Residence Director

S

suffolk_university

Residence Director

Boston, MA
Paid
  • Responsibilities

    Suffolk University invites qualified candidates to apply for the position of Residence Director. The University is currently looking to secure another Residence Hall located in Boston for approximately 330-360 Upper-Class students to open in Fall 2018. We are working closely with the City of Boston and plan to have final approval in April of 2018.  Candidate screening and phone interviewing will begin prior to April and we will look to bring finalists in for in person interviews immediately upon receiving approval from the City of Boston.  No offers for the position will be made prior to final approval of Residence Hall Lease Confirmation. The Residence Director (RD) is a 12 month, full-time, master's level, professional staff member in the Department of Residence Life & Housing and has direct responsibility for student development functions and the effective administration of a residential community housing a diverse population of 330-500 students and staffed by 8-12 paraprofessional staff.  In addition to supervising a residence hall, RDs may also supervise a leased property.  Primary duties include management of a residence hall; selecting, training, and supervising 8 to 12 Resident Assistants; advising the Residence Hall Association; coordinating and implementing programs; serving as a judicial hearing officer; serving in an on-call duty rotation; and assisting with conference housing.  Residence Directors, depending on the building, may supervise a Graduate Residence Director. Residence Directors have offices located in their own buildings. Due to the physical layout of the campus and the residence halls, it is critical that these individuals are able to work autonomously and exercise excellent judgment in their areas of responsibility.  All RDs participate in an on-call duty rotation and are often requested to assist other University offices and constituencies to help resolve various concerns. Due to the live-in requirements of the Residence Director position, it is required that the on-campus apartment provided be the individual's primary residence and that person must maintain a high visibility within their residential area of responsibility. It should also be noted that RDs may be called upon to respond to crisis situations and that at various times throughout the year, this position requires the individual to work nontraditional hours, including evening and weekends. 

    PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

    • Supervise and establish performance goals for Resident Assistants and Graduate Residence Director staff in the residence halls.
    • Establish positive relationships with students through informal interactions, programs, counseling, and/or referrals for students as related to academic, social, and personal matters.
    • Enforce university policies within the residence hall. Serve as a primary hearing officer for judicial matters within the residence hall.
    • Serve as a resource person for students. Be knowledgeable of residence hall, academic, and university policies, procedures, and resources
    • Coordinate room reservations for common areas within residence hall.
    • Be accountable for key maintenance. Request lock changes if residents lose keys and charges to accounts.
    • To maintain student files in each office and make sure each resident has a mailbox
    • Hiring Student Workers, filling out the appropriate authorization forms, devising a work schedule based on the office needs and students’ awards, submitting timesheets on a bi-weekly schedule as according to the Payroll schedule, holding a training meeting once per semester, and hold workers accountable for their schedule and work performance.
    • Hold regular, posted office hours and be available for interaction with students.
    • Hold weekly building staff meetings. Attend departmental and divisional staff meetings.
    • Conduct weekly walk-throughs of building to ensure maintenance up-keep in addition to the monthly health & safety inspections.
    • Prepare building for openings and closings, including academic breaks. Maintain room inventories and other building-related paperwork. Monitor damage and provide billing information to the Operations Coordinator.  Assess damage and compile work list at the end of each semester. Walk-though the building weekly to assess damages, lounge set-ups, usage, etc.  Walk through buildings weekly in the summer to assess progress (of work list) and readiness for incoming conference groups.
    • Maintain cooperative work relationship with offices on campus, including but not limited to Suffolk University Police Department; Bursar; Facilities; Dining; Counseling, Health, and Wellness office; Office of Diversity Services; Student Leadership and Involvement; Orientation and New Student Programs; and the Dean of Students Office.
    • Oversee development of monthly building newsletter and programming calendar
    • Maintain up-to-date budget records and timely submission of budget-related paperwork.

