Director of Community Engagement

Hillels of Westchester 

Role Overview

Hillels of Westchester (HOW) seeks a welcoming, innovative, passionate, detail-oriented, self-starting Jewish community-builder who believes in changing the Jewish future.  The Director of Community Engagement (DCE) will be responsible for: building relationships with students, faculty, staff and administrators at colleges and universities in Westchester; creating high-quality and exciting events around campus, and; advancing efforts to combat antisemitism and improve campus climate through education and allyship.

The Director of Community Engagement should have two key areas of skills/experience:

Relentless relationship builder - ability to connect with anyone and understand the next steps that deepen relationships to inspire, engage others, and encourage leadership.

Strategic communicator-educator - experience, confidence, and organization skills to initiate and facilitate trainings and programs, comfort in asking and responding to challenging questions, and seeking to continuously improve practices.

What You’ll Do

Engagement/Relationship Builder

• Develop key relationships and collaborations with campus professionals and student organizations.
• Secure and conduct a high volume of individual and group meetings with students, staff, faculty and administrators to build relationships, connect students to Hillel/Jewish life in Westchester, and identify/develop opportunities to improve campus climate.
• Manage outreach strategy, track and evaluate progress.
• Initiate, plan and implement innovative initiatives in collaboration with partners to engage new students and serve unmet student needs and interests.

Program Leadership, Education and Support

• Facilitate educational curriculum developed by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and Hillel International to campus stakeholders including administration, staff, faculty and students.
• Manage campus-wide programs and collaborations with campus partners (i.e., student life offices, clubs, diversity professionals, departments and faculty).
• Partner with the HOW team to enhance Jewish connectivity among students and promote specific events and activities.
• Participate fully in the shared work of Hillel including: Shabbat, holiday or community events, staff meetings, and other duties as assigned.
• As a core operating value, the Director of Community Engagement must have contagious and authentic Jewish passion as they serve as a role model and guide for our students on their Jewish journeys.
  

What You’ve Accomplished

• Bachelor's Degree, Master’s Degree preferred
• 3+ years professional experience
• Demonstrated ability as an effective relationship builder and educator
• Experience in nonprofit leadership, Jewish experiential education or higher education a plus

What You’ll Bring to the Job

• An entrepreneurial spirit - you understand that even when things don’t go according to plan, ambiguity is part of developing great new opportunities, and you learn from past experience.
• Strong communication skills; effective at communicating with a variety of stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to learn quickly, create effective systems/processes, juggle multiple tasks, and adhere to deadlines in a lively, fast-paced work environment.
• A commitment to pluralism and comfort with different identities – Jewish and non-Jewish.
• An understanding that Hillel professionals work non-traditional hours in an exciting environment that cares for employee wellness and satisfaction.
• Contagious and authentic Jewish passion. 

What You’ll Receive

• Salary starts at $60,000 - depending on experience.
• Professional development and conferences, including New Professionals Institute (August 2023) and the Hillel International Global Assembly annual, movement-wide gathering (December 2023).
• A comprehensive benefits package including: health insurance reimbursement, dental and vision insurance, retirement plan, Life, AD&D and Long-Term Disability (LTD) insurances, FSA, generous vacation/sick time, and parental leave.
• Hybrid work schedule available.
• Work with a diverse, dynamic team.
• The opportunity to work minutes from New York City in one of the largest Jewish communities in the world.
• Connection and integration with a robust network of Jewish communal professionals and opportunities to attend diverse community events and initiatives.
• Great professional development, mentoring, and skill building opportunities.
• Your fill of free coffee, potential opportunities to staff Israel and other immersive trips, and meaningful and impactful fulfillment.

About Hillels of Westchester

Hillels of Westchester is the only Jewish organization directly impacting college students in Westchester and the convener of outside Jewish and Israel organizations who also serve college students. We strive to engage Jewish young adults from diverse backgrounds.  We provide entries into Jewish life individually, focusing on the personal growth of every student.

HOW adopts the Mission and Vision of Hillel International: enriching the lives of Jewish students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world.  We envision a world where every student is inspired to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel.

HOW is affiliated with Hillel International.