Director of Residence Life at Jackson College, MI

About the Department

SUMMARY

The Director of Residence Life position reports to the Chief Student Services Officer.  The position is responsible for total administration and operation of the residence life community and student life programming.   The director is expected to enhance the living environment of the community through staff development, resident outreach, creative programming and administrative organization.  

This position requires living in a residence hall in a one-bedroom apartment provided by the College.   Fire code limits the apartment occupancy to two individuals.  College policies prohibit individuals under the age of 17 from living in the residence halls.

Position Duties

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following.   Other duties may be assigned.

1. Hire, train and supervise Assistant Director of Residence Life, Student Life Coordinator and Residence Life Coordinators.   Facilitate annual training as needed.
2. Develop strategies to ensure residences have a cohesive living experience
3. Administer Residence Life and Student Life Programs in accordance with institutional policies and procedures.
4. Facilitate housing operations including student room assignments, in-residence transfers, inspections, consolidations, as well as review and operationalize weekly occupancy reports and credit reports.
5. Work in conjunction with Student Services and other departments to identify and help at-risk students.
6. Create an atmosphere that provides support for others, respect for other’s rights and appreciation for individuality among students that is conducive to academic success and the residents’ personal growth.
7. Expectations include but are not limited to night and weekend coverage as needed.
8. Manage all mailbox assignments and keys
9. Handle emergency or crisis situations appropriately, as they arise using conflict resolution skills and counseling techniques when responding to these situations.
10. Develop and administer policies and procedures of the College, Residence Life, and Student Life programs.
11. This position serves as part of the Residence Life on call rotation
12. Assure administration is consistent with budget guidelines and parameters.
13. Organize and facilitate staff development activities to promote a strong sense of teamwork and to respond to staff concerns.
14. Assess needs and assist professional and paraprofessional staff in developing, planning, and implementing educational and social programs for both residence life and student life programming initiatives.   Evaluate overall program effectiveness.
15. Work with Campus Safety providing on-call coverage and scheduled “duty” rotation to address safety and security concerns.
16. Possess a strong understanding and commitment to student development.
17. Be familiar with campus and community resources and utilize them for referring problems beyond the scope and experience of the position.
18. Handle emergency or crisis situations appropriately as they arise.
19. Apply conflict resolution skills when responding to student crisis situations.
20. Be familiar with and enforce rules and regulations of the College and Residence Life.
21. Work in concert with the Business Office to establish and collect on accounts. Notify students of delinquent accounts and/or changes in housing occupancy.
22. Direct student conduct efforts and address inappropriate behavior of students and document incidents appropriately.
23. Make conduct and other support service referrals as appropriate to get students the resources they need to succeed.
24. Respond to issues and concerns raised by students and parents in a manner consistent with the vision of the college and within federal regulations.
25. Communicate regularly with the Chief Operating Officer providing regular updates on activities occurring in Residence Life, Student Life and the housing units.
26. Lead and Maintain Residence Life and Student Life’s strategic agenda.
27. Post and maintain residence life office hours as determined by area’s needs.
28. Work in conjunction with Marketing and Admissions to advertise and promote residence life.
29.  Review and authorize expenditures for programming, office supplies, staff development, printing, etc.  Assist in the development and submit annual budget for Residence Life and Student Life.
30. Serve as liaison to facilities and custodial staff.   Report, track, and follow-up on facility issues to ensure timely solutions.  Advocate for building enhancements to improve the quality of the student living environment.
31. Perform weekly building walk-through to ensure building safety and security.
32. In conjunction with the Assistant Director of Residence Life, continuously working to improve residence-life programming on campus.
33. Maintain excellent customer service by answering questions and inquiries made by phone, email, and mail by prospective residents and current residents.
34. Responsible for understanding, supporting and actively demonstrating the College’s beliefs, values, mission, and vision and being in agreement to be evaluated by same.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position has supervisory responsibilities for the assistant director of residence life, student life coordinator, and residence life coordinators, including training, hiring and termination.

CONTACTS AND PURPOSE OF CONTACTS

Internal: Frequent contact in an information sharing capacity with faculty, staff and students, especially in departments like Student Life, Athletics, Student Services, Student Conduct, Facilities Operations, Marketing and Multicultural Affairs.

External: Regular contact with students and community members in a service-provider capacity, providing information and problem solving.  Communicate with JC stakeholders.

Minimum Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.   The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree required; Master’s Degree preferred
• 3+ plus years in college/university setting working with a diverse population of students; Progressive supervisory experience preferred.
• Residence Life/University Housing experience
• Experience in RA staff supervision, student work study, facilitating student activities, occupancy management and student conduct
• Excellent written/verbal communication skills
• Ability to work effectively with a diverse student population, high level of professionalism and management skills
• Knowledge of supervisory practices and principles
• Knowledge of crisis intervention strategies
• Skill in communicating effectively with individuals from a variety of culturally diverse backgrounds are needed.

Computer Skills

Knowledge of personal computers and software including word processing, excel, spreadsheets and Datatel.

Language Skills

Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions and procedure manuals.  Ability to write routine reports, action plans, and correspondence.  Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of an organization.  Good command of grammar.

Mathematical Skills

Ability to calculate addition and subtraction and to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.

Reasoning Ability

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job.  Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions of the job.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.   The employee is frequently required to use hands and fingers, handle or feel.  The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms.  The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include the ability to adjust and focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described are representative of those an employee encounters while performing essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in this work environment is usually moderate.

“This description is intended to indicate the kinds of tasks and levels of work difficulty that will be required and shall not be construed as declaring the specific duties and responsibilities.  It is not intended to limit or in any way modify the right of any supervisor to assign, direct and control the work of employees under his or her supervision.  The use of particular expression or illustration describing duties shall not be held to exclude other duties not mentioned that are of similar kind or level of difficulty.”