Director, Housing and Residential Life

Stanislaus State•Turlock, CA

7d•Onsite

About The Position

Full-time position under the Management Personnel Plan (MPP) available on or after December 7, 2026 in Housing and Residential Life. The Director of Housing and Residential Life is responsible for providing executive leadership and strategic direction for the comprehensive administration of the university’s housing and residential life operations. The Director oversees the financial sustainability, occupancy performance, facilities stewardship, residential education, organizational effectiveness, emergency preparedness, continuity of operations, and regulatory compliance of the housing enterprise. The Director establishes departmental goals, policies, operational priorities, organizational structure, and resource allocation strategies that support institutional enrollment, retention, student success, and long-term housing viability. The Director provides leadership through subordinate administrators and managers and is responsible for the effective administration of business operations, occupancy management, facilities and maintenance services, conference services, residential education, assessment, emergency management, and personnel administration. The Director serves as the university’s primary authority on housing matters and represents the department with executive leadership, auxiliary organizations, external partners, families, contractors, and regulatory agencies. During emergencies affecting housing operations, the Director determines operational response strategies within established university protocols.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree.
Eight (8) years progressively responsible professional experience in university housing, residential life, student affairs.
Knowledge of applicable federal and state laws, CSU policies, and industry standards governing housing and residential life operations, including Clery Act, Title IX, ADA, FERPA, and related compliance requirements.
Exceptional written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively across multiple levels of the organization.
Ability to navigate complex and sensitive situations using diplomacy, discretion, political acumen, and sound judgment.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Higher Education Administration, Student Affairs, Business Administration, Public Administration, Organizational Leadership, Educational Leadership, Facilities Management, or a related field preferred.
Experience in auxiliary services, facilities operations, business operations, or a closely related field
Experience leading housing facilities construction, renovation, or master planning projects.
Experience at a public university or CSU institution.
Experience in a Hispanic-Serving Institution and serving diverse student populations.
Experience leading a self-supporting or auxiliary-funded operation exceeding $5 million annually.
Experience supervising professional staff, including managers, administrators, and/or supervisors.
Demonstrated ability to establish and communicate strategic vision, organizational priorities, and operational objectives for a complex housing and residential life program.
Experience leading organizational planning, change management, process improvement, assessment, and innovation initiatives.
Ability to exercise independent judgment and make decisions with significant operational, financial, compliance, and reputational impact.
Demonstrated ability to build and maintain collaborative relationships with diverse stakeholders, including students, families, faculty, staff, administrators, external partners, contractors, and community organizations.
Experience managing self-supporting, auxiliary, or revenue-generating operations, including responsibility for financial sustainability and operational effectiveness.
Experience developing and administering complex budgets, financial forecasts, rate models, reserve plans, and resource allocation strategies.
Demonstrated ability to analyze operational and financial data, evaluate performance outcomes, and implement strategies to achieve occupancy, revenue, and service objectives.
Knowledge of business operations including procurement, contract administration, purchasing, accounts receivable, internal controls, and regulatory reporting requirements.
Experience managing occupancy planning, housing assignments, retention strategies, revenue optimization, and customer service operations.
Experience overseeing facilities operations, maintenance programs, renovation projects, capital improvements, and long-range asset management planning.
Knowledge of preventive maintenance, deferred maintenance, facility condition assessment, project management, and residential facility operations.
Experience working collaboratively with facilities professionals, consultants, contractors, architects, engineers, and project teams.
Knowledge of safety standards, risk management principles, emergency preparedness, accessibility requirements, and regulatory compliance affecting residential facilities.
Demonstrated understanding of student development theory, residential education practices, and student success principles.
Experience leading residential education, community development, student conduct, wellness, engagement, belonging, and learning initiatives.
Experience assessing student learning outcomes, program effectiveness, and service delivery outcomes to inform continuous improvement.
Demonstrated experience supervising managers, professional staff, and diverse employee groups, including performance management, workforce planning, employee development, and succession planning.
Knowledge of collective bargaining agreements, labor relations principles, and employee relations practices within a complex organizational environment.
Demonstrated commitment to fostering an inclusive, equitable, accountable, and high-performing workplace culture.
Experience leading crisis response, emergency management, business continuity, threat assessment, and risk mitigation efforts.

Responsibilities

Establish strategic and operational direction for all housing business functions.
Develop long-range financial plans supporting departmental sustainability and growth.
Oversee housing assignments, occupancy planning, customer service operations, resident service delivery, and occupancy management strategies.
Lead departmental assessment, data analysis, performance measurement, and continuous-improvement activities.
Represent the department with university leadership, families, contractors, auxiliary organizations, external partners, and regulatory agencies.
Establish business continuity and emergency preparedness plans.
Participate in campus emergency management and incident response efforts.
Direct departmental responses to housing emergencies and critical incidents.
Authorize annual operating budgets, revenue projections, reserve allocations, and multi-year financial forecasts.
Establish housing rates and fee recommendations.
Determine occupancy management strategies to maximize utilization and support enrollment objectives.
Direct housing marketing, recruitment, retention, and yield-management initiatives.
Review and approve financial modeling scenarios and business plans.
Authorize contracts, service agreements, procurement strategies, and major expenditures.
Administer accounts receivable, internal controls, financial reporting, CSU financial policies, audit requirements, auxiliary agreements, and regulatory reporting.
Monitor key operational and financial performance indicators and implement corrective actions when necessary.
Evaluate emerging business opportunities, conference services, and partnership ventures that support revenue growth.
Serve as the department’s primary representative to university leadership and external partners.
Represent University Housing on institutional committees, strategic initiatives, and external professional organizations.
Develop collaborative partnerships supporting student success and operational effectiveness.
Administer applicable housing-related regulatory and compliance requirements.
Establish departmental facilities management strategy.
Coordinate housing facilities and maintenance services, including work orders, preventive maintenance, deferred maintenance, and capital planning.
Approve preventive maintenance, deferred maintenance, and capital renewal plans.
Direct long-range facility condition assessment and asset management initiatives.
Prioritize renovation and construction projects based on risk, operational impact, and available resources.
Authorize facility improvement recommendations and capital investment proposals.
Direct collaboration with Facilities Services, design professionals, contractors, vendors, and auxiliary partners.
Administer applicable health, safety, environmental, accessibility, and building requirements.
Evaluate facility-related risks and determine mitigation strategies.
Monitor departmental work-order trends, maintenance metrics, and facility performance indicators.
Establish strategic direction for residential education and student engagement efforts.
Direct community development, leadership development, student wellness, and inclusion initiatives.
Administer resident conduct systems, crisis intervention practices, and behavioral response protocols.
Review residential education assessment findings and direct modifications to programs and services.
Approve residential curriculum models, learning outcomes, and assessment plans.
Develop residential programming related to student development, belonging, community development, leadership development, student wellness, and inclusion.
Foster partnerships with academic and student affairs departments to advance resident success.
Establish organizational structure, workforce priorities, and staffing plans.
Direct and evaluate the work of subordinate administrators and managers.
Establish performance expectations and accountability measures.
Approve hiring recommendations and personnel actions.
Oversee employee relations matters in consultation with Human Resources.
Administer applicable collective bargaining agreements and personnel policies.
Develop succession planning, workforce development, and professional development initiatives.
Promote inclusion, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Lead organizational change and process-improvement initiatives.
Other duties as assigned.