Registrar

About Hebrew Union College

Founded in 1875, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is North America's leading institution of higher Jewish education and the academic, spiritual, and professional leadership development center of Reform Judaism.

HUC-JIR educates leaders for service to American and world Jewry as rabbis, cantors, experts in Jewish education, and Jewish nonprofit management professionals, and offers graduate degree programs to scholars and clergy of all faiths. With centers of learning in Cincinnati, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and New York, HUC-JIR's scholarly resources comprise renowned library, archive, and museum collections, biblical archaeology excavations, and academic publications.

HUC Mission

Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) is North America's premier institution of Jewish higher education and the center for professional leadership development of Reform Judaism. A multi-campus academic and spiritual learning community, HUC-JIR builds vibrant progressive Judaism in North America, Israel and around the globe by:

• Studying the great issues of Jewish life, history and thought with an open, egalitarian, inclusive and pluralistic spirit;
   
• Educating innovative, visionary clergy and professionals who embody the sustaining values, responsibilities, practices and texts of Jewish tradition to inspire future generations; and
   
• Advancing the critical study of Judaism and Jewish culture in accordance with the highest standards of modern academic scholarship.
   

Position Summary
 

The preference is for a Registrar based on or adjacent to the New York or Los Angeles campus, with the possibility of some hybrid work as arranged with the provost. Select remote candidates will be considered.
 

The Registrar's Office at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) manages all of the essential processes for academic programs offered on four campuses (Cincinnati, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and New York) and online.  
 

HUC-JIR seeks a registrar who will serve as a primary hub of the institutional wheel for academic and administrative improvement, someone who will be an adviser at the table, striving to bring about efficiencies and clarity in policies and practices, as well as consistency in their application. The Registrar’s office should be a combination police station and service station: an officer of the College who knows how to listen or find a problem and use the tools available to improve the problem. 
 

The Registrar's Office staff works collaboratively and creatively and communicates regularly with each other and those in other offices to develop efficient procedures and operations, examining the needs of the College-Institute in light of professional standards and institutional priorities which differ by program and campus. The successful candidate will provide executive leadership and manage the commonalities and occasionally competing requirements of several state governments, and of students, faculty, and staff operating simultaneously from the four campuses and remotely from other locations. Occasional travel to the campuses may be required and useful, along with professional training and networking. 
 

Responsibilities include: contributing to HUC-JIR's strategic initiatives; creating a professional and collegial working environment; establishing and adhering to a realistic and forward-looking annual budget; working with academic leadership to develop academic policies and enforce faculty and administration academic policies; helping to create and maintain academic, planning, and important-dates calendars; creating and managing student records; maintaining academic catalogs and handbooks; timely communication with programs, faculty, and administration in developing the course-offerings list; registration; collecting and distributing grades; providing transcripts; and developing processes in support of institutional records retention and memory. The registrar must serve as and keep up with the requirements as PDSO for SEVP and international-student services and the SCO in three states for students with VA benefits. 
 

At HUC-JIR, the registrar is the supervisor of the associate registrar and works collaboratively with the institutional assessment specialist and those with responsibilities for institutional research, reporting, and compliance. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The essential functions include but are not limited to the following: 
 

1. Oversee confidential development, compilation, maintenance, protection, and appropriate disposal of student records and related course information. 

2. Contribute to the onboarding, training, and tracking of new students as pertains to academic policies and procedures. 

3. Develop processes to regularly enforce and improve HUC-JIR policies and procedures, especially as represented in official catalogs/handbooks. 

4. Develop an annual office budget and ensure meeting those financial targets. Helping to create and maintain planning, academic, and important-dates calendars informed by provost, school and program directors, and deans from the four campuses. 

5. Collaborate in identifying improved software processes, including more robust reporting and a web-based, interactive system supporting automated degree audits. 

6. As a member of the Academic Advisory Council, keep up to date on academic programs and requirements and provide insight for academic leaders regarding advising, registration, and retention issues. 

7. Monitor and maintain HUC-JIR's compliance with applicable regulations and accreditation standards related to academic degree requirements, programs, course credits, academic calendars, student records, and confidentiality. 

8. Edit documents with updated course descriptions, faculty listings, and policies and contribute to a standard style guide for the entire institution. 

9. Contribute to development of an institution-wide records-management program. 

10. Contribute to development of a data-governance program. 

11. Communicate and work closely with other offices and administrators (admissions, student billing, financial aid, student support, information technology) to ensure timely, consistent, and confidential delivery and improved services to students, faculty, staff, and external constituencies. 

12. Supervise the associate registrar. 

13. Meet regularly with the provost. 

14. Maintain PDSO training and oversight of SEVIS responsibilities for international students. 

15. Maintain SCO training and oversight of VA responsibilities for students with VA benefits. 

16. Perform other duties as assigned. 

HUC Employee Benefits

Hebrew Union College recognizes employees as one of the most valuable assets to the success of the college. That is why we make it our highest priority to offer a competitive benefits package. Some of those benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Medical, Dental, Vision
   
• Life Insurance, Long Term Disability
   
• Retirement Savings Plan -403b
   
• Paid National and Jewish Holidays
   
• Paid Vacation and Sick Days
   
• Paid Parental Leave
   
• Tuition Remission Benefits
   
• Employee Assistance Program

Education
 

• Bachelor's degree required; graduate or advanced degree preferred.  

• Professional development courses preferred, including AACRAO's Registrar 101, FERPA workshops, and institutional research and software. Depending on budget, HUC-JIR may contribute financially to such training. 
   

Experience
 

• Five years of progressively more advanced registrar responsibilities and other familiarity with higher-education practices and services. 
   

Personal Approach
 

• Collaborative and creative. 

• Team-oriented. 

• Strategic in planning and meeting College-Institute and office priorities and initiatives. 

• Willing to consider different ideas or solutions when developing or revising procedures and policies. 

• Skilled at managing change. 
   

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Familiarity with professional ethics, standards, and practices. 

• Committed to friendly, informative relationships with an eye to developing community-sensitive and consensus-building procedures. 

• Strong positive, professional, and collaborative interpersonal communication habits. 

• Knowledge of basic software principles and reporting strategies a plus. 

• Experienced in quantitative skills, preferably at an intermediate level. 

• Knowledge of Hebrew beneficial but not expected or required.
   

Technology
 

• Excellent skills in Microsoft Office software including especially including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. 

• Use of collaborative tools like Zoom, MS Teams, SharePoint, and Google Docs or Sheets.

• Ability to learn and use new technology solutions. 
   

Supervisory Requirements
 

• Ability to organize, plan, and prioritize work by developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and communicate expectations to employees.  

• Ability to provide active guidance and direction to registrar employees, including setting performance standards, motivating employees, addressing conflict, and monitoring performance.  

• Ability to develop and build a functional team working toward the office and institutional goals. 

• Ability to coach and mentor others by identifying developmental needs, providing direction, and assisting employees in advancing their skills. 
   

Core Values
 

Employees are expected to model the Core Values of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, including  

• honesty and integrity; 

• kindness and decency;  

• openness and transparency;  

• responsible empowerment;  

• trust and security; and  

• supporting efforts to improve diversity and inclusion. 
   

Work Environment and Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. 

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. To perform this job successfully, the incumbents will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” relationship. 

HUC-JIR prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to the Title IX Coordinator.