Community Director - Leadership & Student Engagement

Bennett College•Greensboro, NC

18h•Onsite

About The Position

Founded in 1873, Bennett College is a private, historically Black liberal arts college for women located in Greensboro, North Carolina. As one of only two historically Black colleges for women in the United States, Bennett College has a proud legacy of empowering women through academic excellence, leadership development, civic engagement, and social justice. Bennett College provides a close-knit, student-centered learning environment where every student is encouraged to thrive academically, personally, and professionally. The College is committed to developing transformational leaders who are prepared to make meaningful contributions to their communities and the world. The Community Director – Student Leadership and Engagement is a full-time, live-in professional within the Office of Residence Life responsible for the overall management, development, safety, and student experience of an assigned residential community. The Community Director serves as a visible and accessible professional presence within the residence halls and is responsible for creating a safe, welcoming, inclusive, and engaging residential environment. This position is primarily focused on Residence Life and Housing (approximately 60%), with the remaining 40% dedicated to student leadership and engagement. The Community Director directly supervises, trains, and develops Resident Assistants (RAs) and provides leadership in the areas of residential community development, student conduct, conflict resolution, crisis response, housing operations, student support, and community engagement. The ideal candidate will have direct professional experience in Residence Life, Housing, Student Affairs, or a closely related area and will be comfortable working in a highly visible, student-facing role. The successful candidate must demonstrate sound judgment, strong communication skills, the ability to manage challenging situations, and a genuine commitment to student development. Because this is a live-in professional position, the Community Director must be willing to maintain an on-campus residence and participate in an established Residence Life on-call and emergency response rotation, including evenings and weekends as assigned.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
At least 2–3 years of professional experience in Residence Life, Housing, Student Affairs, Campus Life, or a closely related area.
Demonstrated professional experience working directly with college students.
Experience supervising, training, or developing Resident Assistants, student staff, or student leaders.
Experience with residential community development, student programming, or student engagement.
Experience responding to student concerns, interpersonal conflicts, conduct matters, or other challenging student situations.
Ability and willingness to live on campus.
Ability and willingness to participate in an established on-call rotation.
Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain confidentiality.
Commitment to student development and creating an inclusive, respectful residential environment.
Knowledge of Residence Life and Housing operations.
Understanding of student development and residential community development principles.
Strong conflict resolution and problem-solving skills.
Ability to respond calmly and effectively during emergencies and high-stress situations.
Ability to establish appropriate professional relationships with students.
Ability to supervise, coach, mentor, and hold student employees accountable.
Strong organizational and time-management skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to collaborate effectively across departments.
Sound judgment, discretion, and professionalism.
Ability to maintain appropriate professional boundaries in a live-in environment.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and standard administrative technology.
Ability to work evenings, weekends, and non-traditional hours as required by the position.

Responsibilities

Provide day-to-day professional oversight of an assigned residential community.
Maintain a visible and consistent professional presence within the residence hall.
Build positive, appropriate, and professional relationships with residential students.
Create a residential environment that promotes belonging, respect, safety, accountability, and student development.
Plan and facilitate community-building programs, activities, and educational initiatives.
Conduct regular walkthroughs of assigned residential areas and identify concerns related to safety, cleanliness, facilities, or student behavior.
Identify emerging community concerns and take proactive steps to address them.
Serve as a primary point of contact for residents regarding housing and residential life concerns.
Recruit, select, train, supervise, and evaluate Resident Assistants and other assigned student staff.
Conduct regular individual and team meetings with Resident Assistants.
Provide coaching, mentoring, and ongoing professional development to student staff.
Ensure RAs understand and fulfill their responsibilities related to community engagement, programming, documentation, safety, and policy enforcement.
Hold student staff accountable for performance expectations and departmental responsibilities.
Develop RAs as peer educators, community builders, and student leaders.
Provide guidance to RAs when responding to student concerns, conflicts, conduct matters, and emergencies.
Assist with residential occupancy management, room assignments, vacancies, room changes, check-in, check-out, and other housing processes.
Monitor residential occupancy and communicate vacancies, room assignment concerns, and other housing matters to Residence Life leadership.
Coordinate with Facilities, Public Safety, and other campus departments to address maintenance, safety, security, and environmental concerns.
Track housing-related concerns and ensure appropriate follow-up and documentation.
Assist with residence hall opening and closing procedures.
Support room inspections and other residential assessments as required.
Assist with maintaining accurate housing records and documentation.
Identify recurring housing concerns and recommend proactive solutions to improve the residential experience.
Educate residents regarding College policies, Residence Life policies, community standards, and expectations for residential living.
Address violations of College and Residence Life policies in accordance with established procedures.
Respond to conduct concerns using a fair, consistent, educational, and developmental approach.
Assist with roommate and interpersonal conflicts and facilitate appropriate conflict resolution.
Document incidents and student concerns accurately and within established timelines.
Prepare incident reports and other required documentation.
Escalate serious or complex concerns to the appropriate Residence Life or College administrator.
Participate in the Residence Life professional on-call rotation.
Respond to residential emergencies and urgent student concerns during assigned on-call periods.
Serve as an initial professional responder for situations involving student safety, behavioral concerns, medical emergencies, facility emergencies, and other residential incidents.
Follow established emergency response and escalation procedures.
Communicate with Residence Life leadership, Public Safety, Student Affairs, and other appropriate campus partners during emergencies.
Exercise sound judgment, professionalism, and discretion when responding to sensitive or high-risk situations.
Complete timely and accurate incident documentation following emergency or on-call responses.
Develop and facilitate leadership development opportunities for students.
Mentor students in developing interpersonal, organizational, communication, and leadership skills.
Encourage students to take meaningful leadership roles within the College and surrounding community.
Connect students with opportunities that support professional and personal development.
Assist with leadership workshops, programs, and initiatives as assigned.
Serve as a designated liaison or support resource for assigned student organizations.
Provide guidance to student leaders regarding organizational development, event planning, goal setting, communication, and leadership responsibilities.
Support student organizations in developing sustainable leadership structures and effective transitions between student leaders.
Collaborate with student organization advisors and campus partners to strengthen student involvement and organizational effectiveness.
Promote responsible, inclusive, and community-minded student leadership.