Senior Director of Communications

Chaloner has partnered with the Shalom Hartman Institute on their search for a Senior Director of Communications.

The Shalom Hartman Institute of North America seeks a highly strategic and sophisticated Senior Director of Communications to shape, protect, and elevate the organization's public voice. As a premier center for Jewish thought and education, the Institute relies on nuanced, high-impact messaging to engage the public square. This Senior Director will execute communications strategies designed to support the narrative and oversee programmatic storytelling.


Working in close partnership with the creative/digital, marketing and communications, and development teams, the Senior Director of Communications will manage the Institute's public voice, communications channels, and organizational storytelling. This person will collaborate closely across departments to understand the full scope of the Institute's work, support each team in telling its story, and ensure that the ideas, programs, and scholarship emerging from both North America and Israel are communicated with clarity, nuance, and coherence.


The Senior Director will oversee a dedicated communications team of three, reports to the Vice President for Communication and Creative, and is based in our NY office in person four days per week.


Key Responsibilities

Storytelling Strategy & Narrative Oversight

• Working in partnership with the Vice President of Communications and Creative, set the high-level strategy and vision for all organizational storytelling platforms, including the website, social media channels, email ecosystems, etc.
• Serve as an editorial filter for the Institute's public-facing messaging, ensuring all messaging reflects Hartman's intellectual rigor, ideological commitments, and nuanced voice.
• Serve as a strategic partner to program, development, education, and Israel-based colleagues and build a deep understanding of the Institute's work across teams and geographies, including the intellectual, educational, and communal work emerging from Israel, and translate that work into clear, compelling narratives for North American audiences.

Media Relations & Public Voice

• Develop and execute a proactive media relations strategy to elevate the Institute's profile and amplify the work of our scholars and leadership.
• Leverage an existing, robust network of contacts across Jewish, secular, and specialized media to secure op-eds, interviews, and features.
• In partnership with the VP, execute rapid-response and crisis communications efforts, providing steady, pressure-tested guidance to executive leadership during complex communal or geopolitical moments.

Audience Growth

• Leverage digital and email platforms to support program teams and relational marketing in alignment with institutional priorities.
• Develop and execute a strategy for dynamic audience engagement, implementing strategies that predictably grow our reach and deepen connection with key cohorts.
• Oversee a team responsible for the day-to-day execution of these channels, ensuring their output is cohesive, impactful, and mission-aligned.
• Establish clear key performance indicators (KPIs) for the team to measure channel performance, utilizing audience insights and data analytics to continuously refine our digital footprint and distribution methods.

Brand Consistency and Collateral

• Build out and ensure consistent application of brand standards and institutional voice across materials and platforms, while developing clear brand guidelines that help different departments adapt the Institute's voice, look, and feel to their specific audiences and bodies of work.
• Oversee production and review of marketing collateral, including digital assets, email templates, program materials, educational resources, and new products, ensuring each reflects a high-quality, cohesive visual identity.
• Partner with creative and content teams to strengthen a cohesive, compelling brand presence.
• Provide strategic oversight of graphic design and the overall look and feel of educational content, resources, and emerging products, ensuring that design choices strengthen clarity, accessibility, and connection to the Institute's brand.

Team Leadership & Management

• Supervise, mentor, and develop a team of three communications professionals, fostering a culture of excellence, high-quality writing, and proactive thinking.
• Set clear priorities and strategies, manage team workflows, and ensure the communications department operates as a highly responsive, nimble, and strategic partner to the rest of the organization.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in marketing and communications, public relations, journalism, media relations, or executive communications.
• Exceptional editorial judgment and writing skills, with a demonstrated ability to edit complex, intellectual concepts into accessible, persuasive narratives.
• A pressure-tested professional who remains calm, strategic, responsive, and decisive in fast-paced or crisis situations.
• Ability to lead complex projects from idea to execution, while managing demands from multiple stakeholders.
• High emotional intelligence with a talent for relationship-building; comfortable navigating complex stakeholder dynamics and managing a team.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across teams, listen for the core story within different areas of work, and help colleagues communicate their impact in ways that advance the Institute's broader mission.
• Executive presence and the ability to confidently represent the Institute publicly.
• Mission-aligned and deeply familiar with Jewish communal life and landscape, Israel discourse, and the mission-driven non-profit landscape.

Compensation

• Salary range: $150,000 - $175,000, commensurate with experience.
• Comprehensive benefits package, including health coverage, retirement, and paid time off.

To apply:

Interested applicants should apply using the application form. Please include a resume and a cover letter. The cover letter should provide insight into your lived and worked experience in the Jewish communal space and the answer to the question: What sets you apart as the leader to successfully shape, protect, and elevate the organization's narrative as a premier center for Jewish thought and education? Chaloner will review all applicants and, upon qualification, contact you to determine next steps.

No phone calls please. We thank you for your interest in career opportunities with The Shalom Hartman Institute.


The Shalom Hartman Institute of North America is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.