Belonging and Campus Engagement Coordinator at the Center for Jewish Life – Princeton Hillel

What You’ll Do

• Build authentic one-to-one relationships with Jewish students across campus, with particular attention to first-year students, less-engaged students, and students who may not yet see themselves as part of Jewish life.
  • Meet students where they are, including residential colleges, dining halls, athletic spaces, arts communities, student group settings, and informal campus gathering places.
  • Create low-barrier entry points into Jewish community through coffee meetings, small-group gatherings, peer invitations, and creative touchpoints.
  • Help students move from initial connection toward deeper involvement in CJL programs, Shabbat and holiday experiences, learning opportunities, leadership roles, and ongoing community life.
  • Identify students who may benefit from pastoral, educational, leadership, or peer support, and connect them appropriately with CJL staff.

  Belonging-Focused Programming

  • Support the planning and execution of programs that foster connection, inclusion, Jewish joy, and student belonging.
  • Help create small-scale and relational programs that meet students’ needs in real time.
  • Partner with student leaders and staff to develop welcoming pathways into major CJL experiences, including Shabbat, holidays, first-year programming, and community-wide gatherings.
  • Assist with outreach, logistics, follow-up, and evaluation for belonging-focused initiatives.
  • Manage the CJL Cafe, including ordering, maintaining, displaying the offerings, and being a consistent presence there to greet students.

  Peer Engagement and Student Leadership

  • Strengthen the CJL’s peer engagement infrastructure by supporting student connectors, interns, fellows, and volunteer leaders.
  • Help students invite their peers into CJL life in ways that feel natural, personal, and authentic.
  • Support student leaders with follow-through, communication, hospitality, and event execution.
  • Track student engagement patterns and help identify opportunities for deeper connection.
  • Work with staff to ensure that peer engagement efforts align with the CJL’s broader mission and strategic priorities. Communications and Follow-Through
    • Support clear, warm, student-facing communications for engagement programs and belonging initiatives.
    • Help maintain strong follow-up after programs, one-to-one meetings, and student gatherings.
    • Collaborate with staff to ensure that students receive timely invitations, reminders, and personal outreach.
    • Contribute to systems for tracking student engagement, interests, and next steps.
    • Help tell the story of student belonging through brief reflections, impact notes, and program updates when needed. What You’ll Bring to the Job

      Qualifications

      • Bachelor’s degree required. One to three years of relevant experience preferred, including campus engagement, Jewish communal work, student life, community organizing, education, social work, youth work, or related fields.
      • Deep enthusiasm for building Jewish community with college students.
      • Strong relational instincts and comfort initiating conversations with new people.
      • Ability to connect with students from a wide range of Jewish backgrounds, identities, beliefs, and levels of involvement.
      • Strong organizational skills and ability to manage details, follow-through, and multiple projects at once.
      • Creativity, flexibility, warmth, emotional intelligence, and a collaborative spirit.
      • Comfort working some evenings and occasional weekends, especially around Shabbat, holidays, and major student programs.
      • Commitment to pluralistic Jewish community and to the CJL’s mission of helping students grow through belonging, learning, inspiration, and service.
      • Familiarity with campus life, Hillel, Jewish student engagement, or residential college environments is a plus.

      Personal Qualities

      • Warm, approachable, and genuinely curious about students’ lives.
      • Energized by informal relationship-building as much as formal programming.
      • Able to notice students who are standing at the edge of community and help them feel seen.
      • Creative about bringing Jewish life beyond the walls of the CJL.
      • Reliable, organized, and strong on follow-through.
      • Comfortable working in a fast-moving, collaborative, student-centered environment.
      • Passionate about helping Jewish students experience community as accessible, meaningful, and joyful. About the Center for Jewish Life
        • The Center for Jewish Life – Princeton Hillel is the home for Jewish life at Princeton University.
        • Guided by our vision of a generation of Princetonians who carry Jewish purpose, resilience, and responsibility into the world, the CJL helps students grow through meaningful connection, inspirational experiences, Jewish learning, and a commitment to service.

        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.
        • Hillel International enriches the lives of Jewish students so 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.
        • Hillel is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an accepting and inclusive environment for all.