Job Description

Director of Innovation & Engagement 

Grinspoon Hillel at Cornell University

Position Overview:

Grinspoon Hillel at Cornell seeks a vibrant and multi-talented leader to create a meaningful Jewish community on campus as the inaugural Director of Innovation & Engagement. You’ll be a critical driver of the Grinspoon Hillel engagement team, specifically by focusing on engaging “unengaged students” through the Hillel on North, overseeing Organizational Design Interns, and supervising Grinspoon Hillel’s Springboard Fellow. 

As part of its engagement strategy, Grinspoon Hillel has acquired a North Campus facility, located adjacent to Greek Life and underclassman living areas. The home includes two floors of programming space, a Kosher kitchen, numerous rooms with flexible usage, a deck, and a backyard. This position, unique in the Hillel movement, is an opportunity to dream big and envision both the design and execution to create a home for Jewish life in a gorgeous house located on one of Ithaca’s famous gorges as a new space to engage the 2,500 Jewish students at Cornell. This “home” will serve as a hub of connection, programming, and relationships and will be core to our engagement efforts to weave campus and communities together.   

This role involves broad strategic thinking, innovation, and attention to detail. Our goal is to make this space “alive” and ensure that formal and informal programming - everything from classes to challah bakes, to study and hanging out by the fire pit. The Director of Hillel on North is responsible for everything from creating a strategic plan, overseeing the physical plant, and developing a calendar of events. You’ll make Hillel on North a vibrant hub for Jewish life on campus. 

Key Responsibilities:

1. Relationship Building and Outreach
• Develop meaningful relationships with at least 250 Jewish undergraduate students.
• Build relationships with Greek organizations, first-year student groups, and other relevant campus communities to encourage participation in Hillel on North events.
• Serve as a point of contact for students seeking to engage with Jewish life on North Campus.
• Serve as a thought partner with the Managing Director to think through implementing the strategic plan and engagement measurement.
2. Hillel on North
• Vision and Design:
1. Envision the physical layout and design of Hillel on North to ensure it is welcoming, functional, and conducive to Jewish community life.
2. Collaborate with the Managing Director and Director of Operations to implement the vision, ensuring compliance with guidelines and safety regulations.
3. Create and lead a student committee to ensure the home is for students-by students 
• Event Planning and Coordination:
1. Create a comprehensive calendar of events for Hillel on North, targeting micro-communities like Greek life, First-Years, and others.
• Strategic Planning and Implementation:
1. Design and implement a strategic plan to position Hillel on North as a "third space" for Jewish life on campus, fostering a sense of community and belonging, utilizing the Grinspoon Hillel strategic plan as the foundation.
2. Oversee the overall Grinspoon Hillel engagement strategy and implementation based on the Grinspoon Hillel strategic plan with Hillel on North serving as the primary foundation for the strategy.
3. Prepare regular reports on the progress of Hillel on North, including event outcomes, student engagement metrics, and strategic plan milestones.
• Logistics and Operations Coordination:
1. Work with the Director of Operations to coordinate logistical aspects of Hillel on North, including space setup, equipment needs, and liability compliance.
2. Oversee maintenance and upkeep of the space, ensuring it remains inviting and well-maintained.
3. Student Leadership
• Implement and supervise a team of Organizational Design student interns who utilize a user-centered design approach to engage their unengaged peers in Jewish life on campus. 
• Mentor the student Vice President of Engagement and student Jewish Greek Life Chairs to create vibrant peer-to-peer programming.
4. Supervision
• Supervise and mentor the Hillel Springboard Fellow- an early-in-career professional.

What a typical day may look like:

• Start the day by meeting with the Managing Director and Director of Operations to discuss strategy, layout, and design updates for Hillel on North. 
• Invite a Greek House to North Campus House for a Challah Bake and lead the bake. 
• Meet with a first-year student who attended the Welcome Back BBQ. Get to know them and connect them with a student leader to continue their journey with Hillel
• Lead a meeting with student interns focused on engaging students on the periphery of Jewish life. Discuss the successes and challenges the interns faced in the previous week and brainstorm ideas for engaging Greek life. 
• Attend a Cornell spiritual life staff meeting, connect with members of the other spiritual communities on campus, and finally, teach a Jewish learning fellowship class for First-Year students, facilitating discussions on Jewish identity, Torah, and navigating college.

Metrics of success:

1. Craft and implement a strategic plan for Grinspoon Hillel’s new programming space, Hillel on North, specifically focused on Freshmen and Greek Life
2. Create Jewish experiences utilizing Hillel on North 75% of the week or 5-6 days per week so that the space becomes a home for Jewish students on campus
3. Programming should be based on the strategic plan with an emphasis on opportunities for belonging, wellness, joy and delight, education, and connection to Israel
4. 20% of an estimated Jewish student population of 2,500 undergraduates experience at least 1 event or interaction in the home
5. Develop meaningful relationships with at least 250 Jewish students on campus
6. The Springboard Fellow is successful in their job

What You’ll Bring to the Job

• A bachelor’s degree
• At least three years of professional work experience (experience as a volunteer or professional in a Jewish organization is a plus)
• Experience supervising early-in-career professionals
• Ability to develop an end-to-end program from initial design to successful measurement and evaluation
• Proven success as a relationship builder
• Experience or affinity working with and motivating Jewish students 
• A moderate to strong Jewish knowledge base, and a willingness to work with students from a variety of backgrounds
• Creativity, flexibility, initiative, and excellent interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills
• The ability to work independently, and as part of a team, in a fast-paced environment where prioritizing, multitasking, organization, and attention to detail are essential
• Supervisory experience preferred

What You’ll Receive

• Competitive salary in the non-profit marketplace. The salary range for this role is $60,000 - $65,000.
• Hillel International offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, Group Supplemental Retirement Annuity (GSRA), pension plan, life insurance, Long Term Disability (LTD), Flexible Spending Plan, generous vacation/sick time, and parental leave.
• $3,000 budget for professional development, mentoring, skill-building opportunities, and continued learning opportunities.
• Independent and hands-on work in an exciting, start-up environment.
• Flexible work hours
• Travel regionally and abroad, particularly to Israel
• Plenty of Hillel and university swag

About Grinspoon Hillel at Cornell

Grinspoon Hillel is located in Ithaca, NY, which combines small-town life with a world-class academic/college-town community. Ithaca has been named one of the top 100 places to live, a top 10 recreation city, the best green place to live, and one of the "foodiest" towns in America. Cornell University is one of the world’s foremost institutions of higher education, with seven undergraduate schools and five graduate schools located in Ithaca, NY, in the Finger Lakes Region of Central New York State. Hillel is housed in Anabel Taylor Hall, home of the Cornell United Religious Works. Jewish students make up approximately one-quarter of the student body on the Ithaca campus, approximately 2,500 students. Grinspoon Hillel currently engages a talented professional team of 13 full-time and one part-time professional.

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.

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