Director of Jewish Student Life 

Wisconsin Hillel  

Role Overview 

University of Wisconsin - Madison Hillel is seeking a dynamic, engaging, and innovative professional who is a natural networker with an entrepreneurial spirit and strong leadership skills to join our staff as the Director of Jewish Student Life. The Director of Jewish Student Life will work in collaboration with our team to create engagement and leadership opportunities for our student community.  

We are seeking a staff member with a strong talent for coordinating and integrating the many moving parts of Wisconsin Hillel’s engagements and programming to ensure the effective flow and function of our staff and student-leaders. The Director of Jewish Student Life will work collaboratively with our professional team and student-leaders to pursue Wisconsin Hillel's mission to connect Jewish students to each other and to their Judaism, to inspire and equip the next generation of Jewish leaders, and to build a thriving Jewish community on campus.  

Job responsibilities 

As our Director of Jewish Student Life, you will lead the charge in creating and implementing a comprehensive engagement and programming strategy to reach the estimated 4,200 Jewish students on campus. You will think strategically about making connections with Jewish students by way of intentional conversations and creative experiences both big and small, as well as inspire staff and student-leaders to think about who is not in the room. 

The Director of Jewish Student Life will need to think creatively and innovate on prior years of successful engagement and programming. They will be responsible for thinking about engagement for incoming students, welcoming prospective students to campus and continuing to engage our highly engaged students. They will work closely with student-leaders and staff to envision, craft and support high-impact, innovative programming. Manage and implement ongoing signature programs including our Community Leadership and Involvement Team, Welcome Week, Civic Engagement, Frozen Meal program, as well as Holiday, Shabbat, and Israel events. 

What You're Great At   

• You understand that Hachnasat Orchim is not just about welcoming the stranger but is also about creating an environment of radical hospitality and inclusion.  
• You have the ability to develop one-on-one relationships with Jewish students by meeting them where they live, work and/or study, utilizing creative methods to reach and connect them to Wisconsin Hillel and each other.  
• You envision new ways for Wisconsin Hillel to engage Jewish students. 
• You can manage projects with many moving parts, set timelines and adhere to deadlines. You also can process plenty of data and oversee engagement and database tracking of students’ participation and engagement, including evaluating overall impact. 
• You motivate your fellow staff members and student leaders to think outside the box in terms of reaching new Jewish students on campus. 
• You can identify the needs of different segments of the Jewish community on campus who are underserved and develop strategies for meeting their needs with proven community organizing and engagement methods. 

As the Director of Jewish Student Life, a typical day may include 

• Meet a student for coffee to get to know them better, talk about Birthright and/or how Wisconsin basketball is doing. 
• Supervising interns to develop and implement religious, social and cultural programming initiatives, such as engaging highly involved or less involved Jewish students. 
• Designing a new social media campaign in the morning and spending the afternoon baking challah in the dorms or at a Greek house on campus. 
• Utilize Wisconsin Hillel’s student database to help our whole team to ensure that every Jewish student at Wisconsin has an opportunity to become involved. 
• Coordinating Wellness Wednesday, Shabbat, or our Hillel Retreat with our student-leaders. 
• Be on campus handing out falafel, talking about Hillel and meeting students. 

What You’ll Bring to the Job 

• 3-5 years of professional experience in the field of Jewish experiential learning 
• Bachelor's degree required, advanced degree or certificate in a related field is a plus
• Good written and verbal communication skills and creativity 
• Strong entrepreneurial spirit: Things may not always go according to plan, and you must be willing to take risks and learn from your wins as well as your losses 
• A passion for engaging college students and being a part of this transformative time in their lives 
• The ability to manage, motivate and empower students  
• Ability to infuse Jewish learning and leadership content into program development  
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects 
• Confidence initiating and running programs, and comfortable asking questions 
• Willingness to admit what you don’t know and excitement to learn in those areas 
• Creative problem solving 
• Excitement to continue developing your own relationship to Judaism 
• A commitment to pluralism and creating a welcoming environment  

What You’ll Receive 

• The salary range for this role is $45,000-$50,000 
• One month of professional development each summer or potential camp partnership for the summer 
• Free, on-site access to a high-tech gym 
• 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 
• Opportunities to travel regionally and abroad 
• Unlimited paid coffee conversations with students 
• All the UW Madison Hillel swag and t-shirts 

About Wisconsin Hillel  

Working at the University of Wisconsin Hillel means working with a team of passionate, driven, and fun Jewish professionals at one of the storied public universities in the country. We offer competitive non-profit salaries, work-life balance, and a student community that is smart, caring, and engaged. Madison, WI is also a great place to live and consistently rated one of the best college towns in the United States. 

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 more than 550 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. 

Wisconsin 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. 

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