Assistant Director

Hillel at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Role Overview

The Assistant Director at Hillel in The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is the Executive Director’s right hand in implementing Hillel’s mission on campus through mentorship and management of Hillel’s excellent team of Jewish professionals. The Assistant Director takes active part in the hiring, training, and mentoring of new and current talent. The Assistant Director helps develop additional relationships and opportunities to collaborate with the University of Illinois, Hillel International, the Jewish Federation/Jewish United Fund of Chicago (JUF), and other organizations. The Assistant Director reports to the Executive Director.

We are seeking a leader with a strong talent for coordinating and integrating the many moving parts of Hillel’s programs and projects to ensure the effective flow and function of our staff and student leaders. The Assistant Director will work collaboratively with a talented staff and engaged student leaders to pursue Hillel’s mission to connect Jewish students to each other and to Jewish life, learning, and Israel.

What You’ll Do

• Manage all information flow within the organization to keep our team informed of their projects and progress.
• Collaborate with senior staff to craft, implement, develop, and review Hillel’s vision for engagement, wellness, programming, and education.
• Take a lead role in training new and current staff members with assistance from other staff, interns, and outside resources. Develop staff training curriculum with structural and adaptable components to achieve the best learning curve for each staff member.
• Support the Executive Director in implementing Hillel’s annual goals and long term vision.
• Participate in Hillel’s engagement and programmatic work as defined by the engagement and programmatic strategies.
• Direct, coordinate, mentor, and support the growth of our programming staff members.

On a day-to-day basis, you will:

• Participate in Hillel’s engagement and programmatic work as defined by the engagement and programmatic strategies.
• Develop and implement opportunities to expand Hillel’s reach and visibility on campus and in the community through partnerships, relationship building, sponsorships, and campus-wide initiatives.
• Lead weekly staff meetings, meet one-on-one with staff, and facilitate staff involvement in full-team efforts.
• Supervise the Israel Fellow and Administrative Interns
• Oversee the program budget, distribute funds, account for costs, and pursue grant opportunities.
• Lead skills learning initiatives such as the Civic Engagement Fellowship and Jewish Learning Fellowship; Develop and run student leadership and educational opportunities.
• Lead the recruitment and staffing of Hillel’s Leadership Trip to Israel and partakes in the recruitment and staffing for Taglit-Birthright Israel. Work with the Israel Fellow to plan effective Israel experience follow-through programming aimed at encouraging participants to continue exploring their connection to Israel.
• Participate as a full member of The Hillels of Illinois Staff in local, regional, and national Hillel programs and programs of the Jewish Federation, as may be appropriate.

What You’ve Accomplished

• 5 or more years of relevant professional work experience.
• Bachelor’s degree required. Master's Degree preferred.
• Experience and proven success in supervising professional staff and/or facilitating leadership development for young adults.
• Comfort in managing teams as well as working independently and collaboratively.
• Accomplished organizational skills related to strategic planning, program oversight, and time management.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to effectively communicate with a variety of stakeholders.

What You’ll Bring to the Job

• A serious work ethic, sense of humor and willingness to take risks and learn from unexpected situations.
• A commitment to pluralism, a comfort with your own relationship to Judaism, and fluency of Jewish knowledge and tradition to act as a role model and mentor for emerging Jewish adults.
• Willingness to work some evenings (on a weekly basis), weekends, and holidays for program support.
• The ability to excel in a dynamic and growth-oriented entrepreneurial organization that seeks to say yes often and envision new modalities for success.

What You’ll Receive

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience. Salary Range is $70,000-$75,000.
• Time off: 22 days of paid time off, 11 sick days, 8 paid federal holidays, up to 13 paid Jewish holidays, and 6 weeks paid parental leave.
• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Prepare for your future: 401(k) plan and a 403(b) plan.
• Additional Benefits: Additional health and wellness benefits, financial benefits, professional training, tuition reimbursement, and much more.
• Great professional development, mentoring, and skill-building opportunities as part of the global Hillel movement.
• The opportunity to tell your grandchildren that you helped build the next generation of Jewish leaders in one of the most important times in Jewish history.

About Hillel at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Illini Hillel)

Illini Hillel is the first Hillel in the world. Established in 1923 by Rabbi Benjamin Frankel, Illini Hillel strengthens the Jewish identity of 3,500 Jewish students at the University of Illinois. With one of the largest fraternity and sorority populations and over 1,000 student organizations on campus, the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign is one of the most soical campuses in the country. That alongside the tier 1 research work on our campus makes our University attractive to Jewish students of all background. At Illini Hillel, we embrace the work-hard-play-hard culture of our campus by creating the perfect mix of fun social and deep meaningful Jewish programming and engagement. 

Outside of campus life, our Jewish professionals enjoy the vibrant social life of the cities of Champaign and Urbana and the surrounding towns. University staff and Champaign's High Tech hub create a young vibrant community that meets and celebrates life in many ways. The Champaign Urbana Jewish Federation and Sinai Temple are our close partners in building a strong and welcoming Jewish community that serve over 2,000 Jewish community members beyond campus life. Additionally, Champaign-Urbana mark the perfect halfway point between some of the major cities in the Midwest - Chicago, Indianapolis and St. Louis.

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.