Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications

Applications submitted through the Hillel International website will NOT be considered. To apply, please submit your application through the Sandler Search website linked HERE. 

Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications

Hillel International

Role Overview

Hillel International seeks a Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications (SVP, M&C) to lead an exciting, high-impact portfolio encompassing marketing, communications, and a large direct-response fundraising unit. Reporting directly to the Chief External Affairs Officer and serving as a key member of the senior leadership team, this executive will manage three direct reports and a team of nearly 40 professionals.

The SVP, M&C must bring exceptional leadership, judgment, and cultural fluency with the ability to operate in a nuanced ecosystem. This leader will be a central partner in crisis communications, marketing and brand strategy, and organizational alignment, balancing urgency with long-term strategy.

For more information about this important work and vision, explore Hillel’s new strategic planfor 2025-2028.

Location: Remote, East Coast or Central Time preferred

What You’ll Do

Marketing & Brand Strategy

• Grow Hillel’s global marketing function, bringing strategic focus, creativity, and momentum to a high-growth area.
• Strengthen Hillel’s brand positioning across a competitive market landscape, encompassing campus, community, students, parents, and stakeholders.
• Increase student awareness, relevance, and engagement nationally, operating effectively within a modest budget.
• Infuse creativity, innovation, and strategic thinking into marketing efforts and brand building opportunities across channels and audiences.

Communications, Reputation & Crisis Leadership

• Serve as a senior organizational leader on communications strategy, including crisis response related to campus antisemitism, and other high-profile and sensitive topics.
• Provide sound judgment and strategic counsel on high-stakes, reputational matters.
• Anticipate how messaging will land with diverse audiences, including students, campus professionals, donors, boards, and university leaders.
• Collaborate closely with Legal, Campus Affairs, executive leadership, and external advisors to ensure coordinated, disciplined communications.

Direct-Response Fundraising

• Ensure strong leadership, culture, and accountability while empowering experienced leaders to manage day-to-day execution.
• Align fundraising communications with enterprise brand and messaging strategy.
• Support the continued success and growth of Hillel International’s grassroots movement-wide fundraising consulting services and partner with senior leadership to evaluate the future structure and evolution of the function.

Executive Leadership & Organizational Partnership

• Lead and develop a distributed team of nearly 40 professionals across marketing, communications, and fundraising consulting.
• Oversee senior leaders who independently manage large, multi-layered teams.
• Serve as a key member of the senior leadership team, partnering closely with the CEO, CEAO, and other executives.
• Represent Hillel externally with credibility, nuance, and executive presence while thriving in a complex, high-accountability environment.

Qualifications & Experience 

This is a unique opportunity for a bold, mission-driven marketing and communications leader to shape and lead a comprehensive, enterprise-wide marketing and communications strategy; drive execution through strong, experienced leaders; and inspire a best-in-class team as the organization continues to navigate rapid landscape changes, emerging needs, and scale its overall impact.

The SVP will bring:

Senior & People Leadership: 15+ years of progressive senior leadership experience across marketing and communications, with related experience in fundraising and a strong track record of leading and developing large, multi-layered teams in complex, distributed organizations.

Strategic Marketing & Brand Vision: Demonstrated strategic marketing acumen, including brand positioning, deep channel and audience fluency and operating effectively within resource constraints, with experience providing brand stewardship across complex, distributed organizations.

Crisis Communications & Judgment: Significant experience navigating crisis communications, reputational risk, and high-stakes issues requiring sound judgment, speed, and discretion.

Jewish Communal & College Campuses: Sophisticated understanding of the Jewish communal ecosystem and campus dynamics, including political nuance; candidates without direct Jewish professional experience will be considered only with significant, relevant lay leadership exposure.

Board & Executive Presence: Comfort working closely with boards, senior lay leaders, and executive stakeholders, with the ability to influence, advise, and communicate credibly at the highest levels.

Emotional Intelligence & Leadership Style: High emotional intelligence, maturity, and self-awareness, paired with sound judgment, resilience, and a collaborative leadership approach.

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree required. 

OTHER REQUIREMENTS: Willingness to travel domestically and internationally several times per year.

What You’ll Receive

• The salary range for this role is $220,000–$250,000, with additional bonus potential.
• 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.

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