Director of Residential Life and Housing

Residential Life and Housing

The Director of Residential Life and Housing is responsible for providing visionary leadership for engaged student learning and living experiences throughout the University's residential programs with the ultimate goal of assisting in UMSL's goal of increasing retention and graduation. The director is responsible for the overall administration, operation, and supervision of the residential life and housing program. The director establishes department goals and provides leadership in developing programmatic ways to achieve them. The director will be expected to enhance the department's impact on student learning; expand connections with faculty and academic partners; and lead departmental assessment and strategic planning efforts.

The Department of Residential Life and Housing at UMSL is a 365/24/7 operation and has a total occupancy of 414 beds within one residence hall building. The department has a robust conference and events operation hosting 15-20 summer residential conferences/campus each summer as well as 85 summer residents and interns.

Key Duties Include:

Assess the needs of UMSL's student population and respond with vision and creativity; Provide leadership, direction, training, and supervision to professional and paraprofessional staff employed in Residential Life and Housing.

Oversee crisis response, student support, and conduct processes in collaboration with appropriate campus partners, ensuring a safe and supportive residential environment.

Collaborate with key campus stakeholders (e.g., admissions, academic affairs, campus safety, facilities, dining services, Title IX, student support services) to ensure a holistic and student centered residential and co-curricular experience.

Establish and maintain operating policies and procedures consistent with university policies and regulations including state and federal law and University of Missouri System rules for housing operations; Articulate and demonstrate an understanding of the role, implications, opportunities, and responsibilities each of these areas have on the institution; Review the policies and procedures for housing, housing deposits, refunds, individual and community damage billing, and make recommendations for changes as needed.

Establish a university-wide residential environment that celebrates and fosters respect for individual differences.

Work in conjunction with the Facilities Management regarding long-term planning and routine maintenance of the residence; Maintains accurate records of maintenance needs, projects and issues for all residential facilities.

Directs the department's assessment activities in support of national best practices and documented learning outcomes.

Assist in the development and monitoring of annual operation and program budgets; evaluates operational effectiveness and effects changes required for improvement.

Provide insight stakeholders and partners regarding current student development theories and practices as it relates to student residential communities.

Coordinate representation at recruitment events for residence life and housing programs and opportunities.

Collaborate with colleagues to ensure a positive residential experience for various student cohort groups, including international students, students with disabilities, and student athletes, among others.

Provide statistical data and projections for budget and planning purposes and develop strategies to manage occupancy in response to enrollment fluctuation.

Maintain frequent contact with students and families in support of resident student satisfaction and student engagement.

Remain current on issues associated with higher education law, local ordinances and regulations associated with student housing.

Oversee the student room assignment process, which includes developing the room assignment procedures for returning students, coordinating assignments for new and transfer students, assigning rooms to summer students, and working with outside groups in conjunction with conference services.

Oversee contract release processes for both housing and dining services.

Promote and educate the UMSL campus on housing processes, living learning communities, and housing updates.

Serve as liaison to our Campus Living Villages partners who operate an on-campus privatized apartment complex available to UMSL students.

Supervise the Assistant Director for Residential Life and Housing and support 14 student paraprofessional staff; Recruit, train, and develop a high-performing team of professional, graduate, and student staff; foster a positive and collaborative staff culture of the team within student affairs and the campus as a whole.

Participate on the department's emergency on-call rotation.

Perform other duties as assigned by the Assistant Vice Provost for Student Engagement and Belonging

8-5 M-F, some evening and weekends

A Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and at least 6 years of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired is necessary

*Master's degree in College Student Development, Higher Education, or a related field

*Knowledge of student development theory, legal issues in higher education, and risk management practices

*Experience supervising student staff or graduate assistants

*The candidate must possess the ability to work effectively in a team and in a fast-paced environment while meeting strict deadlines. There will also be times when the candidate will be expected to complete tasks, make decisions, and communicate with staff with little or no supervision.

*Must be able to multitask and take initiative when necessary

Salary Range: $78,000- $85, 000
Grade: GGS- 012
University Title: DIR I STUDENT SUPPORT SVCS
Internal applicants can determine their University title by accessing the Talent Profile tile in myHR.

*Application materials include a cover letter and resume. Finalists will be asked to provide references at a later date.

*Applicants must combine all application materials into one PDF or Microsoft Word document and upload as a resume attachment to the UMSL Careers:
https://www.umsl.edu/services/hrs/careers/index.html

*Limit document name to 50 characters. Maximum size limit is 11MB. Do not include special characters (e.g., /, &, %, etc.). For questions about the application process, please email employment@umsl.edu. If you are experiencing technical problems, please email umpshrsupport@umsystem.edu.

This position is eligible for University benefits. As part of your total compensation, the University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, paid time off, short- and long-term disability, paid parental leave, paid caregiver leave, and educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses. For additional information on University benefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at https://www.umsystem.edu/totalrewards/benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To request ADA accommodations, please email the Office of Human Resources at umslhr@umsl.edu.