First-Year Student Engagement Associate at University of Michigan Hillel

First-Year Student Engagement AssociateUniversity of Michigan HillelRole Overview

The First-Year Student Engagement Associate is responsible for building meaningful relationships with first-year students and helping them develop strong connections to Jewish life, learning, leadership, and community during their transition to campus. Through relationship-building, mentorship, and innovative engagement strategies, this professional will create welcoming and accessible entry points into Jewish campus life for a diverse population of Jewish students.

The Associate will serve as a primary connector and resource for first-year students as they navigate college life, explore Jewish identity, and seek belonging and community on campus. Working collaboratively with students, colleagues, university partners, and student leaders, this role will help cultivate an engaging and supportive Jewish community rooted in relationship-building, exploration, and student ownership.

This role is ideal for someone who is highly relational, energetic, student-centered, and passionate about helping new students build confidence, connection, and community early in their college experience.

What You’ll Do

Engage & Support First-Year Students

• Build authentic relationships with first-year students through one-on-one conversations, small-group engagement, and intentional outreach.
• Create welcoming pathways into Jewish life for students who are new to campus and may not yet feel connected to Jewish community.
• Help first-year students navigate the transition to college by fostering belonging, community, and peer connection.
• Identify and engage uninvolved or under-engaged first-year students and connect them to meaningful opportunities for involvement.
• Connect students with opportunities including leadership programs, internships, immersive experiences, conferences, travel opportunities, and Jewish communal involvement.

Build First-Year Community Through Jewish Experiences

• Develop and support welcoming Shabbat dinners, holiday celebrations, social gatherings, leadership opportunities, and Jewish learning experiences for first-year students.
• Create low-barrier, relationship-driven engagement opportunities that help students build friendships and community.
• Brainstorm and pilot innovative approaches to first-year student engagement and participation in Jewish life.

Mentor Emerging Student Leaders

• Identify and mentor first-year students with leadership potential.
• Support students in developing confidence, leadership skills, and ownership over their Jewish community experiences.
• Partner with upperclass student leaders to strengthen peer mentorship and first-year student engagement.

Support Outreach & Campus Partnerships

• Collaborate with colleagues on recruitment, outreach, and first-year engagement strategies.
• Partner with university offices, orientation programs, residence life staff, and student organizations to strengthen outreach to incoming and first-year students.
• Assist with marketing efforts, social media outreach, and communications targeted toward first-year students.
• Support tracking and assessment of first-year student engagement and participation trends.

On a Day-to-Day Basis You Will

• Meet individually with first-year students over coffee, meals, or informal conversations to build authentic relationships.
• Conduct outreach to new students and help connect them to meaningful Jewish experiences and communities.
• Staff and support first-year-focused Shabbat dinners, social events, holiday programming, and Jewish learning opportunities.
• Collaborate with student leaders and colleagues to strengthen first-year engagement and retention efforts.
• Brainstorm creative and innovative ways to engage students who are still exploring their place on and off campus.
• Build relationships with campus partners connected to orientation, student success, and residential life.

What You’ve Accomplished

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 0-3 years of experience in Jewish nonprofit, student engagement, or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability to build authentic relationships with college students and foster community.
• Strong oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills, including active listening.
• Experience supporting student engagement, mentoring emerging leaders, or creating community-building experiences.
• Passion for helping students navigate transition, belonging, identity exploration, and campus involvement.
• Creativity, entrepreneurial thinking, and enthusiasm for student-centered engagement work.
• Ability to balance multiple projects and responsibilities in a dynamic campus environment.
• Comfort working flexible hours including evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed.
• Familiarity with social media, marketing, and outreach strategies.

What You’ll Receive

• Competitive salary in the nonprofit marketplace. The salary range for this role is $42,000 - $46,000.
• Comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, retirement plan, medical and paid time off, parental leave, and a cell phone plan.
• Great professional development, mentoring, and skill building opportunities.
• Mentorship and support from colleagues across the Hillel movement.
• Plenty of Hillel swag!

Are you excited about this role, but worried that your experience doesn’t align with every requirement? We value transferable skills and a growth mindset. Our team is dedicated to building an inclusive, equitable, and authentic workplace. Diverse experiences, identities, and perspectives make us more effective in our commitment to pluralism. We encourage you to apply!

About University of Michigan Hillel

With over 6,000 Jewish students on campus, the University of Michigan Hillel offers diverse, pluralistic and innovative ways to engage in Jewish life. Michigan Hillel is a national leader in nurturing empowered leadership among students who have a profound impact not only on campus life but on the broader Jewish community as well. Most importantly, our student leaders feel a strong sense of ownership, empowerment, and accomplishment. 

Ann Arbor is a small city (110,000 people) blessed with many big city comforts. The city prides itself on its wonderful restaurants, natural and recreational spaces, and a football stadium that holds more fans on a game day than the entire population of Ann Arbor. The Jewish community has one of everything (Jewish Federation, Jewish Day School, Jewish Community Center, and Secular Humanistic, Renewal, Reconstructionist, Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Chabad and local home-based services). Ann Arbor is the kind of town where people greet each other in the street and where you can have an impact on building community, while the university’s size and diversity makes you feel like you are always meeting new people and learning something new. 

University of Michigan Hillel is affiliated with Hillel International. 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.