Executive Director - Hillel at Ithaca College

Executive Director - Hillel at Ithaca College

Role Overview:

Hillel at Ithaca College seeks a vibrant and multi-talented leader to inspire Jewish students on campus as the Executive Director. You will be excellent for this role if you use your strong interpersonal skills to create and nurture relationships with students, develop partnerships, and create new strategic opportunities for Hillel at Ithaca College. As the Executive Director, you’ll create a vision for the organization, connect, empower, and motivate our diverse Jewish population; develop and implement contemporary, student-focused programming; manage finances and fundraising - all to advance the mission of our Hillel in inspiring Jewish students to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life. The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors.

Hillel at Ithaca College is experiencing a renaissance, with a high percentage of its over 1000 Jewish students on campus engaged. This movement is cultivated through a vibrant and progressive student leadership cadre, invested board, donors and community members, and a top college environment. You’ll find the Hillel staff engaging students, enjoying the amazing outdoor options in the Finger Lakes region, creating art and film, or giving back to the local community. The “Ithaca Farmers Market” has been ranked as one of the best farmers markets in the country. Ithaca has been ranked as a top college town, one of the best green cities, and one of the most secure places to live. The beauty of the Finger Lakes region and the breadth of cultural offerings draw many people to this progressive community. “Ithaca is Gorges!”

What you’ll do:

Creating a Strategic Vision:

• Develop, articulate, and promote a dynamic and innovative vision to propel Ithaca College Hillel into the future in partnership with key stakeholders, including students, the Board of Directors, alumni, parents, staff, the local Jewish community, Hillel International, and Ithaca College faculty and staff.
• Work with the Board to create a strategic plan, set reasonable goals, and decide resource allocation and priorities.
• Articulate measures of success and evaluate outcomes and impact.
• Communicate regularly and effectively with all stakeholders.

Nurturing Jewish Growth:

• Oversee the program strategy that shapes an educational, cultural, religious, and social environment that will allow the members of Ithaca College’s diverse Jewish community to reach a greater understanding and fuller expression of their Jewish identity.
• Educate groups formally and informally about Jewish religious observance, ritual practice, culture, history, and communities and serve as a role model for full, rich Jewish identification.
• Counsel students individually within a Jewish context and refer as needed.
• Create educational vision and strategy for Hillel.

Student Engagement:

• Serve as an inspiring Jewish role model and a strong leader for students; cultivate meaningful relationships with students and ensure all Jewish students feel welcome.
• Ensure the student engagement strategy is dynamic, includes multiple Jewish backgrounds and interests, and successfully meets its goals.
• Recognize and adapt to the changing needs of Jewish college students, Jewish identity development, and campus climate. 
• Ensure Hillel is a safe space for students, addressing antisemitism and anti-Israel activities on campus.

Fiscal Management:

• Develop and nurture productive relationships with individuals and organizations that can financially support Hillel's mission.
• Create a comprehensive development plan that includes major gifts, foundation giving, annual campaign oversight, and grants. Engage all stakeholders, manage development initiatives, and organize staff, students, and board members’ participation in the plan’s execution.
• Work in tandem, when appropriate, with the Ithaca College development office to support both offices’ goals.
• Create an annual budget in collaboration with the board’s Executive Committee.
• Provide fiscal oversight to the organization and regular reporting to the Board of Directors and Hillel International.

Empower Others to Lead:

• Listen actively to students and other Ithaca College community members to identify strengths and leadership potential in others and connect them with appropriate leadership opportunities.
• Delegate leadership and responsibilities, particularly empowering students to develop and carry out Jewish educational, cultural, and religious events and activities, including leading holiday and Shabbat services.
• Take a leadership role in challenging situations and inspire others as a role model.

Staff Supervision & Development:

• Inspire, develop, supervise, and mentor the professional staff team of three and the student volunteer team to deepen students’ relationships with Jewish life, Jewish learning, and Israel. 
• Establish a culture of professional development and growth.

