Director of Operations and Strategy

Harvard Hillel

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.