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Director of Residence Life

Employer
North Central College
Location
Naperville, IL
View more categoriesView less categories
Administrative Jobs
Student Affairs, Residence Life
Employment Type
Full Time
Institution Type
Four-Year Institution
Posting Number:

S000864

Position Title:

Director of Residence Life

Department:

Residence Life

Division:

Student Affairs

Supervisor Title:

Assistant Dean of Students for Student Care and Community Standards

Status:

Full Time Regular

Position Summary:

The Director of Residence Life ensures the development and maintenance of safe, healthy and academically-focused communities in all residence halls, with a focus on creating supportive and inclusive communities in which all of our students have the means and environment for success. The director provides strategic and visionary leadership for the student and professional staff, to include strategic planning, short and long term goal setting, and cultivating organizational priorities, in line with North Central College’s Strategic Plan.

Description of Key Responsibilities:


  1. Develop, implement, and provide leadership for a strategic vision of residence life that values professional, positive, transformational relationships with, and for, students.
  2. Designs, establishes, and maintains an organizational structure and staffing to effectively accomplish the organization’s goals and objectives; oversees recruitment, training, supervision, and evaluation of Residence Life staff.
  3. Direct and participate in short and long-range planning, including programmatic and developmental activities, efficient management of occupancy, managing emergency preparedness, and budget management. Evaluate and control operations by monitoring activities, both planned and unplanned, and comparing expenses to budget.
  4. With constant focus on the student experience, develop and implement initiatives that promote educational, cultural, social, recreational, and service programs that are supportive to the residence community.
  5. Partner with the Campus Housing Coordinator to ensure that campus residence halls are being appropriately maintained, that assignments are being managed effectively, and that facility issues are being addressed in a timely and effective manner.
  6. Work with key campus partners to maximize the resident life population by improving retention and developing strong student-centered communities.
  7. Evaluate departmental and institutional needs when assigning summer and/or collateral duties to professional staff members. Ensure proper supervision and equity in summer assignments. Provide supervision for an Area Hall Director, graduate assistant and/or intern on summer assignment as needed.
  8. Support institutional efforts to promote student persistence to graduation. Proactively identify ways to increase resident student success and persistence. Evaluate patterns of student attrition and develop and implement strategies for addressing this among resident students.
  9. Serve as a resource for promoting and expanding diversity and inclusion on campus. Provide support for programs, curricula, and trainings to build the multicultural competence of student leaders, staff members, and faculty, in particular as they relate to the resident student experience.
  10. Respond to unexpected situations, generally emergencies and situations involving violations of College policy. Serve in an emergency on-call duty rotation. Help coordinate Student Affairs division and Residence Life staff efforts in large-scale crises.
  11. Develops and directs department activities in the areas of crisis management, mediation, and/or dispute resolution
  12. Train, oversee, and regularly report on the Residence Life professional staff participation in student disciplinary matters through the Student Conduct Process as listed in the Student Handbook.
  13. Guides and collaborates with campus partners for marketing/communication.
  14. Assist with the annual crime statistics and Clery reporting responsibilities.
  15. Perform other duties as assigned.


OTHER KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
  1. Support the College’s mission, vision and values, and contribute to the advancement of the College’s Strategic Plan.
  2. Demonstrate a strong commitment to continuous quality improvement.
  3. Demonstrate civil and inclusive behavior when interacting with staff, faculty, students and visitors to the College. Promote a flexible, collaborative and inclusive work and living environment and engage in educational opportunities to increase awareness and understanding of diversity and inclusion.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Customer service is critical to the success of any organization that deals with customers. Strong customer service skills can build retention and visibility as North Central College strives to distinguish itself from its competitors. An individual in this position must possess the proficiency, wherewithal and knowledge of principles and processes for providing high-quality customer and personal services to both internal and external customers of the College. The successful candidate will demonstrate the required knowledge, skills, and ability to:

  1. Demonstrate the knowledge of and clear commitment to the mission of a comprehensive liberal arts college with a substantial resident student population.
  2. Consistently demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills in dealing with persons both internal and external to the College, both on the telephone and in person. In particular, the ability to relate in a caring manner to students and families from a broad range of backgrounds, both in group situations and individually, and to effectively advise students and mediate disputes, some of which will be emotionally-charged.
  3. Demonstrate civil and inclusive behavior when interacting with staff, faculty, students and visitors to the College. Promote a flexible, collaborative and inclusive work and living environment and engage in educational opportunities to increase awareness and understanding of diversity and inclusion.
  4. Remain calm in crisis situations, to act decisively, and to apply sound judgment in determining appropriate action regarding interventions, assistance and referral of students to other College staff members.
  5. Work effectively as a member of a staff where cooperation and teamwork are essential.
  6. Demonstrate knowledge of the organization and operation of the College, both administratively and academically, especially regarding those activities directly related to residential students. Knowledge of state-of-the-art developments in the operation of campus housing and in student development.
  7. Manage a number of tasks and situations concurrently, including those that occur unexpectedly and must be dealt with immediately, usually without direct supervision. This requires an individual who is self-directed, well organized, detail oriented, flexible and able to effectively prioritize tasks.
  8. Ability to communicate in the English language, both verbally and in writing, in a manner consistent with professional standards, including the ability to deliver effective oral presentations, develop promotional materials that are attention-getting and persuasive, and prepare reports.
  9. Ability to apply mathematical skills necessary for such tasks as the preparation of statistical reports and developing and monitoring budgets.
  10. Ability to effectively use business-oriented computer based systems, particularly databases and web development software. Ability to prepare reports which are accurate, thorough, concise, and professionally formatted.


Distinguishing Characteristics:

The manner in which campus residence halls operate has a profound effect on the total College experience and academic success of resident students. The residential experience also directly effects student retention, persistence, and success. It is the responsibility of the Director of Residence Life to ensure that the total residential experience is a positive one for all students and that a sense of community is developed within each residence area.The duties of this position require evening and weekend work, including after-hours crisis management, on-call responsibilities and attendance at a variety of events.

Education/Training:

Bachelor’s degree is required. A master’s degree in college student personnel or a related field is strongly preferred.

Experience:

A minimum of (5) five years’ progressive professional leadership experience working in a college setting, with college students in relation to campus housing and student development. Previous experience with residential occupancy management, financial management and supervision of staff is strongly preferred.

Is This a Temporary Position?:

No

Employment Conditions:

An offer of employment is contingent upon successful completion of the College’s background screening process.

Number of Vacancies:

1

EEO Statement:

NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment.

Open Until Filled:

Yes

Special Instructions to Applicant:

Applicants who would enrich the diversity of the campus community are strongly encouraged to apply.

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