Area Coordinator of First-Year Experience

Shenandoah University•Winchester, VA

3h•Onsite

About The Position

Shenandoah University’s Department of Residence Life is hiring a full-time, benefited Area Coordinator of First-Year Experience for its main campus in Winchester, Virginia. The position is a 12-month, live-on professional staff role in the Office of Residence Life, within the Division of Student Affairs. The Area Coordinator reports directly to the Associate Dean of Student Experience and Residential Life. In collaboration with the Associate Dean, the Area Coordinator provides strategic leadership, operational oversight, and community development tailored to the transition, retention, and developmental needs of first-year residential students. The role oversees first-year residence hall communities, mentors and supports students as they transition to college, supervises Resident Assistants and Graduate Hall Directors in freshman halls, and serves as a conduct officer. The Area Coordinator also supports departmental operations, designs and facilitates educational out-of-classroom experiences with the Area Coordinator of Residential Engagement, and serves in the professional staff on-call rotation to respond to campus emergencies and crises. Flexible night and weekend work is required. Residence Life staff may perform duties outside their primary scope to support the mission of the University and the Division of Student Affairs.

Requirements

Must live on campus.
Must be available for flexible night and weekend work.
Must participate in the professional staff on-call rotation and respond to campus emergencies and crises.

Responsibilities

Oversee first-year residence hall communities and mentor and support first-year students transitioning to college.
Supervise Resident Assistants and Graduate Hall Directors in freshman residence halls.
Serve as a student conduct officer.
Support student conduct, housing assignments, staff development and training, RA selection and evaluation, roommate mediations, restorative practices, room changes, hall opening and closing, and staff appreciation.
Collaborate with the Area Coordinator of Residential Engagement to design and facilitate educational out-of-classroom experiences that engage first-year students and foster holistic development and academic persistence.
Participate as essential personnel in the professional staff on-call rotation and respond to campus emergencies and crises.
Lead first-year initiatives that support retention, sense of belonging, and student success as the Residence Life liaison for first-year initiatives.
Oversee first-year residence hall programming aligned with developmental milestones, early-intervention strategies, and transition needs.
Lead departmental assessment initiatives and serve as the Residence Life assessment liaison.
Create feedback mechanisms to assess first-year student satisfaction, adjustment, and community involvement.
Educate residential staff about the Residence Life Engagement Model as it applies to first-year transition and retention.
Partner with Academic Advising, the Center for Civic Engagement, Student Success, Athletics, and Student Leadership and Engagement to streamline support networks for new students.
Deliver educational workshops for staff and residents on community living, roommate dynamics, healthy relationships, and connecting with university resources.
Lead engagement efforts during high-impact university traditions and orientation events, including New Student Orientation and Welcome Week.