     

    DEPARTMENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

    • Represent the Department of Residence Life & Housing on designated committees as assigned.
    • Participate in departmental Residence Director on-call rotation.
    • Assist in recruitment of Residence Life & Housing paraprofessional, graduate, and professional staff members.
    • Coordinate Living Learning Communities in your area. Work directly with RAs of building and faculty/staff advisor(s).
    • Coordinate all aspects of Resident Assistant and Graduate Residence Director staffing including, but not limited to marketing, selection, and training.
    • Work with Graduate Residence Director to coordinate and track all aspects of RA programming. Write annual programming report.
    • Assist with divisional and campus –wide events, including, but not limited to: Open House, Suffolk Showcase, Family Weekend, Convocation, Commencement, Academic Recognition Day, Award Banquets, etc.
    • Attend weekly professional staff meetings.
    • Other duties as assigned.

     

    POSITION COMPLEXITIES/WORKING CONDITIONS:

    Incumbent must:

    • Live on-campus in a residence hall or apartment community.
    • Participate in a Residence Director on-call duty rotation providing coverage 7 days a week, 24-hours a day, including holidays for approximately 4 weeks per semester.
    • Work extended hours during peak times of the academic year.
    • Extended vacations limited to Summer Break, Winter Break, and Spring Break.
    • Work evening and occasional weekends throughout the year.

    QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

    • Master's degree in College Student Development, Higher Education Administration or related field required
    • Live-in experience as a live-in professional or graduate assistant in a residence hall setting
    • Effective supervision, administrative, organizational, written and oral communication skills; experience in conflict resolution, mediation, application of student development theory in a residence hall setting; excellent decision making skills

    PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR RESUME ALONG WITH A COVER LETTER FOR THE POSITION IN WHICH YOU ARE APPLYING TO.

     

    SUFFOLK AT A GLANCE

    Suffolk University is a private, comprehensive, urban university located in the heart of downtown Boston. Our college green is the Boston Common. We are steps from dozens of historic sites including the Old State House, Faneuil Hall, and the Massachusetts State House. We have no real boundaries to our campus—Boston and Suffolk blend together.

    Since 1906, Suffolk has been committed to creating an exceptional learning experience. Our vision is to be recognized as a dynamic institution that fosters engaged learning, rigorous scholarship, innovative thinking, and community collaboration across disciplines. We will ensure that Suffolk graduates are versatile and prepared for modern society and the new world market. We will provide rich curricula, experiential learning opportunities and professional mentoring through increased collaboration with alumni and community partners. We will recruit, mentor, and support a diverse faculty of teacher-scholars who are passionately committed to preparing our students to be leaders in the global community. We will inspire investment in a Suffolk community that is built on ethical, forward-thinking leadership, teamwork, and cooperation.

    Suffolk University is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse community. We are actively seeking applicants from groups that might be under-represented because of race/color, gender, religion, real or perceived disability, national origin or LBGTQ status.  

     

    See yourself here with our terrific benefits package. Benefits include, but are not limited to:

    • Harvard Pilgrim medical/Delta Dental at low employee costs
    • Retirement options including both Standard Retirement Plan (SRP) and Voluntary Tax Deferred Annuity (VTDAP). The University contributes 9% to your SRP when employees contribute 5% after eligibility guidelines have been met.
    • All employees and faculty members who are at least half-time are eligible for the tuition free course benefit in the College of Arts and Sciences and in the Sawyer Business School. There are additional tuition benefits for spouses, domestic partners, and children.
    • Generous time-off program. Vacation accrues monthly. Vacation for part-time employees is pro-rated based on the employees’ regularly scheduled hours. Additional holidays are announced each year and are separate from the employee’s vacation allowance.
    • Pre-tax commuter benefit
    • Discounted home and auto insurance

     

    Suffolk University conducts Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) checks relative to prior criminal convictions and pending cases, as well as Sex Offender Registry Information (SORI) checks relative to prior sexual offenses committed as a contingent offer of employment for all positions. Suffolk University requires specific written authorization to conduct background checks. Failure to provide such authorization shall preclude candidates from being hired.