Director of Jewish Student Life at George Mason Hillel Fairfax, Virginia, United States

Director of Jewish Student Life

George Mason Hillel

Role Overview

Make your mark on Jewish life in Northern Virginia by joining Mason Hillel as our Director of Jewish Student Life. You will bring your strategic thinking, interpersonal skills, and organizational savvy to oversee our student-life portfolio, programming, and engagement efforts at Mason Hillel. As Mason Hillel embarks on expanding its reach and implementing a strategic plan that focuses on relationship-based engagement and micro-community building, you will be a key partner in thinking boldly about how to inspire and engage students to co-create vibrant Jewish experiences and help find meaningful entry points for students to engage with their Jewish identities.

The ideal candidate will be familiar with the work of Hillel and be passionate about creating community, engaging students, and developing leaders. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director of Jewish Student Life is responsible for ensuring the strategy and execution of student engagement and program development for Mason Hillel. This role is ideal for a creative leader with strong organizational skills, a deep commitment to Jewish identity, and a talent for engaging students in meaningful Jewish experiences.

What You’ll Do

Relationship-building and Student Engagement

• Develop one-on-one relationships with Jewish students by meeting them where they live, work and/or study, utilizing creative methods to reach and interest them. 
• Create and implement an engagement strategy that focuses on both traditional and contemporary Mason students with an eye toward consistent growth and engaging uninvolved students. 
• Run a student engagement internship program by recruiting, training interns in relationship-based engagement methodologies, and supervising their work. 
• Manage our database management software and data tracking efforts to inform engagement strategy.

Student Leadership and Programming

• Engage, empower, and mentor our student leadership team as they plan initiatives and creatively engage their peers.
• Serve as staff lead for all student organizations affiliated with Mason Hillel, helping students cultivate a Jewish community that is caring, diverse, welcoming and actively inclusive. 
• Work in partnership with student leadership and staff on implementing holiday and Shabbat programming.
• Manage recruitment and teach any Jewish Leadership Fellowships. 

Israel Engagement and Exploration

• Lead promotional and recruitment efforts for, and staff, our immersive Israel trips, include Birthright and the Prospective Student Leader trip. 

Marketing and Social Media

• Oversee social media, newsletters, and website to ensure staff and students maintain brand and messaging of Mason Hillel.
• Partner with students and staff to align engagement strategy with social media strategy. 

Administration & Teamwork

• Participate in regular team meetings and supervision with the Mason Hillel staff.
• Coordinate logistics for programs, including vendors, venues, and supplies.
• Support Hillel operations during evenings, weekends, and Jewish holidays as needed.
• Prepare and write grants for specific Hillel initiatives.
• Supervise the Springboard Fellow.
• Other responsibilities as assigned.

What You’ll Bring to the Job

• Bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years of full-time professional work experience. Past experience with the 18-24 demographic or higher education is a plus.
• Confidence in developing and running initiatives and comfort in asking questions. 
• Desire to motivate student leaders to engage their peers, deepen their Jewish identities, and think innovatively about program content and marketing. 
• Exemplary time management skills, including the capacity to juggle competing priorities and deadlines, and to remain flexible within an ambiguous, fast-paced environment. 
• A commitment to pluralism and comfort with your Jewish identity so you may act as a role model and mentor for emerging Jewish adults. 
• Strong interpersonal skills and the desire to work with colleagues across campus in a collaborative way to benefit students. 
• Strong written and verbal skills. 
• Comfort working independently and collaboratively.
• An entrepreneurial spirit - things may not always go according to plan, but you understand that ambiguity is part of developing great new opportunities.

What You’ll Receive

• Competitive salary in the nonprofit marketplace. The salary range for this role is $50,000-68,000.
• A comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, vacation/medical time, Jewish holiday time off, retirement plan and parental leave.
• Great professional development, mentoring, and skill building opportunities
• Travel regionally and abroad, particularly to Israel
• A work culture that prioritizes the well-being of its employees
• Unlimited paid coffee conversations with students

About Mason Hillel

For over 25 years, Mason Hillel has been serving the 1,000 Jewish students at and affiliated with George Mason University and providing a safe, welcoming, and exciting community full of Jewish life, love, exploration, learning, and Israel. We strive toward building a Hillel where every Jewish student feels seen and heard and connected. Mason Hillel is embarking on a mission this year to implement a strategic plan that focuses on relationship-based Judaism, micro-community building, and increasing student engagement. George Mason University is the largest public university in Virginia and is recognized for its innovation, entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. The Jewish community of Northern Virginia is the largest and fastest growing in the Washington, DC metro area. Proximity to the nation’s capital offers a multitude of resources and opportunities.

Mason 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.

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.