities and operational needs across departments, and ensure operational execution against educational priorities with direction from the Head of School, Principal, and Preschool Director.
● Lead the business office, proactively identifying tactical and strategic needs and ensuring adequate staff or outsourced support across all business functions
● Oversee the physical and logistical operations of the entire school to ensure the building is running and maintained efficiently and in a manner that fosters educational excellence
● Identify functional and leadership staffing opportunities within the business office and administrative/educational teams that may be enhance the school’s mission execution
● Oversee the Finance Department and ensure appropriate staff is in place and best practices implemented around revenue, expenditures, and cash flow management
● Oversee preparation of and adherence to the annual budget and all expenditures, project enrollment growth, ensure proper record keeping, distribute budget-to-actuals reports to department heads to inform outstanding spending capacity, and authorize timely payments of bills and fulfillment of other contractual obligations
● Partner with the Finance Committee and Tuition Assistance Committee to oversee the scholarship award process and tuition collections activities
● Assess vendors and third-party relationships as needed, including oversight of in-house vs. outsource decisions and oversight and execution of RFPs
● Partner with the Director of Development on enablement of fundraising activities as needed

● Manage Human Resources and benefits activities, including oversight of new-hire onboarding and exit/termination activities, administration of benefits/403(b), etc.
● Create and update internal policies when necessary
● Cultivate a positive rapport with parents around tuition payments and finances

Personal Qualities

● Unimpeachable character, conduct, and reputation
● A high degree of cultural and interpersonal sensitivity
● Impeccable and adaptable verbal and written communication
● Strong self-discipline and follow-through on projects
● Respect and appreciation for Jewish values and comfort working in a culture that models them pervasively
● Able to exhibit enthusiasm and excitement for TDSD’s educational mission

Professional Experience

● 5+ years overseeing operations in organizations with $4+ MM budgets (non-profit and/or school experience preferred)
● Hiring, mentoring, and promoting professional staff
● Involvement in prior organizational transformations is a plus
● Project management and technical skills :

Apply to: Steven Rosson, VP, Board of Trustees, ed-search@tdsd.org

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