Associate Director, Residence Life

Santa Clara University•Santa Clara, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director reports to the Director of Residence Life, provides day-to-day operational leadership and management, and assumes responsibility for decisions impacting departmental functions and operations. Given the departmental functions of the position, great focus on efficiency behind program design and service delivery is expected, as is a responsibility for overall quality of service provided to students and departmental staff. The Associate Director supervises two Assistant Directors, who each manage four to five full time master’s level professional staff (Resident Directors), has significant responsibility for overseeing daily operations and coordinates all departmental operations related to professional and senior staffing, including, but not limited to, the management of recruitment, selection, training and evaluation. In addition, the position serves as a liaison between the Office of Residence Life and other university offices to create a seamless residential experience that supports the growth and development of students. The department is responsible for approximately 3,400 undergraduate residents housed in a variety of accommodations (traditional residence halls, mini-suites, suite/apartments and townhouses) and includes approximately 95 student leaders, at least 60 Desk Assistants, 9 Assistant Resident Directors, 9 Resident Directors, 2 Assistant Directors, 1 Associate Director, and 1 Director of Resident Life. Position is a full-time, 12-month position and requires a full-time commitment including the flexibility to work evenings and weekends. On-Campus housing is optional. A furnished or unfurnished apartment is available and can be discussed at the time of the interview.

Requirements

Master’s degree required.
Minimum of 4 years of professional full-time residence life staff experience required.
Ability to effectively establish and maintain cooperative working relationships within a diverse multicultural environment.
Understanding and support of the Jesuit tradition of education and a commitment to the fundamental values of service to others, community, and diversity as well as commitment to and demonstration of skills, knowledge, and awareness to serve the unique needs of the diverse campus community of Santa Clara University.
Comprehension of the Jesuit mission of the University, strategic initiatives, and major developmental issues of students at a highly selective, multicultural, residential university.
Knowledge of student development theory and philosophy of Residential Learning Community concepts.
Knowledge of housing functions is essential.
Competency working with students of different cultural, ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds with a special sensitivity to how personal experiences affect the transition into the University environment.
Strong interpersonal skills required.
Demonstrated ability to communicate professionally and effectively in both written and verbal form with a variety of stakeholders including, but not limited to, students, faculty, staff, and parents.
Knowledge of housing and residence life best practices, procedures, student development theory and philosophy of living learning concepts essential.
Extensive knowledge and experience in developing training for professional and paraprofessional level staff members.
Ability to have a high tolerance for ambiguity and extensive consultation to build consensus and to earn student, faculty and administrative support.
Demonstrated ability to analyze and solve difficult problems, reach agreement, and potential solutions through flexibility and compromise, make will-reasoned and principled decisions and exercise good judgment in dealing with a variety of complex issues and situations.
Ability to resolve conflicts utilizing counseling and arbitration skills.
Maintain a comprehensive and working knowledge of all federal and institutional policies and procedures.
Highly developed organizational and leadership skills essential.
Capacity to work in a 24-hour/7 day environment with the ability to quickly respond to and handle situations for the entire residential campus.
Considerable time is spent at a desk using a computer terminal.
May be required to travel to other buildings on the campus.
May be required to attend conference and training sessions within Bay Area or in- or out-of-state locations.
May be required to occasionally travel to outside customers, vendors or suppliers.

Nice To Haves

Experience supervising and developing full-time professional staff strongly preferred.
The Incumbent will be expected to continue upgrading knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to remain current and effective in the areas of resident education, program development, leadership development, outcomes assessment, and student development.

Responsibilities

Serve as the direct supervisor for two Assistant Directors and provide guidance, leadership, direction, and support while ensuring quality, accountability, and consistency across their respective areas.
Support the development of the Assistant Directors as supervisors and leaders.
Conduct weekly or bi-weekly one-on-one supervisory meetings with a focus on performance and professional growth.
Provide ongoing feedback and complete annual performance reviews.
Provide second level supervision to Resident Directors and indirect / third level supervision for student and senior staff (Community Facilitators / Neighborhood Representatives, Assistant Resident Directors) and Desk Assistants.
Use various styles, techniques and communication methods to achieve successful results and build good relationships.
Develop systems to organize the department’s workflow to ensure quality, precision and timeliness.
Provide oversight and direction to departmental processes and committees including selection, training, evaluation, recognition and other centralized processes.
Act as departmental representative with students, staff, faculty and the external community, requiring extraordinary support and assistance in the resolution of resident issues, counseling, conduct, facilities, etc.
Assist the Director in identifying departmental outcomes, conducting regular assessments for the purpose of evaluating the department’s ability to meet those goals, and when needed, institute change for the purpose of meeting those goals.
Create policies, procedures, schedules, and forms of the department.
Assist with the development, implementation, and assessment of the Residential Learning Community Curriculum and departmental student learning and formation initiatives.
Coordinate emergency planning and provide oversight for Assistant Director managing duty phones and emergency supply inventory and replacement.
Serve on University and Division committees and complete other projects and tasks as assigned by the Director of Residence Life.
In the absence of, or when deemed necessary, assume the responsibilities of the Director.
Serve as an Essential Staff Person and respond to campus immediately when the campus is experiencing a natural other disaster.
Responsible for overseeing the overall management of recruitment and selection of professional (RDs), senior (ARDs), and student staff (CFs / NRs and Das).
Responsible for overseeing the development of professional, senior, and student staff training and oversight of all residence life professional development activities.
Coordinate the professional staff evaluation process, including self, peer and supervisor feedback process.
Oversee the senior, student staff, and desk assistant evaluation process including self, peer, resident and supervisor feedback.
Develop and oversee a comprehensive staff development program for professional staff within the department.
Based on departmental need, coordinate and supervise the work of the professional staff responsible for the supervision, selection and training of graduate conduct officers.
Provide consultation as appropriate to those departments concerned with Residence Life related issues and work collaboratively to build and maintain relationships across the division and campus, including key partnerships with the Faculty, Chair for the Residential Learning Communities, Student Health, Counseling, and Well-Being (SHCWB), Campus Safety Services, the Dean of Students Office, Admissions, and the Center for Student Involvement.
Serve on the Student Well-Being Team and provide timely communication and response regarding student welfare matters in partnership with the professional staff.
Consult with students, staff, faculty, administrators, parents, and outside agencies as appropriate regarding student welfare issues.
In partnership the Housing Office, plan and coordinate administrative processes for opening and closing including early arrival check in, fall opening, winter and spring closing and extension processes, and coordinate Welcome Weekend volunteer recruitment and training.
Coordinate and lead Residence Life participation in university programs and events such as Orientation, Open House, Preview Day, and other Admissions and campus partner initiatives.
Confer with, counsel and advise students, faculty, staff and parents regarding Residence Life programs and services through these events and on an individual basis as needed.
Represent the University in establishing community relations in those areas involving Residence Life.
Occasional nights and weekends, including participation in the Leadership on-call rotation, with response to departmental and campus events, and emergencies.
Other duties as assigned.