Community Director

Union College • Schenectady, NY

6d • Onsite

About The Position

The Community Director (CD) manages one or two residence halls or a smaller cluster of houses serving approximately 350 residents and supervises up to 12 student staff members. The CD is an active, visible residential life staff member who facilitates an engaging, relationship-focused community experience that fosters curiosity and learning, centers well-being, and supports students’ success.

This is a full-time, twelve-month, live-in position with a furnished on-campus apartment and utilities included. The role includes participation in an on-call rotation and support for evening and weekend activities. The CD’s work includes implementing the residential engagement model; administration and supervision; student development; crisis management; student conduct administration; community development; collaboration with facilities management; and college and departmental committee assignments.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including nights and weekends.
• Ability to exercise exceptional judgment, maintain strict confidentiality, and demonstrate professionalism in a range of situations.
• Ability to support and strengthen a vibrant, culturally diverse, and inclusive learning community of students, alumni, faculty, and colleagues.
• Ability to identify and pursue relevant learning and professional development opportunities and apply new knowledge, insights, and skills.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Higher Education, College Student Personnel, Counseling, or a related field, and/or a combination of relevant education, training, certifications, and work experience.
• Membership in a fraternity or sorority, or previous professional experience working with a fraternity or sorority community.

Responsibilities

• Create an inclusive community atmosphere that respects people’s rights, cultures, and sensitivities.
• Develop, implement, manage, and assess student engagement and community development initiatives, collaborating with departments across Student & Campus Life.
• Provide students with advice and guidance based on their individual needs.
• Establish and work a schedule that meets the needs of a student-facing residential role, including some evenings and weekends.
• Maintain a visible and active presence in assigned residence halls through student engagement, campus events, community walkthroughs, and open office hours.
• Support the needs of assigned communities, which may include fraternity/sorority housing, theme communities, and the Minerva Program.
• Select, train, supervise, evaluate, and develop student staff, including Head Resident Assistants, Resident Assistants, and possibly House Managers.
• Provide ongoing student staff development, hold weekly staff meetings, meet individually with staff routinely, and educate staff about campus resources.
• Support students experiencing academic, behavioral, or developmental challenges and refer them to services as appropriate.
• Participate in the professional staff on-call rotation and provide crisis intervention, resources, and referrals; perform weekly and break on-call coverage as directed.
• Understand and enforce the Code of Student Conduct and other policies related to behavior, safety, security, and health.
• Serve as a campus hearing officer and educate involved residents about the educational philosophy of the conduct process.
• Coordinate resident management operations with the Residential Education leadership team, including space changes and assignments, room selection, and summer conference housing.
• Coordinate move-in and move-out processes with Residence Life staff.
• Promote fire safety through programs, inspections, and scheduled fire drills.
• Report and document damages, routinely inspect assigned residential areas for facilities issues, and submit work orders as needed.
• Oversee daily residential community operations, including check-in and checkout procedures and facility management.
• Manage the assigned staff budget and allocate resources for programming, events, and operational expenses.
• Assist with annual departmental projects, including student staff selection, room selection, training, opening and closing, room changes, publications and website work, and summer conference housing.
• Serve on college committees as assigned, assist with administrative office duties, and support colleagues during busy periods.
• Coordinate daily operations for an assigned community area with the Associate Director.
• Maintain statistics, rosters, and community records as needed.
• Participate in departmental teams focused on leadership development and student group advising, including skills training, hazing prevention, and wellness initiatives.

Benefits

• Furnished on-campus apartment with utilities included.
• Generous vacation, sick, and personal time.
• Winter recess break in addition to paid holidays, in accordance with policy.
• Medical insurance options, including PPO and HDHP plans.
• Dental insurance.
• Vision insurance.
• Flexible Spending and Dependent Care Accounts.
• Free access to the on-campus fitness facility and discounts for on-campus wellness programs.
• Pre-tax and post-tax participation in a 403(b) retirement plan.
• Salary continuation program in the event of disability.
• Tuition Exchange.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level