Executive Assistant to the Cantors

Job Description

Job Description

Executive Assistant to the Cantors

 

Westchester Reform Temple [WRT] is an established house of worship located in Scarsdale, New York, serving over 1,000 member households. WRT provides a wide variety of activities through regular worship services, special holiday celebrations and events, life-cycle events, after-school classes, preschool classes, adult education opportunities, holiday events and programs, and many volunteer-led cohorts including related activities.

 

WRT seeks an experienced, highly organized, proactive, and people-centered professional to serve as Executive Assistant to the Cantors. This role provides high-level administrative and logistical support to the Senior Cantor and cantorial team and oversees the coordination of WRT’s music program and worship logistics. In this highly visible position, you will manage scheduling, correspondence, and day-to-day support for the Cantors while also coordinating guest artists, musicians, choir operations, and the many moving pieces behind weekly worship and High Holiday services.

 

Success in this role requires strong project management skills, exceptional attention to detail, and the ability to anticipate needs and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. Comfort communicating with musicians, artists, and other creative professionals, along with a basic knowledge of Jewish traditions and synagogue life, will help you thrive here. Above all, this role is for someone who takes pride in supporting clergy, congregants, and staff with professionalism and care, and who wants to contribute to the sacred work of the WRT community.

 

Key responsibilities for this role include:

 

Music Program

● Oversee logistics of guest artists, concerts, recording projects & special programs

o Manage contracts, invoices and reimbursement requests

o Book travel and lodging for guests

o Schedule spaces for rehearsals and performances, coordinate catering, and manage other related details 

o Organize and distribute music folders to musicians

● Choir

o Maintain lists of participants 

o Copy music and create binders for choir members

o Maintain schedule of rehearsals, performances, and accompanists and book temple spaces as needed, adding all to internal calendar

o Book accompanists as needed, and manage their invoices

o Liaise with choir director around choir schedule, music preparation, and rehearsal needs

● Create and maintain a digital library of music, service outlines, and other materials for worship and programming 

● Work with A/V manager to schedule piano tunings and manage those invoices

 

Coordination of Worship Logistics

● Create calendar for all worship services and invite appropriate clergy, musicians, and A/V staff

● Musicians

o Maintain spreadsheet of musician schedules for all services (Shabbat, High Holidays, festivals, and B'nei Mitzvah)

o Maintain payroll spreadsheet of musicians and submit invoices to Payroll Manager weekly

o As requested by cantors, book musicians for services

o As requested by cantors, send service cue sheets and music to musicians

o Send regular reminders to musicians of upcoming bookings

o Manage payroll onboarding for new musicians with Payroll Manager 

o Book additional musicians for B’nei Mitzvah services upon request from families, and assure payment of invoices by families

● Book ASL Interpretation providers upon request, and manage their invoices

● Slides for worship

o Send weekly service cue sheet to graphic designer for service slides

o Collect song lyrics and texts for slides and send to graphic designer

● Music Licensing - log all music used for services in J License portal each week

● High Holidays

o Coordinate scheduling of rehearsals, including space and catering needs

o Maintain spreadsheet of all High Holidays musician bookings

o Oversee High Holiday payroll

o Assist with High Holiday honors assignments as needed

o Coordinate travel and lodging needs for musicians and clergy interns

o Manage receipts for travel reimbursements from musicians and clergy interns

o Assemble texts for slides and send to graphic designer

o Assemble and send music and cue sheets to musicians

o Digitize High Holiday music library and organize shared folders of music and cue sheets for each service

 

General Support

● Manage all scheduling and appointment requests for Cantors 

● Schedule clergy coverage for ECC sanctuary time, holidays and special programs

● Create and maintain spreadsheets of participants in all programs led by Cantors

● Manage group correspondence and reminder emails for all programs led by Cantors, and answer questions from program participants

● Schedule large group meetings and rehearsals and add to the internal calendar

● Schedule regular meetings between Senior Cantor and employees she supervises

● Collect and manage miscellaneous invoices

● Collect and submit travel reimbursement receipts from cantorial intern(s)

● Monitor and update the Music and Cantor’s program pages of the website regularly

● Coordinate with A/V staff to upload to the website musical recordings regularly 

● Prepare materials for life cycle events (unveilings, baby namings, wedding notes, etc.)

● Provide backup to the reception team for phones from 4:00-6:00 PM Tuesdays through Fridays or when other members of the administrative team are absent.

● Attend monthly calendar meetings, take notes, update the Cantors’ calendars, monitor and resolve inconsistencies between the Internal Master and Cantors’calendars.

● Assist with any other WRT-related tasks that the Cantors request assistance with.

 

 

The ideal applicant for this position will demonstrate the following qualifications:

● 5+ years of administrative experience, including an Executive Assistant role.

● Strong project management skills.

● Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, handling customer dissatisfaction calmly and effectively.

● Highly accurate, organized and detail oriented, able to anticipate needs and challenges and take initiative to resolve them.

● Comfort in a fast-paced environment, while remaining composed and responsive

● Basic knowledge of Jewish traditions, holidays, and synagogue life

● Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Workspace (Constant Contact and Salesforce a plus)

● Some knowledge of music or musical programming is a plus

● Some knowledge of Hebrew is a plus, but not required

 

The salary range for this role is $38.46 - $40.87 per hour, which at 40 hours per week comes to $80,000-$85,000 per year, depending on credentials, relevant experience, and skills. This is a full-time, non-exempt position, with in-office hours: Mondays 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and Tuesdays – Fridays: 8:45 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

 

WRT believes that all applicants should be considered fairly for job opportunities. We are most interested in finding the best candidate and recognize that strong candidates may come from a less traditional background. We encourage you to apply if you feel you are poised to excel at leading this important work with us. WRT abides by all applicable federal, state and local laws which prohibit discrimination on the basis of any protected characteristic as established by law.

 

To apply, provide a cover letter and resume to: Jobs-at-wrtemple.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the search will remain open until a candidate is hired.