Director of Engagement, Northwestern Hillel

Jewish United Fund•Evanston, IL

4d•$55,000 - $65,000•Onsite

About The Position

Northwestern Hillel is seeking a Doppelt Director of Engagement to lead strategies for reaching Jewish students, build authentic relationships, and design immersive experiences. This role supports students' exploration of Judaism and encourages understanding of Jewish values. Reporting to the Director of Student Life, the position involves developing and executing a data-informed strategy to make Jewish life compelling and accessible to all Jewish students. The work is grounded in communal values such as welcoming, joy, and respectful disagreement. The Director will collaborate across teams, supervise direct reports, and act as a thought partner to engagement professionals.

Requirements

3-5 years of professional work experience
Bachelor's degree
Strong entrepreneurial spirit — willing to take risks, iterate, and learn from both wins and losses
Ability to communicate effectively across all platforms, including text, email, phone, and one-on-one in-person conversations
Enthusiasm for building and sustaining relationships with a wide range of students
Commitment to using data to inform strategy and evaluate impact
A genuine spirit of hachnasat orchim — you make people feel seen and welcome, whether they're walking into Hillel for the first time or the fiftieth
Comfort with complexity and a pluralistic mindset; you can hold space for diverse perspectives and know that the best conversations sometimes involve disagreement
Willingness to admit what you don't know and excitement to learn in those areas
Commitment to being part of a staff culture that values candor, collaboration, and creativity
Excitement to continue developing your own relationship to Judaism

Nice To Haves

Supervision experience preferred

Responsibilities

Create, implement, and evaluate Hillel's overall vision and strategy for engaging Jewish students on campus, with a focus on students not yet connected to Jewish life.
Manage and analyze HEaRT (Hillel Engagement and Relationship Tracking) data and other engagement tracking systems; produce reports and analyses to guide organizational priorities and measure progress toward Measuring Excellence goals.
Develop and maintain an outreach strategy for Shabbat and Jewish holidays, ensuring every major program or experience has a thoughtful engagement plan.
Serve as the primary staff lead for Schmooze, Hillel's pre-orientation program welcoming incoming first-year students to campus.
Oversee FYSH (First-Year Students of Hillel) and related peer ambassador initiatives.
Coordinate scheduling and logistics for recurring engagement touchpoints such as Bagel Brunches and Free Coffee Fridays.
Manage Birthright Israel, including recruitment, logistics, itinerary development, and partnership opportunities.
Lead Hillel's Alternative Break program, including location selection, student leadership development, curriculum, marketing, recruitment, and post-experience engagement.
Staff Shabbat and Jewish holidays in rotation with other student-facing staff.
Oversee the Engagement Intern program, including curriculum development, mentorship, and training.
Supervise and advise student Outreach Chairs of the student board.
Advise and support student groups within Hillel.
Help plan and facilitate cohort learning and fellowship programming.
Serve as an experiential Jewish educator who nurtures students' Jewish growth through conversations, one-on-one relationships, and programming.
Directly supervise the Engagement Associate and any student Engagement Interns, utilizing independent judgment in directing, assigning, and evaluating their work.
Serve as a collaborative partner to other engagement professionals, including the Israel Fellow.
Engage other members of the student-facing staff as active partners in the organization's overall engagement strategy.