Associate Director, Front Desk Operations

Wayne State University•Detroit, MI

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Wayne State University is searching for an experienced Associate Director, Front Desk Operations at its Detroit campus location. Wayne State is a premier, public, urban research university located in the heart of Detroit, Michigan where students from all backgrounds are offered a rich, high-quality education. Our deep-rooted commitment to excellence, collaboration, integrity, diversity and inclusion creates exceptional educational opportunities which prepare students for success in a global society. Job Purpose The Office of Housing & Residential Life is a unit within Student Success, Support, and Engagement. Associate Directors provide leadership and direction in the delivery of an array of services designed to enhance the experiences of undergraduate, graduate, professional students and guests residing in Wayne State Housing. Additionally, they promote and facilitate student learning; foster an atmosphere of respect for individual differences and community values; guide department planning and communication; and coordination of department efforts. Housing Operations within the Office of Housing & Residential Life is the gateway for university community members interested in on-campus housing. Housing Operations is a primary resource for on-campus housing information through Wayne State University’s main phone line, email, and public web presence. Housing Operations is also responsible for the supervision of housing front desks, management of student accounts, and support for camps and conferences. This position is responsible for setting policy each year, in collaboration with the Director for Housing Operations, and designing operational procedures for the department’s customer service, paraprofessional security operations, and residential front desks. This position directly supervises Area 5 Administrative Coordinators (FTE), 12 Security Monitors (hourly staff), and up to 6 student desk assistants in the central housing office. This position indirectly supervises up to 130 student desk and community assistants at 8 residential building front desks that operate 24 hours a day 7 days a week when buildings are occupied.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in student development, student personnel, and/or a related field. Master’s degree preferred.
Minimum of 5 years of experience with student developmental issues and strategies for implementing a comprehensive college/university-based residential program or equivalent experience.
Minimum of 5 years of supervisory experience required.
Experience using housing assignment and billing software.
Experience demonstrating knowledge of Banner, RAPP & EPAF marketing and strong organizational communication and problem-solving skills required.
Organizational Leadership: Strong mentoring and coaching skills. Ability to train, develop, assess and offer feedback to staff members. Must have a willingness to make decisions, exhibiting sound and accurate judgement. Demonstrated ability to motivate professional staff and students.
Supervisory Skills: Ability to delegate work, set clear direction and manage workflow. Strong mentoring and coaching skills. Ability to train, develop, assess and offer feedback to staff members. Ability to foster teamwork among staff members.
Project Management: Must be able to prepare and present special projects with little or no supervisory/oversight. Ability to meet deadlines and to take large complex projects and divide them into small achievable tasks organized into a plan. Strong detail-oriented project management skills.
Communication: Must have effective interpersonal and customer service skills. Must have the ability to communicate clearly, concisely and professionally both orally and in writing.
Analytical Skills: Keen ability to make valid and reliable evaluation of information. Demonstrate attention to detail.
Learning Agility: Independent and innovative self-starter who can display an ability to learn rapidly and adapt quickly to changing situations.
Interpersonal Skills: Effective interpersonal and customer service skills, written and oral. Ability to handle pressure situations, including dealing with sensitive and confidential human relations situations.
Analytical Skills: Ability to compare, contrast, and quality check work with keen attention to detail. Ability to tabulate data, perform primary analyses, and successfully explain/teach information to others. Manage complex processes and see-through to completion.
Technology Skills: Must possess computer proficiency. Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office tools, especially Excel and SharePoint, and ability to learn and apply Banner, housing management software, and related computer program/application skills.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Recruit, train, hire, supervise, and schedule Area Assignment Coordinators, Security Monitors, student desk and community assistants.
Meet regularly with supervisees to provide direction, leadership and information, and develop strategies to enhance student services.
Provide leadership in the delivery of services provided by front desk and security operations through functional oversight to professional staff related to their residence hall and apartment community specific work with customer service, security support, and front desk operations.
Oversees onboarding, training and development of professional and student staff of front desk operations and customer service to assure alignment with Student Success, Support, & Engagement values.
Develop and refine processes to improve the overall customer service experience and increase efficiency.
Tracks metrics in the housing ticket system to ensure that tickets are assigned appropriately, and that response times and service quality expectations are met and identify areas for improvement.
Provide direct contact with students and their families seeking in-person or real-time support for housing matters, providing referrals as appropriate.
Track customer interactions to identify trends and coordinate with university partners to address recurring inquiries and proactively address concerns.
Collaborate with Office of Housing & Residential Life and university partners to ensure that residents and affiliates have a positive experience when interacting with the department, whether that’s through handling complaints, answering inquiries, or providing solutions to problems.
Participate in an on-call rotation & adjudicate high-level conduct to provide support/guidance with other members of the Office of Housing & Residential Life Leadership Team.
Assist the Director with overall administration, effectively communicating with internal and external constituents.
Budget consultation and stewardship of payroll approvals.
Ensures that accurate timesheets are submitted and approved on time for team members under their supervision.
Collaborate with Office of Housing & Residential Life staff to ensure that the housing website and skills executed by the entire team aligns with policies, trainings, customer service standards, and other expectations outlined by the unit’s residential curriculum, mission, vision and contracts.
Serve on department or university committees related to position responsibilities.
Provide ongoing assessment of technology and other resources used to provide services.
Supports organizational development and change management initiatives through their participation as a member of the Office of Housing & Residential Life Leadership Team.
Work collaboratively with Directors, Associate Directors, and Area Managers in Wayne State Housing to ensure proper smooth coordination and communication among organizational areas.
May be asked to fulfill special projects and other duties as needed to help the department meet its objectives.
Perform other related duties as assigned.