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

About this role

Belonging and Campus Engagement Coordinator

Center for Jewish Life – Princeton Hillel

Role Overview

The Center for Jewish Life – Princeton Hillel seeks a warm, relational, creative, and highly motivated Belonging and Campus Engagement Coordinator to help more Jewish students experience the CJL as a place of connection, meaning, joy, and belonging.

This new full-time role is central to the CJL’s growing vision for student engagement. The Coordinator will focus especially on students who are not yet deeply connected to Jewish life on campus, including first-year students, students on the margins of Jewish community, and those who may feel hesitant to walk into a Jewish space where they assume others already belong.

The ideal candidate will be young in spirit, highly relatable to students, energized by campus life, and skilled at building trust through one-to-one relationships, small-group gatherings, and creative engagement in spaces where students already spend their time. This person will help students form meaningful relationships first, then guide them into CJL experiences such as Shabbat, holidays, learning opportunities, leadership programs, and community gatherings.

The Belonging and Campus Engagement Coordinator will report to Rabbi Gil Steinlauf, Executive Director of the Center for Jewish Life – Princeton Hillel, and will work closely with Marni Blitz and Rabbi Rebecca Galin to translate the CJL’s belonging strategy into daily, on-the-ground student engagement. While senior staff provide strategic direction, mentoring, learning, and leadership development, this role will drive implementation, follow-through, student relationship-building, and creative presence across campus.

What You’ll Do

Student Engagement and Relationship Building

• 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

• Bring creativity and energy to campus engagement, including pop-up experiences, informal gatherings, and programs outside the CJL building.

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.

Staff Collaboration

• Report to Rabbi Gil Steinlauf, Executive Director of the Center for Jewish Life – Princeton Hillel.

• Work closely with Marni Blitz, Rabbi Rebecca Galin, and other CJL staff to implement the CJL’s belonging and engagement strategy.

• Participate actively in staff meetings, planning conversations, and student engagement reviews.

• Coordinate with staff across program areas, including Shabbat and holidays, learning, leadership development, Israel engagement, wellness, and student support.

• Serve as a bridge between student experience on the ground and the CJL’s larger strategic goals.

What You’ll Bring to the Job

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will bring many of the following qualities and experiences:

• 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,

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