Assistant Director of Residence Life (Training & Development)

Job Summary

Reporting to the Associate Director of Residence Life, the Assistant Director of Residence Life (ADRL) provides leadership and management for an assigned portfolio of residential communities while leading a designated Residence Life functional area. The ADRL directly supervises assigned Community Directors and Resident Heads, partners closely with Resident Deans, provides higher-level consultation and decision-making for complex student and community matters, manages assigned resources and operational priorities, and leads department-wide projects and initiatives.

Responsibilities

Supervision and Staff Leadership

• Directly supervise assigned Community Directors and Resident Heads, providing ongoing coaching, feedback, accountability, performance management, evaluation, and professional development.
• Establish clear expectations for assigned staff, monitor performance and follow-through, address concerns in a timely manner, and recognize opportunities for continued growth and development.
• Support Community Directors in effectively supervising, developing, and holding Resident Assistants accountable for departmental and community expectations.
• Provide coaching and direction to Resident Heads in their leadership of House communities, partnership with Resident Assistants, and fulfillment of departmental and University expectations.
• Lead regular staff communication and team development for assigned residential communities.
• Partner with the Resident Dean to identify a consistent biweekly meeting time and co-lead residential leadership team meetings.
• Provide higher-level consultation to Community Directors and Resident Heads regarding complex student, staff, community, and operational matters.
• Participate as an active decision-maker in the recruitment and selection of assigned residential staff.
• Participate in staff onboarding, training, evaluation, retention, and transition planning.

Residential Community Leadership

• Provide leadership and oversight for an assigned portfolio of residential communities, monitoring community climate, student engagement, staff effectiveness, and emerging needs.
• Partner with Resident Deans, Resident Heads, Community Directors, Resident Assistants, and campus colleagues to support inclusive, engaging, and well-functioning House and residence hall communities.
• Support intellectual, cultural, social, and leadership development opportunities that strengthen student connection and the residential experience.
• Identify patterns, concerns, and opportunities across assigned communities and determine appropriate interventions, resources, or escalation.
• Ensure that Community Directors and Resident Heads are effectively communicating and responding to community needs.
• Support the implementation of departmental priorities and Resident Dean initiatives within assigned communities.

Student Care, Crisis Response, and Conduct

• Provide higher-level consultation and decision-making regarding complex student care concerns, coordinating appropriate non-clinical support, referrals, documentation, and follow-up.
• Participate in the ADRL on-call rotation, providing leadership during critical incidents involving student health, safety, conduct, facilities, and community concerns.
• Partner with the Dean-on-Call program and other campus responders to coordinate support for students in need.
• Provide consultation to Community Directors, Resident Heads, and Resident Assistants during complex or high-impact incidents.
• Ensure significant incidents are appropriately documented, communicated, and transitioned for follow-up.
• Collaborate with campus partners to support coordinated responses to students of concern.
• Support the consistent application of community standards and departmental expectations and provide consultation on conduct-related matters.

Resident Dean and Residential Partnership

• Partner with Resident Deans to align residential experiences with the academic, intellectual, cultural, and community-building goals of assigned residential communities.
• Facilitate coordination among Resident Deans, Resident Heads, Community Directors, and other Residence Life partners.
• Collaborate with Resident Deans on residential staff recruitment and selection, staff development, community priorities, and other matters requiring consultation or shared decision-making.
• Support the implementation of Resident Dean initiatives and identify opportunities to connect House-level priorities with broader Residence Life goals.

Budget and Resource Management

• Manage assigned Residence Life budgets and monitor expenditures to ensure alignment with departmental priorities, University policies, and approved funding purposes.
• Provide oversight of assigned Resident Head and residential programming expenditures, including reviewing transactions and monitoring the timely submission of receipts and required supporting documentation.
• Review financial activity for completeness and accuracy, identify discrepancies, missing documentation, or unusual expenditures, and initiate appropriate follow-up.
• Partner with the Budget operations staff to reconcile outstanding issues, monitor assigned resources, and ensure appropriate documentation and follow-through.

Residential Operations and Cross-Functional Management

• Partner with Operations, Occupancy Management and Administration, and other Housing & Residence Life teams to support the effective operation of assigned residential communities.
• Monitor operational concerns across assigned communities, ensure appropriate escalation and follow-through by Community Directors.
• Support residential opening, closing, room transitions, and other department-wide operational priorities.
• Coordinate communication and follow-up when facilities, occupancy, safety, or operational issues affect students, staff, or residential communities.
• Utilize departmental systems, including Maxient, StarRez, Roompact, and other platforms, to support documentation, communication, assessment, and assigned administrative responsibilities.
• Identify recurring operational concerns or process gaps and elevate recommendations for improvement.

Assessment, Policy, and Continuous Improvement

• Use departmental data, assessment findings, staff feedback, and community trends to inform decision-making, staff development, programming, student support, and operational strategies.
• Establish and monitor goals for assigned areas of responsibility and evaluate progress, effectiveness, and opportunities for improvement.
• Contribute to the development, review, and refinement of Residence Life policies, procedures, programs, and practices.
• Interpret, communicate, and support the consistent implementation of departmental policies, procedures, and expectations.
• Identify gaps, emerging needs, and opportunities for improvement and develop recommendations or implementation strategies.
• Support departmental assessment, reporting, and continuous improvement efforts.

Primary Functional Area: Training & Development

• Lead the development, implementation, and assessment of annual and ongoing training and professional development for residential staff, including Resident Assistants and Resident Heads.
• Establish training priorities and learning outcomes; develop curriculum, resources, facilitation materials, and continuing development opportunities.
• Coordinate training logistics and implementation and use assessment data, participant feedback, emerging needs, and professional best practices to strengthen staff onboarding, training, and ongoing professional learning.

Departmental Leadership and Administration

• Serve as a member of the Residence Life leadership team, contributing to departmental decision-making, strategic planning, policy development, problem-solving, and implementation of departmental priorities.
• Lead assigned department-wide projects and initiatives, establishing timelines, coordinating stakeholders, monitoring progress, and ensuring timely implementation and follow-through.
• Participate in and, as assigned, lead departmental meetings, committees, functional areas, working groups, and strategic initiatives.
• Identify emerging operational, staffing, and student experience needs and work with Residence Life leadership to determine and implement appropriate responses.
• Maintain timely and effective communication with campus partners, Resident Deans, Resident Heads, Community Directors, student staff, and departmental colleagues.
• Maintain accurate records and complete required documentation, reporting, approvals, and follow-up.
• Represent Housing & Residence Life on departmental, divisional, or University committees and initiatives as assigned.
• Provide cross-functional leadership and interim support when vacancies, emerging priorities, operational needs, or organizational changes require additional Assistant Director-level capacity.

Summer Leadership and Special Assignments

• Provide leadership and support for assigned summer responsibilities, including undergraduate summer housing, summer conference support, residential transitions, and preparation for the upcoming academic year.
• Lead and participate in assigned summer committees, workgroups, functional assignments, and special projects that advance departmental priorities.
• Assume ownership of assigned summer initiatives, establishing timelines and deliverables, coordinating stakeholders, monitoring progress, and ensuring work is completed through implementation.
• Guide and support Community Directors and Resident Heads in carrying out assigned summer responsibilities and operational priorities.
• Participate in the HRL summer duty rotation and provide on-call support as assigned.
• Support policy and process review, staff onboarding, training, recruitment, assessment, operational planning, and other summer projects necessary for a successful academic-year launch.

Working Conditions

The typical work week is M-F with routine requirements for evening and weekend work. University setting.