Steele Recruiting, LLC is an executive Administrative Assistant Retained Search firm located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, specializing in Executive Administrative Assistant, Chiefs of Staff, and Personal Assistant placements for C-Suite and Senior Leadership Executives across the United States. With over 20 years in recruitment, we have a solid reputation for quality placements, professionalism, and maintaining confidentiality for every client and candidate.

We are partnering with our trusted nonprofit client Temple Israel, located in the beautiful Uptown community in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for a Senior Executive Assistant to the Senior Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman and additionally two Associate Rabbis.

Temple Israel is an urban congregation dedicated to serving a diverse community. Temple Israel was the first synagogue established in Minneapolis and is now one of the ten largest congregations in the United States. Temple Israel, the largest and oldest Reform Jewish congregation in Minneapolis, is at the heart of a vibrant, community-oriented environment.

The Senior Executive Assistant for the Senior Rabbi of Temple Israel will be pivotal in providing high-level personal and administrative right-hand support to the Senior Rabbi of a 6,000-member congregation. This role will be the right-hand trusted support of the Senior Rabbi, a high-profile influential individual, and a pillar in the Minneapolis community for over 38 years—additionally, light support to the 2 person clergy team.

Key Responsibilities:

The Senior Executive Assistant provides multilevel support to the Senior Rabbi – a consummate professional who possesses integrity, sound judgment, tact, discretion, attention to detail, and the ability to build and maintain relationships with colleagues, community leaders, donors, and other stakeholders.

What makes this opportunity unique?

Temple Israel is an organization where teamwork and mutual support create a positive impact on the community and the lives they touch. Their team consists of kind, caring, and dedicated individuals who trust and value one another, fostering a happy and collaborative work environment.

In this role, you will maximize the efficiency of the Rabbi’s time to enable her to serve the 6,000 member congregation. Additionally, manage the calendars of the 2 Rabbis at Temple.

You will interact with individuals seeking assistance or guidance, becoming a vital point of connection for their community to the Senior Rabbi. Your work will have true meaning concerning follow-up and connectivity to the congregation with needs.

If you're a lifelong learner with an interest in religion, you’ll have the opportunity to deepen your knowledge and appreciation for the meaningful work of Temple Israel and the profound impact they have on our community.

You will work with a team that supports each other and works together to make a difference in people’s lives. The team is kind, caring, trust-based, happy, and wants to be there!

Temple Israel is a welcoming community that embraces diversity and fosters mutual respect for all. Inspired by Jewish wisdom. Navigating and improving our ever-changing world.

Essential Functions:

• Serve as a primary point of contact for the Rabbinic Office, triaging requests and following up in a timely manner to ensure a high level of customer service and directing requests as needed to other areas within the organization.
• Develop systems and processes to effectively manage competing demands on clergy time, collect essential data, and make use of CRM (Salesforce) to better support clergy work and organizational record-keeping.
• Create systems to anticipate and accommodate the quickly changing demands on clergy while maintaining effective internal leadership and optimize cross-departmental functions. • Assist Rabbinic Team with management of special projects, managing priorities, and following up on key tasks.

Core Competencies:

• Outstanding written and oral communication skills. Must be equally comfortable on the phone as in person, interacting with internal and external constituencies, high-profile community leaders, members of the congregation, and the general public.

• Must be comfortable communicating professionally by phone, email, and in person, including confirming appointments by phone. Provide a warm and welcoming experience for congregants, visitors, and stakeholders when interacting in person, over the phone, or via email.

• Demonstrated expert ability to manage the complex, ever-changing calendar of a very busy executive, with high attention to detail, preparation, and time management to ensure maximum efficiency.

• Expert meeting and travel arrangement experience, including door-to-door itineraries, domestic flights, cars, and restaurants, focusing on details and accuracy of information to effortlessly maximize the executive daily calendar.

• Exceptional judgment, discretion, problem-solving skills, and ability to handle sensitive information and make appropriate decisions.

• Intuitive ability to juggle competing priorities. Understands when to take initiative, be resourceful to find answers, and know when to seek guidance.

• Advanced proficiency with MS Office Suite. Phone apps, Basic proficiency with Salesforce or other CRM database desired.

• Must be equally comfortable with complex project management, and partnering with another administrative team.

• High attention to detail accuracy and proofreading skills.

• Comfortable working in and respectful of the synagogue environment, including its culture and values.

• Comfortable with basic data entry for accurate record keeping of sensitive confidential information.

• Anticipate and address potential issues before they arise.

• Meeting preparation, including research and hospitality,

Qualifications

5+ years of progressive Executive Assistant experience supporting Senior level Executives, Executive Directors, or similar

• Exceptional judgment, discretion, problem-solving skills, and ability to handle sensitive information.

• Strong analytical and organizational skills with high attention to detail and accuracy

• Outstanding written and oral communication skills. Must be equally comfortable on the phone as in person.

• Demonstrated ability to manage complex meeting and travel arrangements.

• Intuitive ability to juggle competing priorities. Understands when to take initiative and when to ask for guidance. •

• Proven ability to work independently, proactively, and creatively while exercising sound judgment and discretion on confidential matters

• Must be equally comfortable with complex project management as with basic data entry or setting up snacks and coffee for a meeting

• Ability to work under pressure at times to handle a wide variety of activities with shifting priorities, making wise decisions, sometimes under pressure

• Advanced proficiency with MS Office Suite and Google Workspace. Basic proficiency with Salesforce or other CRM databases strongly desired, or willingness to learn quickly with hands-on training. Basic knowledge of CRM, such as Salesforce, is preferred.

• An appreciation of the Jewish faith. You do not need to be of the Jewish faith to apply for this role. The team is diverse, with approximately 50% Christian and 50% Jewish members, reflecting an inclusive and welcoming organizational culture.

Benefits

• Medical Insurance

• Dental Insurance

• Health Savings Account (HSA)

• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

• Life and AD&D Insurance (Employer-provided)

• Voluntary Life and AD&D Insurance

• 403(b) Retirement Plan, with a 4% match

• Very Generous vacation and sick time

• 3 personal days

• 16 paid holidays

• This is an in-office position, with some flexibility as needed, typical office hours M-F with the flexibility to attend occasional meetings and events as needed after-hours

• 75% tuition reduction at Temple Israel onsite early childhood preschool, and external camp programs