JOB: Engagement Associate

HILLEL at the UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
ENGAGEMENT ASSOCIATE

Hillel at UMass is home to many different student-led groups. Hillel offers social, cultural, educational and religious programming to Jewish students, both on and off campus. Special features for students at UMass Amherst include:
- University-accredited courses on exciting Jewish issues that are offered by and available at Hillel.
- A warm and welcoming Grinspoon Hillel House that is close to campus. It includes a Dr. Max Goldberg Jewish Living and Learning Community which is a residence for up to 26 Jewish students.
- Free Friday night dinners and Shabbat lunches at Hillel

UMass hosts an Israel Fellow, a young Israeli who helps bring Israel awareness to campus. We work closely with Hillel students and staff at neighboring campuses of Smith, Amherst, Mt. Holyoke and Hampshire Colleges. As a Tzedek Hillel, we co-sponsor with the Newman Center a meals-on-wheels program that provides lunches to low-income residents in Amherst.

UMass also hosts a JLI couple, Jewish Learning Initiative, a partnership between Hillel and the Orthodox Union. This couple works to strengthen UMass Hillel’s vibrant and growing orthodox community as well as they are full members of the UMass Hillel team.

UMass Amherst Hillel is the only six-time winner of International Hillel's Haber Award for "programs of quality for the Jewish campus community."

Jewish students come to UMass from a wide variety of backgrounds. The campus is a wonderful setting to explore and enhance one's Jewish connection and identity. The following comment of one student typifies what many experience here: "I never thought Judaism would become as large a part of my life as it has at my time at UMass. As a graduating senior, I know I will appreciate the many Jewish connections I've made here."

Located in beautiful Western Massachusetts, the Pioneer Valley offers a vast array of cultural, educational, and recreational opportunities. With five colleges, a strong Jewish community, charming and progressive New England towns, there is always something going on. Centrally located, (only two hours from Boston and three hours from New York), the area is home to all different types and offers a lifestyle rich in arts, culture, education, and history.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

UMass Hillel is building its staff with the addition of an Engagement Associate to keep pace with the rapidly growing Jewish student population on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus. The Engagement Associate will work to build relationships with Jewish students and work to connect them to meaningful and relevant Jewish experiences. As a team member, the Engagement Associate will help to enhance Jewish life at UMass Amherst by ensuring diverse opportunities for Jewish expression, developing student leaders, and promoting a welcoming, pluralistic community.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

* Build connections and meaningful Jewish experiences for students not yet involved in Jewish life at UMass. Engage new students in Jewish life by developing and implementing targeted community organizing, networking and leadership development strategies for UMass students.

* Initiate contact with uninvolved students through personal calls, tables on campus, one-on-one meetings etc.
* Implement creative and relevant initiatives that focus on the interests and needs of targeted populations of UMass students as appropriate (eg: atheletes, first year students, members of Greek organizations). Create connections to meaningful Jewish experiences within and outside of Hillel for these student populations.
* Work with staff and students to recruit students for Taglit-Birthright Israel and Alternative Spring Break programs. Assist in staffing of trips and in implementation of follow-through initiatives for all immersive experiences.

* Identify and develop collaborative relationships and partnerships with other campus departments and organizations as well as community groups for outreach efforts and programming initiatives. Support & attend programs of collaborating partners.

*As a member of the UMass Hillel team, assist in maintaining Hillel’s extraordinary reputation on and off campus. Support other staff, as necessary, in the overall excellent operation of UMass Hillel.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Creativity, flexibility, passion, a sense of humor, and excellent interpersonal, communication, and leadership development skills are essential. Must be capable of working both independently and as part of a team, and have the ability to prioritize and handle multiple assignments. Candidates must have an undergraduate degree.

TO APPLY:

Email cover letter and resume to Saul Perlmutter at saulp@admin.umass.edu, listing Engagement Associate as the subject.