Director, Residence Life

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Serves as a member of the Housing Leadership Team/Departmental Responsibilities
• Supervise professional staff members that live within the halls, that include, Coordinators for Housing and Residence Life, Residence Hall Directors and Assistant Residence Hall Directors
• Serve as a member of the 6-person departmental leadership team responsible for the vision, and decision-making including capital planning, budgeting, staffing, and policies of the department comprising of 5,300 beds, and provide indirect supervision of 25 full-time professional hall directors and 300 paraprofessional staff
• Serve on call as a leadership team member providing guidance and support for hall staff members
• Approve monthly procurement card purchases for an area of campus
• Assist in department initiatives, programs, and events
• Serve on departmental and campus committees
• Oversee Residence Hall Association, Residence Staff Association and National Residence Hall Honorary Association

Supervision

• Directly supervises the Associate Director for the First Year Experience who oversees:
• Implementation of the on campus residential programming module
• Oversees the direction and growth of the Living Learning Communities program
• Manages the 1st year village programming and design efforts
• Develops, implements and evaluates all first-year experiences
• Oversees the M.A.S.T.E.R Plan new student orientation program
• Oversees the Parent and Family program
• Directly supervises Assistant Director for Student Behavior and Conduct who oversees:
• Oversees the residential conduct program
• Directs and develops the Maxient Student Conduct System
• Participates in the on-campus University Partners Team
• Manages Housing and Dining Exemptions

Professional Staff

• Train professional staff members on on-call response, professionalism, supervision, leadership, payroll, and departmental expectations
• Serve as hiring manager for professional in hall staff members through interview exchange.
• Oversee recruitment and hiring practices of 25 full time professional staff members
• Oversee organization and operation of departmental committees, including Student Staff Recruitment, Student Staff Training and Social Justice and Inclusion
• Coordinate on call scheduling and training for professional staff members
• Plan and implement departmental meeting and developments for professional staff
• Oversee professional staff apartment, check in and out and improvements
• Update professional staff training manuals and materials

Student Staff

• Oversee daily functions of all 24-hour residence hall desks
• Coordinate operation of desk and access portions of StarRez
• Coordinate, organize and implement student staff Fall, Spring and Summer student staff training
• Coordinate, organize and implement professional staff Fall and Spring training
• Oversee recruitment and application process for 300 student staff members
• Approve or deny student staff hiring, accountability and termination measures
• Oversee planning and coordination of Student staff monthly developments
• Update student staff training manuals and materials
• Knowledge and Skills Considered Essential for Success:
• Must demonstrate the ability to maintain an effective, cooperative working relationship with supervisors, supervisees, co-workers and academic and community partners in keeping with the values and mission of both the department and the university
• Must demonstrate above average oral, written and computer communication skills
• Must demonstrate above average knowledge of student development theory and its application to meet the needs of today's college students
• Must demonstrate leadership, supervisory and managerial skills
• Must demonstrate above average multi-tasking, administrative, and organizational skills
• Must demonstrate above average critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Must demonstrate willingness to serve as a role model and project a professional self-image for residential students, paraprofessional staff members and co-workers in work ethic, initiative, attitude and approach to work
• Must demonstrate willingness to role model acceptance and advocacy of diverse student populations
• Must adhere to the ethical code of conduct governing the Student Affairs profession
• Must be willing to assume additional responsibilities within the department as needed
• Knowledge of data gathering, analysis interpretation, and implementation
• Ability to work collaboratively within the department and with external constituents
• Must demonstrate above average familiarity with legal issues influencing higher education
• Must demonstrate a high level of integrity and practice maintaining confidentiality
• Must be able to work within a department that values initiative, strong work ethic, and teamwork

Physical and Mental Abilities

• Ability to sit for extended periods of time
• Extended computer usage requiring visual acuity and manual dexterity
• Ability to stand and walk during peak times (hall openings and closings, M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan, program attendance, recruitment fairs, etc.)
• Ability to lift up to 25lbs.

Working Hours/Travel Requirements

• Periodic evening, overnight and weekend hours
• Occasional travel for recruitment trips, state, regional, and national conferences

• Graduate degree in Counseling, College Student Personnel, Higher Education Administration or a related field of study
• Minimum of eight years of experience in student housing, student life, or student activities
• Demonstrated experience in the University Housing setting

Kentucky state law requires all public institutions of postsecondary education to conduct pre-employment criminal background checks to determine suitability for employment.

Western Kentucky University (WKU) is committed to a policy and practice of providing equal employment and educational opportunities to all individuals. In accordance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Revised 1992, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, no form of discrimination or harassment will be tolerated at WKU on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, marital status, age, uniformed services, veteran status, genetic information, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, or physical or mental disability in admission to career and technical education programs and/or activities, or employment practices.

Persons with disabilities, who need reasonable accommodations to participate in the application and/or selection process, should notify the office of Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action/University ADA Services (EEO). To request an accommodation, report/express a complaint, or ask questions regarding WKU''s Discrimination and Harassment Policy (#0.2040), please contact Mr. Joshua Hayes, EEO Director/Title IX Investigator/University ADA Coordinator, via email at joshua.hayes@wku.edu or by phone at (270) 745-5121.

The University is also required to investigate complaints of sex and gender-based harassment, also a form of discrimination, and has designated the Title IX Coordinator as the individual responsible for coordinating the investigation and response to such complaints. The Title IX Coordinator for the University is Ms. Andrea Anderson, who can be contacted via email at andrea.anderson@wku.edu or by phone at (270) 745-5398. Additional information regarding Title IX is accessible via WKU''s https://www.wku.edu/titleix/ website.

Information concerning educational programs offered by WKU are provided at: http://www.wku.edu/atwku/academics.php