Residence Director

Who We Are

At Gonzaga we don't just state our mission. We live it every day as a Catholic, Jesuit, and humanistic University. It is the reason we exist and the foundation for our purpose: educating students for lives of leadership and service. From students to faculty and staff members, everyone here knows what we stand for - and they know how valuable our mission is to the success of our institution.

Our competitive benefit packages are part of Gonzaga's commitment to care for the whole person. Packages include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, retirement, tuition benefits, and other University-provided benefits.

We also provide numerous resources which help bring balance to the complexities of work and personal life through our work/life and wellness programs.

Posting Number: S1828P

Department: Housing & Residence Life

Work Schedule

Exempt: Standard office hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Incumbent may work non-standard hours as needed.

Employment Status: Fixed-Term

Temporary or Fixed-Term Assignment End Date: 05/31/2026

Hours per Week: 40  (Overtime compensation provided for on-call and extended engagement)

Months per Year: 12

Job Purpose

The Residence Director (RD) is responsible for creating safe, inclusive, and dynamic communities that empower students' wholistic development. Supervised directly by an Assistant Director, this entry level professional opportunity is a live-in, 12-month position that creates and directs positive communities and effective administration of a "block" of on-campus residence halls as a part of the 3,000 on-campus residents. The Residence Director supports the Jesuit mission including cura personalis, social justice, and service by facilitating student and community development while integrating the residents' academic and co-curricular experiences. This position supports the Housing and Residence Life mission, as well as the five foci of the Gonzaga Residential Experience (Ignatian spirituality, academic success, belonging, interculturality, and personal growth) through creating environments where students make meaning of their on-campus experiences. This position supervises undergraduate student staff members.

Our organization is committed to creating equitable and inclusive campus environments that accelerate the success of the full range of our students and employees. We believe that employees who feel valued and respected will create policies, programs, practices, and services to effectively meet the needs and exceed the expectations of the increasingly diverse student populations we serve and hope to attract.

Essential Function Category Title
Staff Supervision

% of time for section
30%

Function Details

• Supervise and mentor a diverse residence life student staff.
• Recruit, select and train new and returning staff members.
• Supervise Assistant Residence Directors, Resident Assistants, and Graduate Residence Directors (where applicable).
• Meet regularly with staff individually and conduct weekly staff meetings.
• Direct, monitor, assess and evaluate staff work assignments and work flow.
• Disseminate information, provide training experiences, direct professional growth and develop a sense of team cohesiveness.
• Provide challenge and support in the areas of academic workload, job responsibilities, leadership skills, and personal growth.

Essential Function Category Title
Departmental Planning/Support

% of time for section
20%

Function Details

• Participate in system wide Residence Life management duties.
• Advise small and large student groups. 
• Manage program review.
• Attend to creation and production of department professional literature.
• Act as a University agent and coordinate university response to student conflicts, residence hall procedures, damages, and off-campus properties.
• Respond and monitor student behavioral concerns in partnership with the Center for Cura Personalis.
• Establish and direct department, division and institutional initiatives through collaborative work efforts.
• Facilitate learning for all student leaders within the division.
• Serve on institutional and divisional committees, as required.
• Program assistance with admission and orientation.
• Chair committees on major departmental processes and procedures.
• Review and revise departmental operational procedure.

Essential Function Category Title
Administration

% of time for section
15%

Function Details

• Participate in system wide Residence Life management duties.
• Advise small and large student groups. 
• Manage program review.
• Attend to creation and production of department professional literature.
• Direct day to day housing operations for block including hall openings and closings, room changes, and damage assessments.
• Create a block budget and maintain block and block council account tracking.
• Assess and monitor the maintenance and custodial upkeep of the physical facility.
• Responsible for oversite of multimillion dollar facilities.

Essential Function Category Title
Community Development

% of time for section
15%

Function Details

• Direct opportunities for student growth and community development that reflect the university's Jesuit, Catholic, humanistic mission.
• Develop interpersonal skills.
• Create inclusive, socially just living environments.
• Promote academic achievement and vocational discernment.
• Foster healthy personal lifestyle choices. 
• Cultivate an understanding of diversity and inclusion.
• Maintain a visible presence in the residence halls through participation in residence functions, attendance at resident meetings (including Block Council), involvement in student events, and frequent walk-throughs of the block.
• Develop and direct one or more living and learning communities (where applicable).
• Collaborate with faculty and staff in learning community operation.
• Design, facilitate, and assess specific educational environments that promote student learning and development. For example, first year experience curriculum and second year experience curriculum.

Essential Function Category Title
Crisis Management

% of time for section
15%

Function Details

• Serve in the on-call and crisis response rotation for all residential (off campus as required) students exercising discretion and judgement in resolving critical incidents.
• Position deemed as essential personnel as an emergency responder to natural and human caused disasters.

Other Functions
* This position may represent department on University-wide committees or projects as assigned and approved by the supervisor.?

University Work Values

Promoting Excellence in Academic Endeavors and Professional Practice
* Fostering intellectual depth, competence, reflection, and creativity in pursuing exemplary, rather than satisfactory, outcomes

Sharing Responsibility for Mission Identity and Leadership
* Making a personal commitment to learn about Gonzaga's mission, discovering ways to contribute individually and collaboratively to our distinctive learning and research community

Affirming a Commitment to Human Dignity
* Engaging one another with profound respect, professionalism, and cura personalis while supporting one another's continued learning, development, and maximizing of potential

Advancing a Culture of Inclusiveness
* Developing cultural fluencies and global awareness, and practicing habits that enable us to value, recruit, and support community members from historically underrepresented backgrounds

Caring for Our Common Home and Integral Ecology
* Growing ecological awareness of and respect for the interconnectedness of human and non-human life, and the need to develop and practice habits that are mutually beneficial to all life

Cultivating Individual and Community Accountability
* Demonstrating mutual commitment to our shared project by holding ourselves and others responsible for actions, expecting appropriate behavior, and aligning activities with ethical and professional standards