Program and Engagement Associate

Hillel of Silicon Valley

Role Overview

Hillel of Silicon Valley is looking for a warm, dynamic, and creative team player to be its next Program and Engagement Associate. The Program and Engagement Associate works closely with the Assistant Director to oversee Jewish life taking place at the five main campuses (San Jose State University, Santa Clara University, De Anza College, Foothill College, and West Valley College) we serve and at the Hillel of Silicon Valley House. This is an exciting time of growth for Hillel of Silicon Valley, its students, supporters, and staff. 

The job entails planning and staffing events and meetings which can take place at night and weekends as well.  Must be willing to respond to students via phone calls, text messages, emails, and Facebook messages in a timely manner -sometimes just to chat, and often to follow up on some task or detail for a program.  The Program and Engagement Associate must have excellent administrative skills, and also be approachable, personable, and sensitive.  Informal or formal Jewish education background is highly desirable since the Program and Engagement Associate is a Jewish role model and educator for the students. The Program and Engagement Associate will work together with a wide variety of students, guiding them and encouraging them as they create programs, workshops, discussion groups, outdoor adventures, retreats, religious services, and more.  A fundamental requirement is the ability to "empower" students with real responsibility.  It is tremendously meaningful and satisfying work. 

Hillel of Silicon Valley students are largely commuter working students. They enjoy the sense of community at Hillel but are not necessarily seeking it out when they arrive on campus.  For many students, Hillel is their first contact with the organized Jewish community, and they tend to identify as more culturally than religiously Jewish.  

The Program and Engagement Associate works closely with the Assistant Director to oversee the Hillel programs taking place on the five main campuses and overall Hillel of Silicon Valley programming.   

What You’ll Do

• Meet with students from different cohorts and demographics on campus to engage them, identify their interests and connect to opportunities.
• Meet with students to help connect them with leadership roles in Hillel.
• Map out a plan to strategically build one on one relationships with 180 students currently not engaged in Jewish life.
• Plan and facilitate weekly student intern meetings.
• Supervise student interns who are responsible for engaging their peers in Jewish life on campus.
• Recruit for Alternative Break and Birthright Israel trips.
• Empower others with real responsibility and cheer on your team
• You are approachable, personable, and sensitive to others’ needs
• Relate to students from diverse backgrounds and Jewish knowledge
• Stay up to date with trends and culture 

Specific tasks: 

• Student Empowerment
  • Guide and encourage students to take on leadership roles and develop programs within the community
  • Develop formal and informal training programs for student leaders
  • Advise Jewish student group boards with their regular meetings and student program planning
  • Be available for student-initiated private discussions, refer to counseling or to other resources on campus or in the local community
  • Responsible for implementing, facilitating, and guiding the Jewish Learning Fellowship, student internships and other student-driven projects 

• Engagement
  • Contact uninvolved students through personal calls, various social media platforms, Facebook, email, tabling on campus, one-one one conversations, and other efforts
  • Ability to relate to students from diverse backgrounds and Jewish knowledge
  • Identify uninvolved student populations and develop strategies for contacting and serving them
  • Identify potential student leaders and interns
  • Stay up to date with campus-wide trends and culture
  • Keep records of every interaction with new students 
  • Establish and nurture one-on-one relationships with students 
  • Guide students towards becoming more involved with Jewish community in a way that helps them advance on his/her own Jewish path
  • Track student participation in Schwipe, assist in gathering Measuring Excellence and other engagement data 

• Programs
  • Planning and evaluation of overall program strategies and offerings.
  • Support student-initiated programs
  • Help plan, staff, organize, and recruit for overall Hillel of Silicon Valley programs and initiatives, including but not limited to Shabbat dinners, Jewish holiday celebrations, cooking classes, social action projects and Jewish learning
  • Attend programs (including evening, weekends, and some Jewish holidays.)
  • Liaison to Jewish agencies and University organizations regarding partnerships and joint efforts
  • Assist in the recruitment for Taglit-Birthright Israel trips (recruitment is a year-long effort)

• Publicity
  • Coordinate campus and community publicity, including flyers, newspaper articles, calendars, brochures, e-mails, social media posts (including Facebook events and Instagram), Facebook events, and website
  • Keep track of social media trends and adapt to students’ needs
  • Assist the Special Projects Coordinator with content for creating and publishing the weekly newsletter and sending using Constant Contact  

• Administration
  • Provide regular program and engagement reports
  • Maintain records for student information, programs and attendance 
  • Ensure campus advisers are informed and included in Jewish student groups’ activities, status, and partner together to troubleshoot issues
  • Coordinate that Jewish student groups are properly registered at their campus and in full compliance with school requirements  

• Logistical Support
  • Provide logistical support for assigned programs including set up and clean up for Shabbat dinners and other events at the House, etc.
  • Recruit students for Hillel’s main fundraising event of the year (L’Dor V’Dor) and provide support to committee members. 

• Mentoring and Referral
  • Be available for student-initiated private discussions, refer to counseling or to other resources on campus or in the local community
  • Supervise Programming Interns 

• Program Coordination, Supervision, and Staff Development
  • Participate in weekly supervisory sessions with Assistant Director, as well regular meetings with other program staff and all-staff meetings as needed and scheduled.
  • Participate in relevant staff development opportunities as are able. 

What You’ll Bring to the Job

• 0 -2 years’ professional work experience
• Bachelor’s degree
• Informal or formal Jewish education background
• Comfort in being a Jewish role model for students
• A dynamic and outgoing personality, creativity, flexibility, a sense of humor, and excellent interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills
• The ability to work independently and as part of a team
• A fluency and comfort with Jewish knowledge, ideas, traditions, conversations, and practices.
• The ability to prioritize and handle multiple assignments and execute program plans 

What You’ll Receive

• Competitive salary in the nonprofit marketplace. The salary range for this role is $50,000 - $60,000
• A comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, retirement plan, Life, AD&D and Long Term Disability (LTD) insurances, Flexible Spending accounts, generous vacation/sick time, and parental leave.
• Great professional development, mentoring, and skill building opportunities.
• Travel regionally and abroad, particularly to Israel 

About Hillel of Silicon Valley

Located in Silicon Valley, we are a multi-campus Hillel that actively supports Jewish student groups at five local campuses and welcome any college age students in Silicon Valley no matter which school they attend. Additionally, Hillel staff is sought out by faculty at schools without a Hillel or Jewish student group to provide support when needed on campus. The campuses our Hillel serves are largely commuter-based, and many of our students hold at least one part-time job. This means that Hillel provides a normative college experience for students who are not in situations where it is easy to connect with a college community. 

Hillel of Silicon Valley is affiliated with Hillel International. Hillel International enriches the lives of Jewish students so 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.