Social Action Engagement Associate
UMBC Hillel
Role Overview
Do you have an unrelenting idealism for what the world could be? Imagine a job where you get to make a meaningful impact on both individuals and the world every day. UMBC Hillel is looking for a Social Action Engagement Associate to join our team and expand our program offerings.
You should be passionate about building relationships, both on campus and in the local community. You will reach out to new and uninvolved Jewish students, and empower them to make a difference in their campus and greater Jewish Baltimore communities. You are someone who has a passion for building community through your dynamic personality, warmth, sincerity, sense of humor, and fun-loving attitude.
If you’re team-oriented, never give up, and truly believe that you must “be the change you wish to see in the world,” then this is the position for you!
A background in Jewish education is not necessary — just an interest in creating a vibrant Jewish community, a commitment to learning, and the desire to make a difference in the lives of students and the world.
What you’ll do on a day to day basis
- Meeting with a group of students or individual students over coffee to understand which issues are most important to them and developing a plan of action together.
- Meeting with local service partners to develop partnerships.
- Supervising student leaders who focus on tikkun olam (repairing the world) projects.
- Participating in conversations with the leaders of other on or off-campus religious and ethnic groups to plan a shared response to a social issue.
- Planning and recruiting for off-campus service projects or trips.
- Teaching and facilitating Jewish learning through a social justice lens.
- Adding a service, social justice, or Jewish/universal values element to existing programs such as Shabbat, lunch and learns, or holiday activities.
Who You Are
- You believe that college students can change the world.
- You are excited about engaging Jewish college students through social justice conversations.
- You have a deep passion for educating and empowering others to organize for issues of interest to them.
- You love to connect with people from different diverse backgrounds, listening with genuine curiosity to people’s stories and beliefs.
- You see justice as a Jewish cause and are excited to help others see this as well.
- You thrive when you are facilitating conversations, recruiting and training volunteers, and creating other spaces for students to learn and develop their own ideas about issues that matter to them.
- You are comfortable with the idea that social change occurs through multiple modalities, including volunteering, education, organizing, and Jewish service learning.
- You are a skilled and empathetic communicator. You know how to tailor your message to your audience, and bring them into conversation about critical issues. This means social justice language might not be right for your campuses, but changemaking ideas will certainly be a part of daily work and life.
What You’ve Accomplished
- A Bachelor’s degree and 0-2 years of experience.
- You’ll have a team-oriented approach to work, a strong work ethic, proven experience thinking and acting strategically to reach goals.
- An ability to take risks and learn from situations when things don’t turn out the way you thought they would.
- Exceptional organization, leadership and communication skills.
- A strong proficiency and interest in social media, or a willingness to learn.
- A proven track record engaging with social action or social justice work in the past
What You’ll Receive
- Salary range: $40,000-$44,000
- A comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, Tax Deferred Retirement Plan, Life, AD&D and Long Term Disability insurances, Flexible Spending Plan, generous vacation/sick time.
- Investment in your professional development, with funds available to help develop core skills.
- A network of terrific colleagues from across the Hillel movement and the Associated, the Jewish Federation of Baltimore.
- Travel opportunities multiple times per year.
- Fully remote during school breaks, with the chance to explore summer opportunities that may arise in conjunction with working for Hillel.
- Anticipated start date July 15, 2024
About UMBC Hillel
UMBC Hillel is The Associated's program for facilitating relationships with the Jewish community at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). We strive to foster an atmosphere of exploration of Jewish identity for students while building relationships with faculty and staff of the university. Our engagement strategy enriches a student's Jewish identity through fun and meaningful programs on-campus. Additionally, we collaborate with other local and national partners to expand opportunities for student involvement and give students a taste of what Jewish community has to offer post college. UMBC hosts an undergraduate population of 13,000 and we estimate that around 10% of the student body identifies as Jewish.
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.
Hillel is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an accepting and inclusive environment for all.
