Assistant Director of Resident Life - Housing Operations

Art Institute of Chicago•Chicago, IL

13h•Onsite

About The Position

The Office of Student Affairs supports student success through a developmentally based philosophy that responds to students as whole individuals. The division recognizes the diverse needs, identities and experiences of students and works to support them at their individual stages of growth and development. Residence Life contributes to this mission by fostering a vibrant living-learning community within SAIC’s downtown residential facilities designed for student artists. Professional and student staff facilitate community development, provide educational and social programming, connect students with campus resources, and offer 24-hour support for students living in an urban campus environment. The Assistant Director of Resident Life provides strategic vision, leadership, and administrative direction for all housing operations serving over 1,000 residential students. This role oversees occupancy management, housing assignments, billing, meal plan administration, facilities planning, compliance, and customer service. The position plays a critical role in developing and implementing departmental policies, fiscal planning, and operational strategies that shape the residential student experience. This is a 12-month, live-in position with on-call responsibilities and evening and weekend commitments should be expected.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree required
At least two years of progressive leadership experience in housing operations.
Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be considered.
Demonstrated success with occupancy management and forecasting.
Experience supervising professional and student staff.
Experience managing departmental budgets and fiscal processes.
Proficiency with housing management systems (e.g., RMS/Mercury, StarRez, Housing.Cloud), Microsoft Excel, and data processing tools.
Knowledge of ADA compliance, Clery Act requirements, and risk mitigation processes.
Strong assessment skills with ability to use data for continuous improvement.
Exceptional interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and student-centered practice.
Experience with crisis intervention and conflict management.
Ability to work effectively in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
Experience in creating and managing department social media accounts and online marketing.

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree (student affairs, higher education administration, college student personnel, business administration, or related field preferred) and additional professional experience in residential facilities management, summer conference/summer programs, or related higher education operations preferred.

Responsibilities

Supervise and provide leadership for 1 professional staff member, Housing and Residence Life Coordinator and 1-2 Graduate Assistants.
Communicate expectations and monitor work processes. Provide on-going direction & feedback about performance through weekly 1:1 meetings.
Evaluate performance, including conducting performance evaluation, to ensure they are equipped to perform their roles effectively and efficiently and attend to their professional development.
Assist in recruitment and hiring of direct reports, including reviewing applicant materials, conducting candidate interviews, and offering recommendations for hiring.
Serve as a member of the Residence Life leadership team, contributing to departmental planning, assessment, and implementation of residential priorities.
Administer and oversee the Housing Database ensuring accurate assignment, billing, reporting, and communication processes for academic year and summer populations.
Develop strategies for more efficient and innovative use of housing software and related technologies.
Collaborate with Accounting, Registrar, International Student Affairs, Campus Security, and other departments to ensure timely and accurate data integration.
Maintain compliance with institutional reporting standards, Clery Act obligations, and data privacy expectations.
Manage marketing and promotion efforts, online housing process for new and returning students, room assignments and Housing Renewal process.
Ensure effective communication with students throughout their respective housing processes. Work closely with Admissions Staff to ensure constant feedback on the status of housing contracts and assignments during the Fall and Spring admissions process.
Manage marketing and promotion efforts for summer interns, master leases, SAIC students and Continuing Studies including online housing processes and room assignments.
Ensure effective communication with constituents throughout their respective housing processes.
Oversee all communication with Early College Program students, Continuing Studies guests, interns and conference groups, including mailings and e-mails via our Housing Database, Welcome Letters, etc.
Oversee all residence hall billing operations in coordination with Student Financial Services and the Fiscal Office to ensure accurate and timely billing, reconciliation, refunds, and charge processes.
Provide reconciliation of the General Ledger with the Housing Database. Monitor housing financial performance and prepare reports as needed.
Administer residential meal plan management, including enrollment, coordination with Dining Services, and oversight of special dining accommodations and exceptions.
Assist in developing and managing departmental operating budgets and contribute to long-range financial planning.
Collaborate with Instructional Resources and Facilities Management (IRFM) and Custodial Services regarding day-to-day facilities concerns, preventative maintenance schedules, cleaning plans, and furniture inventory management.
Coordinate short- and long-range renewal and replacement projects, summer repair initiatives, and capital planning processes impacting residential facilities.
Monitor building operation concerns and contribute to strategic improvements that support safe and inclusive living environments.
Oversee accurate weekly occupancy statistics for residence halls, and provide comparisons to previous years, as well as the budgeted expectations.
Provide reporting on a variety of issues concerning housing such as residence hall rate comparisons, historical data regarding summer housing, demographic data on residence hall occupants, etc.; use data to make predictive analysis for future housing needs, identify current occupancy trends.
Participate in 24-hour on-call rotation with live-in professional staff colleagues; recognize that residence halls are open 365 days/year and therefore being on-call during some holidays should be expected.
Respond to student and/or facilities issues/crises in person 24-hours a day; high level of in-person response to mental health concerns, other student support situations should be expected.
Professional staff may be asked to respond to the hospital if a student is transported via ambulance. Consistent communication with Dean On-Call during crisis/emergency situations. Maintain accurate incident reports using Symplicity Advocate Software.
Works with other departments including IRFM, Campus Security, Wellness Center, and others to provide appropriate response to crises.
Identify personal and emotional concerns of students, provide appropriate resources and referrals; maintain contact with parents and other constituencies as appropriate.
Coordinate all move-in and move-out processes. Management will include developing a logistics plan and communicating with residents, residence hall staff, other departments (Security, Operations) about their role.
Work with the Associate Dean to provide quality service to all internal and external constituents at SAIC.
Manages, both directly and indirectly, email & phone calls to Residence Life; ensures they are responded to accurately and in a timely manner.
Quality service includes responding in a prompt and professional manner to all student or guest concerns as well as working with others at SAIC to provide assistance when needed. Quality service also includes setting a high standard of service for all full-time staff and student staff, training that staff appropriately, and holding that staff accountable to this standard.
This is a 12-month, live-in position; weekend and evening commitments should be expected; assist on-call staff as needed for student and/or facilities issues/crises (e.g., fire alarms, flooding, multiple student issues, etc.).
Serve as liaison with other departments and offices on campus including: Campus Security, Instructional Resources and Facilities Management, President’s Office, Office of Student Affairs, Health Services, Counseling Services, Academic Advising, Information Services, CRIT, Admissions.
Assist with departmental programs and events such as RA Selection & training. Assist with OSA departmental programs such as Halloween Ball, Holiday Art Sale, Spring Art Sale, Leadership Dinner.
Serve on school committees and various work groups as assigned.
Provide leadership and oversight toward the goal of overall student retention.
Provide individualized care to address student concerns within Residence Life, and work to eliminate barriers to retention. Utilize resources at your disposal through other departments, such as Student Financial Services, Academic Advising, Contemporary Practices, Counseling Services, and Health Services to provide a coordinated response to student needs.
Other duties as assigned – Perform additional duties in support of the mission and goals of Residence Life and Student Affairs.