Executive Director - Hillel at Binghamton

Hillel at Binghamton

Executive Director

Role Overview:

Do you have a passion and vision for the future of Jewish life on campus? Are you looking to make an enormous impact in the lives of today’s college students? Hillel at Binghamton is seeking a strategic and experienced leader to drive the organization’s next stage of growth and transformation. Opportunities are boundless as you help improve the lives of thousands of Jewish students.

In this role, you will develop, articulate, and promote a dynamic, innovative, and holistic vision for Jewish life at Binghamton in partnership with key stakeholders, including students, the Board of Directors, alumni, parents, staff, Hillel International and Binghamton University. Financial resource development (via fundraising, grants, email campaigns, etc) and budget oversight are critical components of this role. In close coordination with the Hillel at Binghamton’s Board of Directors and staff members, you will develop and implement a strategic approach to all aspects of Hillel at Binghamton’s operations. 

What you’ll do:

Strategic Planning, Vision, and Leadership

• Develop, articulate, and promote a dynamic, innovative, and holistic vision for Jewish life at Binghamton in partnership with key stakeholders, including students, Board of Directors, alumni, parents, staff, University administration, Hillel International, and other Jewish organizations.
• Overall responsibility for the strategic relationships with key stakeholders, including senior Binghamton University administration, parents, alumni, foundation partners, Hillel International staff, and donors.
• Create and foster a culture of innovation, creativity, education, Jewish pluralism and textual exploration, and commitment to ritual, Shabbat, and holidays. 

Stakeholder Relations

• Support Hillel at Binghamton staff in creating vibrant and pluralistic Jewish student life programming on campus. 
• Travel to NYC approximately 1-2 times monthly to collaborate with key partners, board members, and funders. Cultivate caring and strategic relationships with all stakeholders: students, university leaders, faculty, Jewish community leaders, alumni, and parents globally. 
• Serve as primary spokesperson to the organization’s constituents, the media, and the general public, promoting the organization's impact, addressing controversial issues across multiple constituencies, and providing inspirational messaging.

• Work with the Board of Directors’ committees to implement the strategic vision.
• Provide the Board of Directors with the information they require to fulfill their obligation to monitor Hillel at Binghamton and make informed decisions.
• Ensure the Board of Directors employs standards of excellence in governance.

Financial Resource Development & Management

• Develop and implement a strategic approach to financial resource development and management to sustain operations in close coordination with the Board of Directors.
• Spearhead all financial resource development efforts, including but not limited to major gifts strategy, fundraising events, email campaigns, direct solicitations, etc.  
• Oversee and manage Hillel's fiscal operation through budget planning and management processes.
• Oversight and final decision-making on budgets, allocations, and funds. 
• Ensure the fiscal integrity of Hillel at Binghamton including compliance, accurate and timely submission of a proposed annual budget and financial statements to the Board (with staff support).

Human Resource Management

• Cultivate a culture of staff excellence and professional growth.
• Inspire, develop, supervise, and mentor a professional staff team that delivers on a vision of pluralism, inclusivity, and student leadership development.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in various leadership positions in either the business or nonprofit sector. 
• Passion for Hillel’s mission, pluralistic Jewish life, and the college experience; an understanding of the Hillel world.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, specifically directed at large groups of supporters.
• Proven ability to create annual development plans and multi-channel communication plans.
• Supervised a team of professionals in an exemplary manner to accomplish their best work and develop their potential. 
• Successfully partnered with a non-profit board of directors, granting foundations and grant-issuing organizations. 
• Ensured sound financial management practices, including budgeting and cost controls.
• Demonstrated personal fundraising experience cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors. 

What You’ll Bring:

• Ability to think, plan, and execute on multiple projects at once
• Knowing when to delegate and when to take ownership of a project
• Strong examples of leading cross-functional working groups and influencing stakeholders at all levels
• Event planning experience
• Experience working with databases

What You’ll Receive:

• The salary range for this position is $125,000 - $140,000. 
• Relocation assistance is provided as needed.
• A comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, retirement plan, Life and Long Term Disability (LTD) insurances, generous vacation/sick time, and parental leave.
• Professional development, mentoring, and skill-building opportunities, including travel to Israel.

About Hillel at Binghamton:

Hillel at Binghamton is located in the Student Union at Binghamton University in the Southern Tier of New York. With more than 4,000 Jewish students on a campus of 18,000 students, Hillel at Binghamton is home to passionate, driven, and hardworking students who will impress you the moment you set foot on campus. Year after year, the students, with the help of dedicated staff, work towards the Hillel mission and vision to provide a pluralistic Jewish hub to Jewish students who call Binghamton home. Hillel at Binghamton encompasses 15 student-run subgroups. From Challah for Hunger to Keshet, the LGBTQ+ group, to Bearcats for Israel, and Shoah Awareness, Hillel’s diverse offerings ensure students can live a holistic Jewish life in college. Hillel at Binghamton has created long-lasting partnerships with the Judaic Studies Department and Center for Israel Studies, the Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton, the Jewish Community Center, Chabad, and local synagogues of all denominations.

Hillel at Binghamton is affiliated with Hillel International. For nearly 100 years, Hillel International has enriched the lives of Jewish students, and today, it is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, with more than 550 colleges and universities across North America and around the world. Hillel International enriches the lives of Jewish students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world. It envisions a world where every student is inspired to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning, and Israel.

If you have any questions about this role, please contact: 

Jennifer Sosnow, Director of Executive Talent, Hillel International, Hillel International at

[email protected]