Stakeholder and External Relations:

• Serve as Hillel’s primary spokesperson to the organization’s constituents, the media, and the general public, engaging the community in the importance of Hillel’s mission and purpose.
• Create a culture of shared responsibility and engagement among members of the board of directors and cultivate relationships with prospective board members who can provide generative and strategic leadership. 
• Extend your influence beyond the campus, cultivating relationships with the local, regional, and national Jewish community, as well as nationwide alumni and parents. You will be the voice of Hillel at Ithaca College, passionately championing Hillel’s mission.
• Develop and sustain strong relationships with university leadership at all levels.
• Bring together external groups/individuals with similar goals or missions to form partnerships and develop mutually beneficial joint activities and partnerships with them.
• Strategically initiate, develop and maintain networks of people on campus and among Jewish students and Hillel stakeholders who can help to advance Hillel’s goals.

A top candidate should possess:

• 5+ years of professional work experience. Experience in management roles in the Jewish or secular nonprofit, higher education, or mission-driven organization world is a plus. Past Hillel experience is a plus as well. We will consider a range of candidates’ experiences and credentials.
• Experience working with and/or for an organization serving young adults (18-24 years old).
• A passion for Judaism and an ability to inspire students to make Judaism integral to their own life choices
• Ability to facilitate Jewish learning
• Demonstrated fundraising experience, including executing annual fundraising campaigns, cultivation, stewardship, major gift solicitation, and managing budgets
• Experience mentoring, supervising, and managing staff
• Excellent communications skills
• Ability to connect with and engage a variety of different stakeholders

What You’ll Bring to the Job

• A visionary leader who inspires students, staff, and other key stakeholders. 
• Strong entrepreneurial spirit. Things may not always go according to plan, but you are willing to take risks and learn from your wins and losses.
• An attitude of proactive communication and collaboration across offices and agencies.
• Strong relationship-building skills and comfort working with diverse populations different from your own, including inter-religious populations.
• Solid organizational skills, including planning, attention to detail, multi-tasking, and prioritization.
• An inspiring presence that will help others deepen their interest in Jewish life and the ability to listen to and build relationships with college students.
• Expertise in leading complex conversations about Judaism and Israel in an approachable way and meeting students at various points in their personal Jewish journey.

Benefits of working for Hillel include:

• Competitive salary in the non-profit marketplace. The salary range for this role is $82,500-$90,000, depending upon skills, qualifications, and experience.
• A comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, pension plan, life insurance, Long Term Disability, and Flexible Spending Plan.
• Generous vacation/sick time and parental leave.
• Excellent professional development, coaching, and skill-building opportunities.
• Opportunity for domestic and international travel.

More about us:

Hillel at Ithaca College is the center of Jewish life on campus. At Ithaca College, approximately 1050 students, about 20% of the students, are Jewish. As a pluralistic organization, Hillel provides various cultural, educational, and social programs to create a vibrant Jewish life and multiple access points for students to explore their Jewish identity. Hillel is part of the welcoming community housed in Muller Chapel. Muller Chapel is an interfaith chapel hosting the Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, and Buddhist communities. There is kosher dining on campus - the best food on campus -and StarK Kosher supervises it.  Hillel has a strong working relationship with Kosher Dining and caters most of their food through them. Hillel at Ithaca College is affiliated with Hillel International. Hillel International enriches the lives of Jewish students so that 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.

From its founding in 1892 as the Ithaca Conservatory of Music, Ithaca College has distinguished itself as an impressive liberal arts institution with various strong professional programs. Coeducational and nonsectarian, the College is an internationally known and respected institution with approximately 6,400 undergraduate and 450 graduate students coming to Ithaca from nearly every state and nearly 80 countries. U.S. News and World Report has rated it one of the top 10 master’s level Universities in the northeast for over ten years. While the breadth of the curriculum is normally found only at larger universities, Ithaca holds fast to its tradition of close, personal instruction. There are two synagogues in town and many other opportunities across its vibrant Jewish community spectrum.

Applications will be accepted until March 29, 2024. For more information, please contact Jennifer Sosnow, Director of Executive Talent: jsosnow@hillel.org