Director of Engagement, Northwestern Hillel

JUF Careers•Evanston, IL

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Northwestern Hillel is seeking a Doppelt Director of Engagement to lead strategies for reaching Jewish students, build relationships, and design immersive experiences. This role supports students' exploration of Judaism and Jewish values, encouraging their understanding and application to their lives and communities. Reporting to the Director of Student Life, the Director of Engagement will develop and execute a data-informed strategy to map the campus and make Jewish life accessible and compelling to all Jewish students. The position is central to bringing Hillel's communal values of welcoming, joy, and respectful disagreement to life for students. The role involves cross-team collaboration, supervision of direct reports, and serving as a thought partner to engagement professionals within the organization. Northwestern Hillel is located on the Northwestern campus in Evanston, Illinois, near Chicago.

Requirements

3-5 years of professional work experience
Supervision experience preferred
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

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 to guide organizational priorities and measure progress.
Develop and maintain an outreach strategy for Shabbat and Jewish holidays, ensuring a thoughtful engagement plan for every major program or experience.
Serve as the primary staff lead for Schmooze, Hillel's pre-orientation program.
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.