Rabbi Careers

Overview

The Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh (Hillel JUC) seeks a highly organized, experienced, strategic, and creative individual with an abiding passion for Jewish Student Life to serve as our Janet L. Swanson Director of Jewish Student Life at the University of Pittsburgh. Under the supervision of the Assistant Director of the Hillel JUC, the Director of Jewish Student Life is responsible for the vision, planning, and execution of the Hillel JUC’s strategic plan to reach and connect with (primarily involved) students on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus, in collaboration with the six-person Program Team. The Director of Jewish Student Life assumes responsibilities for program planning and oversight, staff and student collaboration, and campus and community relations all as they specifically relate to Hillel’s engagement agenda.

Your Skill Set:

• Ability to connect with anyone, anytime, anywhere.
• Understand the interests of college students and their unique needs and the ability to apply that knowledge to strategically help connect students to their passions.
• Empower students to create their own Jewish experiences that are meaningful to them.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining quality across all areas.
• Apply strong leadership skills and entrepreneurial energy to everything you do, while having the ability to think strategically, creatively, and “BIG.”
• Ability to strategically network and build partnerships with the University of Pittsburgh as well as Pitt students.
• Commitment Jewish learning and Jewish culture.
• Utilize your Jewish story as a model and learning opportunity for others, and being comfortable talking about your own struggles with finding your home in Judaism.

Your Background:

• A bachelor’s degree and at least two years of professional work experience (experience as a volunteer or professional in a Jewish organization is a plus, and an advanced degree is also a plus).
• A team-oriented approach while still being a self-starter with a strong work ethic, sense of humor, and an ability to take risks and learn from situations when things don’t turn out the way you thought they would.
• Thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Passionate about working with Jewish college students.
• A deep passion for building pluralistic Jewish communities, serving as a peer educator, and creating a welcoming, vibrant, and deeply enriching Jewish environment on and around campus.

As the Director of Jewish Student Life at Pitt, Your Duties Will Include:

• Work with students to grow and enhance sustainable communities.
• Serve as an advisor for our various Hillel communities such as: the Jewish Student Union (the Hillel JUC Pitt Board), Challah for Hunger, 21+, Social Justice Lunch and Learns, LGBTQIA, Big/Little, etc.
• Assist the Israel Engagement Coordinator and other Hillel staff with recruiting students for Taglit-Birthright Israel trips through tabling and coffee dates.
• Collaborate and work closely with the Assistant Director and other Hillel staff to implement the leadership vision, as well as create other leadership opportunities for student leaders (such as retreats, etc.).
• Understand Hillel’s strategic plan, with direct responsibility to develop one-on-one relationships with involved Hillel students.
• Identify key students who have potential to be successful and enthusiastic student leaders.
• Develop relationships with the University of Pittsburgh staff in Student Affairs, as well as various other departments.
• Have coffee dates with students.
• Work with students and staff to implement successful Shabbat and holiday programming.
• Utilize Pitt’s calendar of events in order to program accordingly.
• Other duties as assigned or initiated.

What You’ll Own and How You’ll Grow:

Jewish engagement and education

• Develop one-on-one relationships with Jewish students by meeting them where they live, work and/or study, utilizing creative methods to reach and connect them to Jewish life.
• Mentor student interns and volunteer leaders in their Jewish growth through one-on-one meetings and cultivate a Jewish community that is caring, diverse, welcoming and actively inclusive.
• Work with the Senior Jewish Educator to expand and grow your own Jewish knowledge.
• Develop and nurture relationships with certain University staff that work in the Cross Cultural Leadership Division as well as Residence Life.

Planning and Community Building

• Building on the Hillel JUC student leadership structure and strategic engagement initiative, you will assist the Pitt team in connecting the newly involved students into more high impact activities, and exploring ways to create meaningful Jewish experiences that are both relevant and impactful in their lives.
• Participate as a member of the Hillel staff team in major programs, Shabbat and holiday celebrations.
• Track and evaluate progress to show growth.

Immersion Experience Implementation

• Assist with the recruitment and staffing of Taglit-Birthright Israel and Alternative Spring Break trips.
• Create and implement opportunities for follow-through after immersive experiences.

Supervision and Professional Growth

• Participate in weekly professional supervision with the Assistant Director and weekly staff meetings
• Participate in semi-annual reviews to consider successes, challenges, and opportunities for growth, and to ensure the cultivation of skills and resources necessary to succeed

What We’re About:
The Edward and Rose Berman Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh serves as a hub for Jewish life on campus in Pittsburgh. Located in the Mildred and Joseph Stern building, the Hillel JUC serves a total of 2,000 undergraduate students on campus at the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and Duquesne University. The Hillel JUC provides a dynamic, fun and highly interactive work environment. Our goal is to engage every Jewish student on campus through a wide range of meaningful Jewish experiences and communities. Hillel JUC 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.

About the University of Pittsburgh:
Founded in 1787, the University of Pittsburgh has served as one of the many premiere academic institutions serving the Western PA. While Jewish life has always been prevalent in Pittsburgh, the past decade has seen a boom in the percentage of Jewish students at Pitt. Currently, Jewish students are the largest ethnic minority group on campus and comprise 1,700 of Pitt’s 17,184 full-time students.