Assistant Director At Syracuse Hillel

 Role Overview

Join Syracuse Hillel as the Assistant Director to enrich the lives of students and shape the future of Jewish life at Syracuse University. You will collaborate with other staff as we advance Syracuse Hillel's goals to support Jewish students on campus. You'll be a strong leader who can align the team around a strategic student engagement and programmatic vision, marshal resources effectively to meet student needs, and continue to build upon the organization's reputation of transforming Jewish campus life. You'll motivate student leaders to hone their best skills and share their authentic selves to build community for their peers, provide supervision and support for the program staff team, and manage a student leadership pipeline to ensure success for both current and future programs. Through this work, you will increase the level of involvement and commitment of students in all aspects of Jewish life on campus.

You'll use your magnetic personality to inspire students to make Judaism integral to their life choices and expressed Jewish values. Syracuse students are highly social and have a drive for personal excellence. They enjoy school sports (especially basketball and football), are involved leaders in many areas on campus including clubs, Greek organizations, and academic programs, and are consistently building career-focused skills. Our students truly bleed orange and are awesome (we're genuinely wowed by them daily).

What You'll Do

• Students:
  • With the Executive Director and team, own the envisioning and design process for the multi-year engagement plan. Help the team execute the  plan to connect more than 70% of Jewish students at Syracuse to Hillel's mission, advancing and stewarding our strategy of creating
  • Mentor 60+ student leaders as they contribute to Hillel and the campus community in new, creative ways. Recruit, supervise, and lead the student internship team and student board.
  • Build relationships with students per year from diverse backgrounds through meaningful conversations and create connections to opportunities in Jewish life on campus.
  • Collaborate with the Campus Rabbi to develop and support vibrant Jewish experiences in alignment with the campus' Jewish educational vision, as well as provide support and care for students, faculty, and staff.
  • Identify the needs of different segments of the Jewish community on campus that are underserved and develop strategies for meeting these needs with proven community organizing and engagement methods.
  • Support immersive experiences by teaching Jewish education classes and staffing Birthright Israel trips as needed.
• Staff:
  • Facilitate staff involvement in full-team efforts (i.e., FreshFest, Family Weekend, major holidays in coordination with the Campus Rabbi) and oversee the program calendar.
  • Be part of a team of professionals dedicated to creating an excellent Hillel to provide for the needs of Syracuse University's 2,500 Jewish students.
• Administration:
• • Manage all information flow within the organization to keep the team on the same page including marketing, social media, programming, and the calendar.
  • Oversee the program budget, distribute funds, account for costs, and pursue grant opportunities.
  • Oversee the collection and analysis of engagement data in partnership with Hillel International.
  • Interface with parents, alumni, university professionals, board members, and other stakeholders as appropriate.

What You've Accomplished

• 4+ years of professional work experience.
• Experience with supervising interns and early career professionals is a plus.
• Experience in community organizing, Hillel, youth movements, camping, or experiential Jewish education is a plus.
• Proven success in community building, outreach, and leadership development.
• Previous experience in program visioning and implementation.

What You'll Bring to the Job

• Keen organizational and management skills that will continue to unify the team.
• Familiarity with higher education and campus settings.
• A passion for working with emerging adults and investing in their growth as Jewish leaders, a commitment to pluralism, and a belief in the potential of every college student to grow as a leader and as a person.
• An awareness of your unique Jewish knowledge and experiences and ability to serve as a role model inspire others to be on a Jewish journey.
• Expertise in leading complex conversations about Judaism and Israel in a way that is approachable and meets students at various points in their personal Jewish journeys.
• A commitment to creating an inclusive, vibrant, and pluralistic Jewish community.
• A strong entrepreneurial spirit and approach oriented towards creative problem-solving, proactive communication, and collaboration.
• Confidence initiating and running programs, and comfort asking questions.
• Ability to collaborate across teams both inside and outside of Hillel.
• Demonstrated ability to think and act strategically to reach goals, including proactive planning and attention to deadlines.

What You'll Receive

• Competitive salary in the non-profit marketplace. The salary range for this role is $70,000 - $80,000.
• A comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, retirement plan, Life, AD&D, and Long Term Disability (LTD) insurances, Flexible Spending accounts, generous vacation/sick time, and parental leave.
• Great professional development, mentoring, and skill-building opportunities.
• Travel regionally and abroad, particularly to Israel as relevant.

About Syracuse Hillel

Syracuse Hillel empowers students to become the next generation of Jewish leaders as they nurture and strengthen their Jewish identity, connection to the Jewish people, and the State of Israel.  Hillel cultivates the potential within students to live a meaningful and productive life guided by Jewish values and wisdom. Syracuse Hillel has gone through unprecedented growth over the past several years. The partnerships with Syracuse University stem from the highest levels of support from the Chancellor, Dean of Hendricks Chapel, and administration to ensure Hillel's success. Syracuse Hillel also benefits from strong partnership with the Jewish Federation of Central New York and with Hillel International, who provides resources and leadership to help Syracuse Hillel achieve excellence. Syracuse Hillel engages between 40-50% of the 2,500 Jewish undergraduate students at Syracuse University. As the Assistant Director, you will strengthen Hillel's ability to meet the needs of Jewish students and create vibrant Jewish life on campus. You'll also join a stellar team of energized staff who focus on excellence, collaboration, professional development, and a thirst for knowledge.

Syracuse has an accessible and engaged Jewish community which supports a Jewish day school, JCC, Jewish Home, Reform temple, two Conservative synagogues, and an Orthodox synagogue. There is kosher food sold at multiple supermarkets.

Syracuse experiences all four seasons and there may be snow on the ground any time between November and May. Fall is filled with beautiful trees, apple picking, and crisp nature walks. Winter is skiing, snowboarding, and other outdoor winter sports. Spring time is farmer's markets, blooming flowers, and hikes. Summer is lakes, waterfalls, and festivals (including the NYS Fair!). These are just some of the benefits of living in the gorgeous Finger Lakes region.

Syracuse Hillel is affiliated with Hillel International. Hillel International enriches the lives of Jewish students so they may enrich the Jewish people and the world, and envisions a world where every student is inspired to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel.