Jewish Chaplain

Bucknell University seeks a vibrant, student-centered rabbi to serve as Jewish Chaplain who will inspire and guide the Jewish students, so that they will actively engage in the process of building and sustaining a vibrant, meaningful, and pluralistic Jewish campus community.

Bucknell invites candidates who are forward-thinking and committed to strengthening the Jewish community on campus (where approximately 7% of the student body self-identified as Jewish.).

Job Duties

Reporting Relationship:

• The position is part of a vibrant, Multi-Faith Chaplaincy, reports to the Director of Religious and Spiritual Life, and supervises a full-time Jewish Life Associate.

Work Setting/Schedule:

• On campus, student facing position.
• The position requires evening and weekend availability.

What You’ll Do

• Leadership and Programing: Oversees leadership of all Jewish services, activities, and holidays.
• Education and Student Leadership Development: Offers direct teaching on relevant and accessible Jewish learning as well as training and advising for student leadership of Bucknell Hillel (and other relevant student leaders).
• Public Representation and Community Engagement: Offers a visible public presence, in particular through campus ceremonies, vigils, committee memberships, training, and public speaking, with students at the center of the work, but regularly serving faculty, staff, alumni, parents and prospective students.
• Collaboration and Leadership: Collaborates on and leads Multi-Faith Initiatives with campus chaplains.
• Pastoral Care and Counseling: Provides high-quality pastoral care and counseling.
• Resource and Facility Management: Oversees a generous programmatic endowment as well as the Berelson Center for Jewish Life - a community space on campus that offers a comfortable home for Jewish Life and Learning, including a Kosher kitchen.
• Personnel Management and Supervision: Supervisory responsibility providing day to day guidance, setting clear performance expectations, conducting regular performance evaluations, one-on-one meetings, and fostering a collaborative and positive work environment.  
• Non Essential Functions: The job description's listed responsibilities and tasks are not exhaustive, additional non-essential tasks and responsibilities may be assigned as needed. 

What You’ll Bring to the Job

Required:

• Education: Masters Degree and Rabbinic Ordination OR pathway to graduation by July 1, 2026. 
• Professional Certification or License: Rabbinic Ordination (or pathway to ordination by July 1, 2026); 1 Unit of Clinical Pastoral Education.
• Knowledge Areas and Skills: Demonstrated ability to advise and mentor students; Strong knowledge of Judaism and Jewish life, and commitment to creating an inclusive, vibrant and pluralistic Jewish community; Experience working with young adults in an educational or inter-religious setting; Demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion; Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; Ability to cultivate and maintain strong relationships, and build consensus and support; Ability to effectively interface with a wide variety of constituents including students, faculty, staff, prospective students and alumni; Sensitivity to issues related to socioeconomic class, gender identity and expression, sexuality, race and ethnicity, privilege and power relationships, religious identity, and transitions to adulthood; A passion for engaging students through Jewish learning and religious practice and an ability to foster intellectual, spiritual and ethical curiosity and exploration.

Preferred, but not required:

• Professional Work Experience: Professional experience in Jewish Life in Higher Education; Student leadership applicable mentoring young adults via Jewish Programming, education, or experiential learning.
• Knowledge Areas and Skills: Budget management; Significant knowledge of special populations of college students; Demonstrated knowledge of and sensitivity to first generation, underrepresented, and marginalized student populations.

What Else Should You Know

• Bucknell Hillel - a centerpiece of Jewish Life - 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 Jewish student is inspired to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life and learning.
• We are open to hiring current Rabbinical Students with a Spring 2026 anticipated graduation timeline if schedules and availability permit.
• The Jewish Chaplain serves as a liaison between Jewish students and the larger University.

Physical Requirements:

• Office environment, no specific or unusual physical or environmental demands. 

What You’ll Receive

Salary Range:

• $70,000.00-$82,100.00. The offer rate will be based on a review of the candidate's credentials compared to the qualifications of the position, internal equity, and our overall compensation philosophy. This role is not budgeted for visa sponsorship at this time, all candidates must be authorized to work in the US at the time of submission of the application.

Benefits:

Eligible full- and part-time employees are compensated beyond base salary through our total rewards package that includes (but is not limited to):

• Flexible scheduling options determined by role; 
• Medical, prescription drug, vision, dental, life, and long-term disability insurance options
• An outstanding 10% employer contribution to your retirement plan (no contribution requirement for non-exempt positions)
• Generous paid time off, including vacation and sick time, a community service day, and 19 paid holidays (including two full weeks off for Winter Break!)
• Full-time and part-time members of the faculty and staff are eligible for tuition remission for themselves. Additionally, full-time members of the faculty and staff are eligible for tuition remission for their spouse/spousal equivalent and are eligible for various tuition programs for their children. Credit for full-time benefits eligible employment at other institutions of higher education will be applied to waiting periods.
• A comprehensive employee wellness program including program incentives
• A myriad of other benefits, including parental leave, an employee assistance program, fitness center membership, and the power of your Bucknell ID card 

To learn more about Bucknell's benefits, click here! (*Eligibility criteria and waiting periods may apply.)

About Hillel International

In 1923, Rabbi Benjamin Frankel started Hillel with humble means, a noble mission and a breathtaking vision: to convey Jewish civilization to a new generation. Today, Hillel International continues to enrich the lives of Jewish students and is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world at nearly 1,000 colleges and universities across North America and around the world. As Hillel evolves as an organization, the mission remains steadfast: to create lasting connections with every Jewish student that foster an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning, and Israel and train them to become the next Jewish leaders.

Hillel is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an accepting and inclusive environment for all.