Community Director

Union College Career Center in Becker Hall • Schenectady, NY

7d • 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-centered 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. The role includes on-call responsibilities and support for evening and weekend activities. The CD implements the residential engagement model and oversees administration, student staff supervision and development, student support, crisis management, student conduct administration, community development, facility coordination, and assigned college and departmental committee work.

The CD works with the Associate Director on the daily operations of an assigned community, which may include first-year or upperclass students, apartments, Minerva and theme communities, or fraternity and sorority life. The position also maintains community records and participates in departmental initiatives for leadership development, student group advising, skills training, hazing prevention, and wellness.

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 and skills to improve results.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, manage, and assess student engagement and community development initiatives, including collaboration with other college departments.
• Create an inclusive community in which residents respect one another’s rights, cultures, and sensitivities, and provide students with advice and guidance suited to their needs.
• Maintain a visible, active presence in assigned residence halls through community events, walk-throughs, open office hours, and work hours scheduled around student needs, including some evenings and weekends.
• Address specific needs in assigned communities, which may include fraternity or sorority housing, theme communities, and living-learning communities.
• Select, train, supervise, evaluate, and develop undergraduate student staff, including Head Resident Assistants, Resident Assistants, and potentially House Managers.
• Plan weekly staff meetings, meet individually with staff routinely, support ongoing staff development, and educate student staff about campus resources.
• Support students experiencing academic, behavioral, or developmental difficulties and refer them to appropriate services.
• Participate in the professional staff on-call rotation, provide crisis intervention and referrals, and perform weekly and break on-call coverage as directed.
• Enforce the Code of Student Conduct and other policies related to behavior, safety, security, and health in coordination with relevant offices.
• Serve as a campus hearing officer and educate residents involved in the conduct process about its educational philosophy.
• 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 with Residence Life staff for assigned areas.
• Promote fire safety through programs, inspections, and scheduled drills; document damages for Facilities; inspect residential areas 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 or website work, and summer conference housing.
• Serve on college committees as assigned, assist with administrative office duties, and support colleagues during periods of heavy or overlapping work.
• Coordinate daily operations for an assigned community with the Associate Director and maintain statistics, rosters, and community records as needed.
• Participate in departmental teams and initiatives for leadership development, student group advising, skills training, hazing prevention, and wellness.

Benefits

• Generous vacation, sick, and personal time.
• Winter recess break in addition to paid holidays, in accordance with policy.
• Medical insurance (PPO and HDHP), dental insurance, vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, 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.
• Furnished on-campus apartment including utilities.

What This Job Offers

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