Program Director

University of Iowa Hillel

Role Overview

Make your mark on Jewish student life by joining Iowa Hillel as the Program Director. You will drive Hillel forward by thinking big, empowering students, and creating a warm and inclusive environment for Jewish life on campus. As you lead people and programs, you’ll help every student on campus connect to Jewish life, learning and Israel and help them join the Hawkeye Hillel Community.

The Program Director will take on the responsibility of strategically planning how we can best engage students. We have 600 Jewish students at the University of Iowa, and there is not a one size fits all approach for how we can reach them all, and the Program Director will have the opportunity to think outside the box for how to best bring in new students and keep current students coming back. As the Program Director on a smaller team, you’ll need to be thinking big, while also managing all the small tasks that go into putting on solid programming. This position will give you the tremendous opportunity to create a connection to Judaism that will last beyond their four years of college and help put in place and craft a vision for what Judaism looks like at the University of Iowa.

What You’ll Do

• Mentor student leaders in their Jewish growth through one-on-one meetings and group trainings, in order to cultivate a caring and actively inclusive Jewish community
• Oversee programmatic and engagement activities with colleagues and student leaders
• Think strategically about what programming will look like over the year and how each program is engaging new students
• Serve as an advisor for our various Hillel communities such as: student board, health and wellness committee, beautification committee, Greek life, and an Israel group
• Lead marketing, social media, and content for website, while working with student board members to help them come up with their own content
• Maintain participant/engagement tracking database, Heart
• Direct the student leadership, programming, and engagement budgets
• Develop relationships with campus professionals and student organizational partners
• Manage graduate student engagement

What You’ve Accomplished

• 2-4 years professional experience in programming and/or with Jewish, experiential or higher education.
• Bachelor’s degree required
• Proven success of engaging students and helping build community
• Developing, implementing and evaluating programs
• Building pluralistic Jewish communities and creating a welcoming, vibrant, and deeply enriching Jewish environment
• Inspiring, mentoring and motivating college age students through traditional and experiential education
• Strategically networking and building partnerships with young adults and leaders
• Managing multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining quality across all areas

What You’ll Bring to the Job

• A passion for working with emerging adults and investing in their growth as Jewish leaders
• A commitment to pluralism and comfort with your Jewish identity so you may act as a role model and mentor for emerging Jewish adults
• Ownership of your unique Jewish knowledge and experiences and ability to inspire others to be on a Jewish journey
• Familiarity with higher education and campus settings
• Comfort working independently and collaboratively
• A willingness to get your hands dirty and be a team player
• An entrepreneurial spirit - things may not always go according to plan, but you understand that ambiguity is part of developing great new opportunities and that flexibility is a necessity
• Strong written and verbal skills, effective at communicating with a variety of stakeholders

What You’ll Receive

• Competitive salary in the nonprofit marketplace. The salary range for this role is $43,000 - $46,000
• A 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
• Travel regionally and abroad, particularly to Israel (* only include if applicable)
• Plenty of Hillel swag

About University of Iowa Hillel and Iowa City

Hillel has had a presence at the University of Iowa since 1926. Of course, it has grown tremendously since then, but I believe that we have a lot of potential to bring our Hillel to the next level and become a strong competitive option among the other Big 10 Hillels. As a Big 10 University in a beautiful town, I want Iowa Hillel to be the tipping point for Jewish students when they're deciding where they want to spend their next four years. We have great building blocks, as the Hillel house is a two-floor building and just one block from campus and students use the space daily coming to hangout or study. As a new executive director, my goals and desires are both lofty and realistic, and you will have so much opportunity to help us grow and reach our potential in this Program Director position.

Iowa City, located just 3.5 hours from Chicago and 2 hours from Des Moines, is a beautiful city in Eastern Iowa. The city and campus are intertwined quite beautifully and seamlessly. It’s easy to live close to campus, and there is a public bus transportation system as well in the downtown. In the main district, there are many cute shops and restaurants that accommodate many dietary restrictions, and in the next suburb over, Coralville, there is a larger mall and larger food stores, like Trader Joes and Costco. The University of Iowa has very down to earth students and is a great combination of a town that bleeds black and gold, while also boasting the incredible Iowa Writers Workshop and being a UNESCO City of Literature. There is always something fun going on and accessing live music, sports, art, or theatre is right at your fingertips. It’s also a beautiful place to connect to nature either by strolling by the river, checking out the damn and the fossil gorge, or hiking at one of the different local parks only a short drive away. Like to bike? Iowa is the home of Ragbrai, a non-competitive bike ride across the state, and Iowa City has many bike paths to explore. Next door in Coralville, you’ll also find Agudas Achim, a reform/conservative synagogue, which has over 1025 Jewish families as members.

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.

Iowa 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.