Director of Jewish Education and Ritual Leadership

Role Overview

Center for Jewish and Israel Education

The Center for Jewish and Israel Education at Hillel International is a team dedicated to supporting Jewish college students on a pathway toward Jewish adulthood. We envision students as ready to make life choices informed by Jewish values, experience belonging and connection in Jewish community, confident in crafting Jewish experiences for themselves & their peers, and eager to find their next steps in Jewish life. We support, train, and provide resources for campus professionals to guide their students along that journey. Our three pillars are Cohort Learning, Educator Development, and Movement Culture. 

We envision a world in which Hillel is the central meeting point for inspired Jewish and Israel education including a broad range of experiences of Jewish belonging and connection. In line with the best practices of education and the deepest wisdom of Jewish thought, we hold ourselves to an approach that centers authentic inquiry, multivocality, and personal reflection. When we do this well, we embody an approach to the rhythms of Jewish life and ritual that resonates with emerging adult learners and welcomes every student to meaningfully explore their relationship to the ritual manifestations of our tradition. 

The Director of Jewish Education and Ritual Leadership will develop new initiatives focused on enhancing staff and student connection and skills for ritual leadership, especially Shabbat. This Director will hold a large and ambitious portfolio including ownership of an exciting area of growth as well as other educational and leadership interventions within our broader portfolio of Jewish and Israel education.

What You’ll Do

Guide programs for professional development and Jewish ritual life:

• Assess needs and help develop interventions to support ritual life training for Hillel field staff and students.
• Develop a comprehensive student training and internship program for ritual leadership on campus.
• Create content for use by multiple audiences so that students and professionals can enact and find meaning in authentic Jewish ritual life.
• Provide expertise and serve as faculty for educational interventions ranging from zoom to in-person sessions and beyond!
• Support the development and implementation of additional educational interventions across the Center for Jewish and Israel Education student experience, educator development, and movement culture work.

Curate ritual and prayer experiences at Hillel International gatherings:

• HIGA, NPI, and other all-Hillel gatherings will be a laboratory for experimentation and implementation of ritual experiences for pluralistic gatherings.

Be a strong team player: 

• Will be connected with multiple projects and colleagues. We’re a small team with a big mandate, and require a creative and giving teammate who can contribute across multiple projects!

Who You Are 

• Intentional. You know your WHY and can articulate it to others. You build with purpose and understand the importance of “getting it right” as well as “getting it done”.
• Accountable. You own your mistakes and strive for growth. You deliver on your commitments and maintain clear communication with those who rely on you.
• Empathic. You can hold space for a diverse set of experiences, opinions, and backgrounds with radical empathy and compassion. When people speak to you, they feel seen, heard, and respected. You know how to be in meaningful conversation with those you disagree with.
• Passionate. You care about Jewish and Israel education from the core of your being. This work intrinsically motivates you, and your love of it comes through to those around you.
• Organized. You can hold multiple details, projects, and ideas at once. You can prioritize tasks and meet deadlines, especially when multiple projects are running concurrently.
• Relational. You understand people, and others feel welcomed when they are in your presence. Relationship-building is a gift of yours, and you enjoy inviting others in.
• Curious. You are hungry to learn and ask insightful questions before offering solutions. You are just as much a learner as you are an educator.
• Collaborative. You are willing to dedicate time to help others on your team, as you understand that your success is intertwined with theirs.
• Committed to our approach. You believe in our question-centric, multi-vocal approach to Israel education.

Ideal Candidate Expectations

Required

• Passion and commitment to the field of Jewish education, born out of a love of learning
• 8+ years of professional experience in the field, (some) preferably within Hillel 
• High level of organization with high attention to detail
• Experience with setting timelines and maintaining accountability throughout the development and implementation of multi-month projects 
• Experience in a campus setting
• Familiarity with Jewish ritual and Hebrew
• Experience leading prayer and Jewish ritual in diverse contexts
• Team player excited to contribute to multiple projects and relationships at once
• Ability to travel regularly at least up to once a month, including both domestic and potentially Israel travel
• Exposure to curricular and educational design
• Experience with teaching in a campus and experiential educational settings
• Experience designing and staffing immersive experiences

What You’ll Receive

Salary and Benefits

• Competitive salary in the non-profit marketplace. The salary for this role is $100,000-$120,000 depending on the candidate’s background and experience.
• Hillel has a comprehensive benefits plan that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, paid time off for Jewish and federal holidays, and an informal “take what you need” vacation policy. In addition, employees are enthusiastically encouraged to take advantage of professional development opportunities through Hillel U or our partner organizations. 
• Flexible work hours and location. Please note that to be considered, you must be legally authorized to work in the United States. While we fully support remote work, we do require employees to be based in the United States. 

Time Zones and Workplace

While Hillel International’s headquarters are in Washington DC, we are a remote team, open to hiring anyone based in the United States with eligibility to work in the United States. We have a flexible work schedule, which aims to support our employees in maintaining maximally successful professional and personal lives. That said, we expect our employees to keep regular hours that are mutually agreed upon by the employee and their supervisor. While this position is remote, there are semi-regular in-person gatherings, trainings, and conferences that we expect our team to fully participate in. Regular travel is an expected part of this job. 

A note for current Hillel professionals: Current campus professionals may apply,  and if a current Hillel professional is the finalist, we will work with them and their campus/supervisor to navigate a smooth transition on a mutually agreeable timeline. We are prepared to share time and resources during the transition so that a field colleague can wrap up their work on campus as they transition to a position at the SIC. We are open to considering other options that best support your campus while working towards filling this important role for the Hillel Movement as a whole.

Reporting Line

The Director of Jewish Education and Ritual Leadership reports to the Associate Vice President of Jewish Education, Danielle Kranjec, and will work collaboratively with other members of the Jewish Education, Community, & Culture Department.

About Hillel International