Davis Engagement Associate

Hillel at Davis and Sacramento

Role Overview

Hillel at Davis and Sacramento is seeking a dynamic, creative, and relationship-driven Davis Engagement Associate (DEA) to join our professional team. We are looking for someone with contagious enthusiasm, entrepreneurial energy, strong organizational and communication skills, and a deep commitment to cultivating vibrant Jewish life in Davis. Our Hillel is an exciting environment for building innovative, student-centered experiences for a large and diverse Jewish student community on the UC Davis campus.

The DEA serves as a key driver of student engagement and campus community-building, overseeing many programmatic aspects of Hillel’s work while prioritizing meaningful connections with students. Through one-on-one engagement, leadership development, and creative programming, the DEA helps students explore Jewish identity, build lasting friendships, and develop leadership skills that extend beyond college.

The DEA works to ensure that every student can find an accessible and meaningful point of connection to Jewish life, while fostering a warm, welcoming, and inclusive community where students feel seen, valued, and empowered.

What You’ll Do

Student Engagement & Relationship Building

• Attend a wide range of programs and campus activities, including some evenings, weekends, and holidays.
• Serve as a Jewish role model and resource for students and campus groups, while supporting student-initiated programs and ideas.
• Identify uninvolved students and implement creative strategies to build meaningful connections.
• Serve as a liaison to the local Jewish community and university organizations, facilitating collaboration on joint initiatives with groups such as the University Religious Council, Interfaith Campus Council, Jewish young adult groups, local synagogues, and more.

Program Development & Execution

• Plan, facilitate, and evaluate a variety of engaging programs and initiatives that align with Hillel’s mission, vision, and values.
• Ensure all aspects of programming run smoothly from logistics to content and reflect our broader programmatic vision.
• Coordinate and oversee weekly Shabbat programming in partnership with student Services & Song Leaders, helping create meaningful, welcoming, and student-centered Jewish experiences.
• Plan and facilitate weekly Tuesday brunch as an accessible touchpoint for student engagement, relationship-building, and community connection.
• Manage and track program budgets.

Student Leadership Supervision & Development

• Support student leadership by recruiting, onboarding, training, supervising, and evaluating the Hillel Student Board, a registered student organization at UC Davis.
• Supervise and mentor the Communications Intern in creating engaging digital content and maintaining Hillel’s online presence.
• Mentor and empower student leaders to take ownership of programs, initiatives, and community-building efforts.

Communications & Marketing

• Supervise Hillel’s communication efforts, including oversight of social media strategy, promotional content, and student-facing communications.
• Coordinate program publicity by managing official social media accounts (including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and more), creating promotional graphics and flyers using Canva, and supporting student-driven outreach.
• Implement creative strategies to increase Hillel’s brand awareness and visibility across campus (e.g., weekly tabling on the Memorial Union Quad, distributing flyers in high-traffic campus areas, partnering with the Jewish Studies department, and collaborating with student organizations and campus offices).

Grants, Development & Community Partnerships

• Collaborate with the Assistant Director and Development Director to identify, prepare, submit, and track grant proposals, with a focus on programmatic initiatives such as Hillel International Micro Grants and Interfaith America.
• Assist the Development Director with fundraising efforts, including digital campaigns such as Giving Tuesday and Hillel Global Giving Week.

A Typical Week Might Include

• Facilitating a brainstorming session with student leaders to develop creative and meaningful ways to engage new students and strengthen campus community.
• Weekly one-on-one check-ins with the Communications Intern to strategize outreach efforts, review upcoming promotions, highlight student experiences, celebrate community moments, and provide mentorship and supervision.
• Biweekly meetings with the Hillel Student Board to strategize outreach efforts, review upcoming events, and provide mentorship and accountability.
• Collaborating with the programming team to generate innovative ideas and ensure cohesive, student-centered programming throughout the quarter.
• Meeting one-on-one with students over coffee to build relationships and help connect them to meaningful Jewish experiences and leadership opportunities.
• Coordinating weekly Shabbat and Tuesday brunch experiences alongside student leaders to foster community.
• Researching and applying for grants that support innovative engagement initiatives and student programming.
• Tracking student interactions, program participation, and engagement data through HEaRT to support relationship-based outreach and strategic planning.

What You’ve Accomplished

• Earned a bachelor’s degree.
• Gained 1-3 years of professional experience in Jewish communal work, experiential education, higher education, or student engagement settings.
• Developed strong organizational, communication, and project management skills.
• Worked collaboratively with students, colleagues, and community partners.
• Displayed creativity, initiative, and entrepreneurial energy in developing new ideas and opportunities.
• Demonstrated a passion for Jewish community, relationship-based engagement, and supporting college students in their personal and leadership growth.

What You’ll Bring to the Job

• The ability to work independently, and as part of a team, in a fast-paced environment where organization and attention to detail are essential.
• Creativity, flexibility, initiative, and excellent interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills.
• A serious work ethic, sense of humor, and willingness to take risks and learn from unexpected situations.
• A commitment to pluralism.
• Excel in a dynamic and growth oriented entrepreneurial organization that seeks to say yes often and envision new modalities for success.
• Fluency with Jewish knowledge, ideas, traditions, conversations, and practices.

What You’ll Receive

• Competitive salary in the nonprofit marketplace. The salary range for this role is $48,000 to $52,000.
• 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.
• Great professional development, mentoring, and skill building opportunities
• Travel regionally and abroad, particularly to Israel.
• Plenty of Hillel and university swag!

About Hillel at Davis and Sacramento

Hillel at Davis and Sacramento’s mission is to enrich the lives of Jewish students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world. Every day, Hillel strives to do this through the goals of enhancing campus life, embodying Jewish values, engaging Jewish students, nurturing empowered leadership, and cultivating community. Join us in shaping the future of Jewish life at UC Davis!

Hillel at Davis and Sacramento is affiliated with Hillel International.