Description
About the Role
Harvard Hillel seeks an exceptional founding professional to institutionalize and sustain The Camel, a highly successful Harvard- and MIT–student-led initiative that has emerged as one of the most dynamic platforms for Jewish, Israeli, and cross-cultural engagement on elite campuses.
Launched in 2024 as a student startup, The Camel has been conceived, built, and led by students—and has rapidly grown into a high-impact initiative backed by leading figures in business and Jewish philanthropy. In its first year, The Camel welcomed nearly 2,000 students (approximately half non-Jewish) to more than 20 events and culminated in a three-day Hackathon connecting elite Israeli innovators and IDF veterans with Harvard and MIT students.
This role is designed to institutionalize and provide continuity to The Camel while preserving, cultivating, and strengthening its student-led DNA. The Director will serve as the professional anchor—ensuring financial rigor, operational excellence, donor stewardship, and long-term sustainability—while fostering student leadership development, governance, and succession so that The Camel continues to thrive as a student-driven movement.
The Director will work in close partnership with student leaders and maintain a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Camel Student Board, supporting their vision and empowering them to drive growth, programming, and culture.
This is a founding leadership role at a pivotal moment, shaping how a successful student startup matures into a durable, multi-campus, and international institution.
Position Overview
Title: Director of Operations and Strategy
Status: Full-time (40 hours/week; flexible as required by programming)
Reports to: Director of Development
Dotted-line relationship: Camel Student Board & Executive Director
Key Responsibilities
Institutional Leadership & Continuity for The Camel
Serve as the founding professional leader responsible for institutionalizing The Camel while preserving its student-led ethos.
Partner closely with the Camel Student Board and founders to translate student vision into executable, sustainable strategy
Build and maintain the operational, financial, and governance infrastructure that allows student leadership to succeed year after year
Implement student leadership succession frameworks, ensuring continuity across graduating classes
Act as steward of institutional memory, systems, and best practices as student leadership turns over
Serve as the operational and administrative interface between student leadership, Harvard Hillel administration, and external partners, while supporting student leaders in maintaining and strengthening those relationships.
Financial Management, Operations & Stakeholder Stewardship
Establish financial systems and Implement financial operations for The Camel, including budgeting, expense tracking, accounts payable/receivable, and reporting, in coordination with student Board
Manage six-figure to seven-figure program budgets with transparency and rigor
Support the execution of 3+ complex, high-production events per month, working hand-in-hand with student leaders
Serve as primary staff liaison to donors, advisory board members, speakers, and strategic partners
Prepare financial and impact reports for student leadership, advisory boards, and philanthropic stakeholders
Coordinate advisory board meetings and donor briefings
Oversee gift processing, vendor payments, and donor acknowledgments in compliance with nonprofit and university systems
Track engagement metrics and outcomes to support fundraising and strategic growth
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree and 3–7 years of progressively responsible experience in operations, finance, nonprofit management, or program leadership
Demonstrated experience managing budgets and financial reporting and systems
Strong comfort partnering with student leaders while providing professional structure and accountability
Exceptional organizational and interpersonal skills
Experience working with high-level stakeholders, donors, or advisory boards
Ability to thrive in fast-paced, high-visibility environments
Willingness to work flexible hours
Compensation & Benefits
Salary range: $75,000 – $85,000, commensurate with experience
Comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, retirement plan, and generous paid time off
Unparalleled access to influential entrepreneurs, investors, and philanthropists
Opportunity to help institutionalize a nationally scalable, student-driven model
About Harvard Hillel & The Camel
Harvard Hillel is a Jewish home that welcomes all students to explore Jewish identity, culture, and community at one of the world’s most influential universities.
The Camel is a student-founded and student-led initiative redefining Jewish and Israel engagement through inspiration, innovation, and opportunity.
Harvard 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.
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. As Hillel evolves as an organization, the mission remains steadfast: to create lasting connections with every Jewish student that foster an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning, and Israel and train them to become the next Jewish leaders.
Hillel is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an accepting and inclusive environment for all.
Requirements
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree and 3–7 years of progressively responsible experience in operations, finance, nonprofit management, or program leadership
Demonstrated experience managing budgets and financial reporting and systems
Strong comfort partnering with student leaders while providing professional structure and accountability
Exceptional organizational and interpersonal skills
Experience working with high-level stakeholders, donors, or advisory boards
Ability to thrive in fast-paced, high-visibility environments
Willingness to work flexible hours
Compensation & Benefits
Salary range: $75,000 – $85,000, commensurate with experience
Comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, retirement plan, and generous paid time off
Unparalleled access to influential entrepreneurs, investors, and philanthropists
Opportunity to help institutionalize a nationally scalable, student-driven model
