POSITION DESCRIPTION
Job Title: Executive Director, Newberger Hillel, The University of Chicago
Reports to: Executive Director, The Hillels of Illinois
FLSA Status: Exempt
Bargaining Status: Non- Bargaining Unit Professional
Job Location: 5715 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL 60637, UChicago Hillel
Date job description created/revised: December 2025
What you’ll be responsible for:
Join University of Chicago Hillel as the next Executive Director and help create the vision, develop the resources, and manage the operations for an organization that is the center of a pluralistic and inclusive Jewish community on campus. As Executive Director, you’ll oversee a talented team, manage operations, finances, and programming, and spearhead fundraising initiatives.
In partnership with all its key stakeholders, including Hillel’s Advisory Board, you will develop financial resources to help the organization grow and thrive, as well as work towards long-term financial sustainability. We are looking for a strong fundraiser, manager, and master relationship builder. You’ll be excellent in this role if you: possess a deep love for the Jewish people, are passionate about supporting students, enjoy being part of a university environment, have strength to lead a team, are able to set strategic vision, can secure financial resources, and build community.
What you’ll be doing:
Strategic Planning, Vision and Leadership
- Develop, articulate, and promote a dynamic and innovative vision for Jewish life at UChicago in partnership with key stakeholders, including students, Board, alumni, parents, staff, the Jewish United Fund, Hillel International, and The University of Chicago.
- Create an annual engagement strategy that centers students’ relationships and interests, in partnership with staff. Create strategies to expand the base of the Jewish student community to include a multiplicity of Jewish backgrounds and interests.
- Manage programs and projects to ensure effective and efficient internal operations and external affairs, including reporting, data, and metrics to track progress and growth.
Financial Resource Development and Fundraising
• In conjunction with the Executive Director of the Hillels of Illinois and the Assistant Director for the Hillels of Illinois and the Board, spearhead development activities, including annual and endowment/capital campaigns, major gifts cultivation, planned giving efforts, and face to face solicitation.
• Exhibit leadership around financial resource development and cultivate the stakeholders that will help you get there, including lay leaders and local community members and agencies. Develop and implement a robust multi-faceted annual development plan including stewardship of gifts and donor relations.
• Personally engage in fundraising with major donors and grant organizations.
• Oversee and manage the fiscal operation of Hillel through budget planning and management processes.
Staff Supervision and Development
- Inspire, develop, supervise, and mentor a professional staff team that delivers on a vision of pluralism, inclusivity, and student leadership development in order to deepen students’ relationships to Jewish life, Jewish learning, and Israel.
- Establish a culture of professional development, continual training, and growth.
Community Relations
- Exhibit organizational and communal leadership by understanding Hillel’s unique culture at the University of Chicago and in the Hyde Park neighborhood, cultivating relationships with all stakeholders, including student and university leaders, Jewish communal leaders, as well as alumni and parents across the country, and in alignment with JUF and Hillel’s priorities.
- Build relationships with students from diverse backgrounds through meaningful conversations and by creating connections to opportunities to participate in Jewish life on campus. Have your pulse on the changing needs of Jewish college students, Jewish identity development, and campus climate.
- Create a culture of shared responsibility and engagement among members of the advisory board and cultivate relationships with prospective board members who can provide generative and strategic leadership.
- Support JUF Campaign and mandatory campaign-related activities on an ongoing basis.
What You Need to Succeed:
- 10+ years of professional work experience. Experience in management roles in the Jewish or secular nonprofit, higher education, or mission-driven organization world is a plus. Past Hillel experience is also a plus.
- Bachelor’s degree required, master’s degree preferred.
- Knowledge of financial resource development, board management, strategic planning and organizational development, Jewish education, and Jewish culture and values.
- Skilled supervisor with experience managing and developing a team of professionals.
- Demonstrated fundraising experience including executing annual fundraising campaigns, cultivation, stewardship, and major gift solicitation.
- Exemplary relationship building skills, comfort working with diverse populations, and a visionary leader who connects with and inspires students, staff, and others to deepen their interest in Jewish life.
- A love of pluralistic Jewish life and practice as well as a nuanced understanding of Israel education and advocacy. Expertise in leading complex conversations about Judaism and Israel in a way that is approachable and meets students at various points in their personal Jewish journey.
- An attitude of proactive communication and collaboration.
- Strong attention to detail and interpersonal, multitasking, and time management skills. Effective communicator and collaborator, proactive, highly organized, and able to meet deadlines and goals.
- Comfort traveling regionally, nationally, and internationally as needed.
What You’ll Receive:
- Salary Range of $150,000-$180,000.
- Time off: 22 days of paid time off, 11 sick days, 8 paid federal holidays, up to 13 paid Jewish holidays, and 6 weeks paid parental leave.
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
- 401(k) plan with match and a 403(b) plan.
- Additional health and wellness benefits, financial benefits, professional training, tuition reimbursement, and much more.
- Great professional development, mentoring, and skill-building opportunities as part of the global Hillel movement.
About University of Chicago Hillel
University of Chicago Hillel is the center of Jewish life for one of the most intellectually rigorous and diverse campuses in the world. Serving undergraduate and graduate students from a wide range of Jewish backgrounds, UChicago Hillel fosters a pluralistic, inclusive, and vibrant community rooted in Jewish learning, tradition, and leadership. Through dynamic programming, spiritual exploration, and student-driven initiatives, Hillel empowers students to build meaningful Jewish identities and contribute to a thriving campus culture. Located in the heart of Hyde Park, UChicago Hillel is a vital part of the university’s ecosystem and is a place where students find community, challenge ideas, and grow into the Jewish leaders of tomorrow.
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 nearly 1,000 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.