Israel Engagement Lead for Campus Travel Programs

Hillel International; College Park (MD); On-site; USD 48,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Unlimited coffee and froyo

Job summary

Maryland Hillel seeks a dynamic IACT Coordinator to connect University of Maryland students to Israel, Jewish life, and one another through immersive travel, educational opportunities, and ongoing engagement. You’ll lead Birthright Israel, Onward Israel, and other initiatives, building authentic relationships and year‑round strategies across campus.

The role emphasizes recruitment through genuine connections, on‑campus presence, and collaboration with colleagues to create meaningful experiences

Qualifications

• 0-2 years of professional work experience.
• A demonstrated passion for Jewish student engagement, Israel, and creating meaningful experiences for college students.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build genuine relationships with students from a wide range of backgrounds, interests, and levels of Jewish engagement.
• A proactive, outgoing, and entrepreneurial approach to engagement, with a willingness to initiate conversations and build trust over time.
• Experience in student engagement, Jewish communal work, Israel programming, experiential education, travel programs, campus life, or a related field.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple programs, deadlines, logistics, and relationships simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to connect with students in both formal and informal settings.
• Comfort working independently while collaborating closely with a team.
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and travel-related hours, particularly around student programming and trip cycles.
• A commitment to Maryland Hillel’s pluralistic approach and to engaging students with a range of Jewish backgrounds, interests, and perspectives.
• Experience with Birthright Israel, Onward Israel, Alternative Spring Break, Greek life engagement, or other immersive student travel programs is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Student Engagement and Relationship Building: Build authentic, ongoing relationships with a wide range of Jewish students, including those deeply connected to Jewish life and those with limited engagement.
• Maintain a visible, approachable campus presence, meeting students where they are in residence halls, dining spaces, student organizations, Greek life communities, campus events, and other student gathering places.
• Develop relationships with fraternity and sorority members, chapter leaders, student organization leaders, and other influential peer networks to create pathways for engagement and participation.
• Identify students’ interests, identities, questions, and motivations, and connect them with relevant Jewish experiences, Israel opportunities, and Hillel programs.
• Help students take meaningful next steps after participating in a trip or program, building pathways from a single experience to continued involvement, leadership, and community.
• Collaborate with Maryland Hillel colleagues to integrate Israel engagement into the broader student engagement strategy and ensure students experience Hillel as a connected, welcoming community.
• Serve as an active member of the broader team by staffing Shabbat dinners and other Hillel-wide experiences, including holiday celebrations and other large-scale programs.
• Israel Travel and Experiential Education: Lead the recruitment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of Birthright Israel trips, Onward Israel internships and experiences, Alternative Spring Break, and other Israel-related initiatives.
• Develop and execute year-round recruitment strategies that prioritize relationship-building, peer-to-peer outreach, targeted engagement, and personal follow-up.
• Build and maintain relationships with prospective participants throughout the recruitment process, helping students understand the value of each opportunity and supporting them through application, preparation, and participation.
• Coordinate participant outreach, applications, interviews or eligibility processes as applicable, pre-trip education, logistical preparation, and post-trip follow-up.
• Work with Israel program partners, campus colleagues, student leaders, alumni, and other stakeholders to deliver high-quality, meaningful experiences.
• Develop creative strategies to reach students who may not initially see Israel travel as relevant, accessible, or appealing to them.
• Program Development and Jewish Engagement: Serve as an active member of Maryland Hillel's engagement team, helping to engage students with diverse interests, backgrounds, and levels of Jewish involvement through a variety of relationship-based outreach strategies and experiences.
• Create and implement Israel-centered programs throughout the academic year that invite students to explore Israel, Israeli society, Jewish peoplehood, identity, culture, and contemporary issues.
• Connect students to Israel engagement opportunities beyond travel, including educational programs, speakers, cultural events, fellowships, internships, and leadership opportunities.
• Help students process and reflect on their Israel experiences, encouraging curiosity, thoughtful dialogue, and deeper learning.
• Approach Israel engagement with educational intentionality, recognizing that students bring different experiences, perspectives, questions, and levels of familiarity to the conversation.
• Recruitment Strategy, Outreach, and Evaluation: Develop a comprehensive, year-round engagement and recruitment plan with clear goals, timelines, and strategies for reaching students across campus.
• Use student relationships, peer networks, campus partnerships, and data-informed outreach to identify prospective participants and expand access to programs.
• Track engagement, recruitment pipelines, applications, participation, and post-program involvement to assess impact and improve future efforts.
• Collaborate with the Maryland Hillel team on communications, marketing, social media, and outreach strategies that tell compelling stories about Israel travel and Jewish engagement.
• Evaluate programs regularly, incorporating student feedback and participation data to strengthen recruitment, educational quality, and long-term engagement.

Skills

Relationship-building

Interpersonal skills

Student engagement

Communication

Entrepreneurial mindset

Job description

Maryland Hillel seeks a dynamic IACT Coordinator to connect University of Maryland students to Israel, Jewish life, and one another through immersive travel, educational opportunities, and ongoing engagement. You’ll lead Birthright Israel, Onward Israel, and other initiatives, building authentic relationships and year‑round strategies across campus.

The role emphasizes recruitment through genuine connections, on‑campus presence, and collaboration with colleagues to create meaningful experiences