Director of Residential Life

Job Summary

The Director of Residential Life provides strategic leadership for the University’s comprehensive residential learning environment. This role advances student success, retention, and belonging through a residential curriculum, living-learning communities, and partnerships with faculty and student support services. The Director ensures effective resource stewardship, provides oversight for student support and behavioral intervention processes, and drives policy, assessment, and innovation within the residential experience.

The annual salary for this position ranges from $100,000 – $135,000. The final offer will be based on the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and overall fit for the role.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Student Affairs Administration, Higher Experience, or related field.
• Seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in residence life or student affairs, including supervision of professional staff, curricular program development, and student conduct/care case management.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in Student Affairs Administration, Higher Experience, or related field.
  
  

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Vision
• Provide overall direction for Residential Experience, aligning programs and services with institutional goals for student success and retention.
• Develop and implement the University’s residential curriculum, ensuring consistency across residential communities.
• Lead long-range planning and strategic initiatives that enhance the student residential experience (e.g. this includes, but is not limited to move-in).
• Supervision & Staff Development
• Supervise and mentor Associate Director directly—4 Assistant Directors, (indirectly)—and other professional staff within Residential Experience.
• Foster a culture of accountability, equity, and professional growth across all levels of staff.
• Ensure residential staff training and leadership programs are comprehensive, developmental, and outcomes-driven.
• Student Support, Care, and Conduct
• Serve as the departmental representative on the University’s Behavioral Intervention Team ( BIT ).
• Provide leadership for student support and conduct processes within residential communities.
• Ensure policies, staff training, and case management practices support student wellbeing, community standards, and institutional compliance.
• Collaboration & Partnerships
• Partner with Academic Affairs, faculty fellows, and student success offices to integrate academic engagement into the residential experience.
• Collaborate with Housing (Operations), Facilities, Dining, summer camps and conferences and campus safety units to promote student wellbeing and operational excellence.
• Actively represent Residential Experience on divisional and institutional committees.
• Resource Stewardship & Accountability
• Develop, oversee and manage 2.5M budgets for Residential Experience, including staff training, recruitment, and programming.
• Implement internal systems of accountability to safeguard resources and ensure compliance with institutional policies.
• Provide transparent financial reporting and align expenditures with departmental and divisional priorities.
• Assessment & Policy Development
• Lead assessment of residential curriculum, living-learning communities, and student success initiatives.
• Prepare annual reports on learning outcomes, retention, and program effectiveness.
• Develop and implement departmental policies related to student conduct, staff development, and residential programming.
• Crisis Management
• Provide 24-hour on-call support in rotation with senior staff.
• Lead response to major crises impacting residential students and communities.
• Professional Engagement & Visibility
• Represent the University at regional and national professional associations.
• Share innovative practices and elevate the University’s reputation in residential Experience and student success.