Springboard Fellow at Penn State Hillel

Springboard Fellow

Penn State Hillel

Role Overview

Make your mark on Jewish student life by joining Penn State Hillel as the Springboard Fellow. You will build one on one relationships with students, plan and execute engaging events and programs around campus, and help inspire students to make a commitment to Jewish life . The Pennsylvania State University is one of the largest and most respected public universities in the country. Penn State Hillel has received numerous campus and national awards and has become one of the premier centers for Jewish student life in the country. Penn State Hillel operates out of a state-of-the-art facility completed in 2022. Penn State Hillel is located in State College, PA, on the beautiful campus of the Pennsylvania State University. At Penn State Hillel, you will be part of a team that works both to engage and develop student leaders and maintain the image of the Jewish community throughout Penn State. Penn State students are ambitious and entrepreneurial. You’re bold and creative, and ready to jump in with both feet to engage the Jewish student population. You’ll carry the ‘WE ARE’ spirit into everything you do, fueled by the pride of Happy Valley as you help define what it means to be a Jewish Nittany Lion. You see the value in Jewish communal life, and want to support students by putting a Jewish lens on their Penn State experience. 

You'll wake up each day (or at least most) and be genuinely excited and enthusiastic about creating an inviting place that inspires students to explore, experience, and create vibrant Jewish lives. This is so much more than your average 9-to-5.

About The Springboard Fellowship

The Springboard Fellowship is a paid, two-year fellowship that brings recent college grads with raw talent, passion, and skills needed to reimagine and redesign Jewish student life to college campuses across North America. 

Trained in Relationship-Based Engagement, Human-Centered Design and other entrepreneurial frameworks, you will be exposed to the most successful initiatives from across the Hillel movement. Fellows will work with students to imagine, create, and refine experiences for Jewish life that dramatically impact student engagement, efficiently and strategically apply and scale successful initiatives from across the movement, and give birth to cutting-edge ideas that have the potential to transform how Hillel and creates inclusive spaces for #AllKindsOfJewish.

We’re looking for people who embrace challenges, take risks, fail, and learn from the past, while maintaining their passion and sense of humor. Extensive Jewish education is not necessary — just an interest in creating a vibrant Jewish community, a commitment to learning, and the desire to make a difference in the lives of students. 

What You’ll Do

GOALS: 

• Engage and build authentic relationships with at least 180 Jewish undergraduate students through one-on-one conversations, individual outreach, and high-impact experiences  by May 2027.
• Innovate and implement the transformation of two areas of Jewish Student Life that will result in increased interest and attendance. 
• Advise Hillel micro-communities by supporting students' interests and allow for all communities to grow, assisting in the development of new experiences and student driving initiatives. 

WHAT YOU’LL DO:  

• Build authentic relationships with Jewish students at Penn State by engaging them, identifying their interests and connecting them to opportunities at Hillel.
• Assist with recruiting students for immersive experiences, ongoing Jewish learning, and micro-community involvement.
• Serve as an advisor for our various Hillel micro-communities based on your interests and the interests of our students.
• Identify key students who have potential to be successful and enthusiastic student leaders.

Who You Are

• You’re A Relationship-Builder: You thrive on meeting new people, understanding their interests, and forging meaningful connections.
• You’re A Collaborative Team Player: You enjoy working collaboratively with a team to solve problems and explore new initiatives.
• You’re A Passionate Learner: You love learning and continuously building up your Jewish knowledge.
• You’re An Innovative Educator: You believe in infusing education into captivating experiences that stimulate the imagination.
• You’re A Facilitator: You thrive in creating spaces for students to converse, share ideas, and explore and develop their own ideas on relevant issues.
• You’re A Recent College Grad: Whatever your degree, you are excited about Jewish life on campus and have experience as a participant and maybe even as an educator in a Jewish educational setting.
• You’re A Creative Thinker: You are constantly reimagining the ordinary, seeking ways to repurpose and improve things.
• You’re A Bold Visionary: Think big and creatively, viewing everything as a possibility and embracing a risk-taking, entrepreneurial spirit.

 ~You’re A Springboard Fellow ~

What You’ll Bring to the Job 

• 0 -3 years professional work experience
• Bachelor's degree
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• A passion for impacting Jewish life on college campuses
• Demonstrated interest in student engagement and leadership
• Genuine passion for pluralistic Jewish communities and for helping create a welcoming, vibrant, and meaningful Jewish environment.
• A strong entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to try new ideas, learn from experience, and grow through both successes and challenges.
• Confidence in taking initiative, leading programs, and asking thoughtful questions along the way.
• Excitement to continue developing your own relationship to Judaism. 
• This is an in-person role location in State College, Pennsylvania; remote work is not available for this position 

What You’ll Receive

• Competitive salary in the nonprofit marketplace. The salary for this role is $46,000 in year one of the Fellowship, and the salary is $48,000 in year two of the Fellowship.
• 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.
• High-level professional development to help develop core skills in experiential education, including learning from some of the most innovative organizations in Jewish education today. 
• $3,200 in professional development funds from the Springboard Fellowship to utilize over the course of two years.
• Intensive Jewish summer and year-long learning experiences that will provide you with the knowledge, passion, and critical tool kit to fuel your work building our Jewish communities. 
• Mentoring and career coaching to help you during and after your Fellowship. 
• A network of terrific colleagues from across the Hillel movement. 
• Travel opportunities, both domestically and internationally, multiple times per year (if permitted).

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.