Director of Residence and Community Life
About The Position
The Director of Residence and Community Life provides relational leadership for Bethel University’s residential community, cultivating a living environment where students are known, supported, and challenged to grow academically, spiritually, and personally. This role oversees the daily operations and long-term direction of community life and housing processes, ensuring that campus residences function not merely as places to live, but as formative communities where students experience belonging, accountability, and holistic development in relationship with God and others. As a key leader within the Student Life Office, the Director of Residence and Community Life leads, mentors, and equips professional staff, graduate assistants, and student leaders to foster safe, inclusive, and Christ-centered residential spaces. The Director partners closely with Student Life colleagues and campus departments to align residence and community life programming and student conduct with University goals related to student thriving. This position plays a critical role in supporting student retention through proactive engagement, effective conduct processes, crisis response, and individualized support. The Director models Bethel’s Community Covenant and exercises sound judgment in complex situations. Through collaborative leadership, intentional relationship-building, and faithful stewardship of people and resources, the Director of Residence and Community Life advances Bethel’s mission to educate and equip students to lead lives of impact within a thriving, Christ-centered campus community. The starting salary range for this position is $70,000 to $75,000 annually. This position requires U.S. work authorization; sponsorship is not available.
Requirements
- Proven leadership experience, including staff development, coaching, and training.
- Proven strong interpersonal and communication skills, connecting and partnering well with staff, faculty, parents and students.
- Ability to effectively exercise discretion and judgement, navigate ambiguity, and implement conflict resolution skills effectively.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with internal and external partners, students, and families.
- Must be capable of mentoring students professionally, spiritually, emotionally and personally.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office and Google Suites.
- 5+ years of experience in residence life.
- Previous leadership experience in residence life.
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field required.
Nice To Haves
- 7+ years of experience in residence life.
- Previous experience in other areas of student life.
Responsibilities
- Residence Life Supervision – 45%
- Supervise and lead residence life staff including selection, training, mentoring, evaluation and 1:1 meetings.
- Lead weekly staff meetings.
- Support direct reports in managing residence halls, providing effective housing and meal programs, and leading and training RAs/GAs.
- Attend and participate in various Residence and Student Life meetings and development opportunities.
- Oversee budget for programming and staff development.
- Student Support & Conduct – 20%
- Lead Student Conduct meetings, process, and team.
- Counsel and advise students on lifestyle choices and campus community expectations.
- Address policy violations and unhealthy living patterns with appropriate follow-up.
- Mentor, counsel, and refer students to appropriate resources.
- Provide on-call support for residence life staff and serve in an on-call capacity (rotating schedule).
- Handle emergency situations and other student concerns in conjunction with staff.
- Student Engagement & Program Development – 15%
- Develop relationships with students by attending residence events and engaging with them.
- Assess student residence needs and implement programs to address those needs.
- Cross-Departmental Partnerships – 15%
- Serve as a liaison between Residence Life and key campus partners, including Facilities Management, Security and Safety, Admissions, Campus Ministry, and other Student Life departments.
- Additional Responsibilities – 5%
- Oversee student study abroad approvals, stop-outs/withdrawals, and general dean/director meetings.
Benefits
- Bethel is committed to offering meaningful benefits to our employees including health insurance, retirement plans, and a generous time off package.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
