Director of Residence Life – Office of Student Housing and Residence Life

Duquesne University • Pittsburgh, PA

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About The Position

The Director of Residence Life provides strategic leadership for Duquesne University's comprehensive residence life program and works collaboratively with campus leadership to advance the Residential Learning Communities and the Living Learning Communities through expression of Spiritan mission and commitment to educating the whole person through Student Life's engage, thrive and belong strategic plan.

The Director is responsible for the overall structure, direction, services, and programs of Residence Life, including residential conduct, programmatic assessment, and the development of outcome-focused Living Learning Communities. The Director has overall responsibility for professional and student staff and participates in the organization, implementation, and continuous improvement of the residence life program. The Director reports to the Assistant Vice President of Student Housing and Residence Life and directly supervises two Assistant Directors. The Assistant Directors supervise nine Resident Directors and their Resident Assistant staffs. Indirect supervision includes approximately 90 Resident Assistants and nine Resident Directors.

The Director collaborates closely with the Housing Team, DU CARES, Student Conduct, Campus Ministry, Public Safety, Wellbeing Center, Dean of Students Office, Title IX, Center for Student Involvement, Academic Offices and other campus partners to strengthen the residential experience, respond effectively to student needs, support student accountability processes, and uphold community standards. The Director also provides leadership for policy development, implementation, and training to ensure consistent, equitable, and educationally grounded practices across the residential system.

This position is an on-call position and requires flexibility to work evenings and weekends. On-campus housing is optional and can be discussed at the time of the interview.

Requirements

• A master's degree from an accredited educational institution or comparable experience.
• Five years of progressive, relevant experience in student personnel or higher education administration, with supplemental knowledge of business operations.
• Sufficient experience in Higher Education Administration to perform the duties of this position.
• Required to participate in the on-call rotation with the ability to arrive on campus within twenty minutes during emergency situations.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree from an accredited educational institution in higher education, student affairs, counseling, or a related social science field.
• Alternatively, the successful candidate may possess any equivalent combination of experience and training, which provides the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the essential job functions. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:
• Knowledge of the general principles and practices of the organization and administration of higher education.
• Knowledge of current trends and legal requirements in the administration of judicial procedures, student records, student groups, office management, counseling services, and services for students with disabilities living in residence.
• Knowledge of assessment practices and data-informed decision making in a residential life context.
• Ability to plan, assign, direct, coordinate, and supervise the work of professional, paraprofessional, clerical, and other staff personnel.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with University officials, staff, students, and parents.
• Ability to communicate effectively, including listening skills and skills in expressing ideas clearly and succinctly, both orally and in writing.
• Knowledge of the policies, regulations, and procedures of the University regarding living in residence and student life.
• Sensitivity to the need of each individual to be treated with dignity and respect as it relates to the Mission of the University specifically.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the University Community.
• Ability and willingness to contribute actively to the mission of the University and to respect the Spiritan Catholic identity of Duquesne University. The mission is implemented through a commitment to academic excellence, a spirit of service, moral and spiritual values, sensitivity to world concerns, and an ecumenical campus community.

Responsibilities

• Provides strategic direction for the overall Residence Life program, including structure, services, staff, and continuous improvement efforts aligned with the Student Life strategic plan.
• Leads policy development, implementation, and training to ensure consistent, equitable, and educationally grounded practices across the residential system.
• Administers core operational processes including accountability, hall opening and closing, duty systems, damages, keys, visitation, and facilities requests.
• Oversees design, marketing, and communication for room selection and placement, including website content and large-scale programming materials.
• Participates in SHRL weekly staff meetings and submits weekly reports to the Assistant Vice President of Student Housing and Residence Life.
• Prepares monthly crime statistics for submission to the Department of Public Safety.
• Assumes weekly and/or weekend duty on a regularly assigned basis.
• Serves as a conduct officer for resident students, adjudicating infractions of University and Residence Life regulations in a fair, consistent, and educationally grounded manner.
• Provides oversight of Maxient case management for SHRL; serves as the primary liaison to Student Conduct for residential accountability processes.
• Counsels and advises individual residents and works collaboratively with Student Conduct, DU CARES, Title IX, and Public Safety to respond effectively to student needs and uphold community standards.
• Ensures residential conduct policies and procedures are reviewed regularly and reflect current legal requirements and best practices in student affairs.
• Promotes a community standards culture across the residential system through proactive education, staff training, and consistent enforcement.
• Leads programmatic assessment efforts for Residence Life, including the development and evaluation of learning outcomes for residential programs, Living Learning Communities, and staff training initiatives.
• Collects, analyzes, and reports data on residential student engagement, conduct trends, LLC participation, and community development outcomes to inform continuous improvement.
• Develops and maintains assessment tools in collaboration with campus partners and uses findings to guide resource allocation, program design, and policy decisions.
• Prepares regular reports for the Assistant Vice President on the effectiveness of residential programs and presents data-informed recommendations for programmatic development.
• Provides strategic oversight for the development, implementation, and assessment of outcome-focused Living Learning Communities in partnership with Academic Affairs and other campus stakeholders.
• Chairs or oversees the LLC Steering Committee, facilitating collaboration among faculty, academic offices, and student life partners to sustain and grow the LLC program.
• Develops and implements Residential Learning programs with clear learning outcomes tied to student success, wellness, and community development.
• Builds and maintains relationships with academic departments and campus offices to identify opportunities for integrated residential learning experiences.
• Develops student success and wellness guidelines and coordinates program efforts for both individual student development and community-wide initiatives.
• Directly supervises two Assistant Directors; provides leadership, coaching, evaluation, and professional development support.
• Oversees Resident Director and Resident Assistant training, supervision structures, and evaluation processes.
• Conducts regular staff meetings and in-service programs to support the ongoing development of the Resident Assistant staff.
• Fosters a professional team culture grounded in Duquesne's Spiritan mission, commitment to student success, and principles of equity and inclusion.
• Collaborates with the Housing Team, DU CARES, Student Conduct, Campus Ministry, Public Safety, Wellbeing Center, Dean of Students Office, Title IX, Center for Student Involvement, and Academic Offices to strengthen the residential experience.
• Promotes effective communication within the residential system and with students, families, University personnel, and other stakeholders.
• Manages all web, print, and social media content for the Office of Student Housing and Residence Life. Leads development of a full communication plan that includes housing and residence life programs.
• Participates in Division of Student Life programs and activities and represents Residence Life in campus-wide initiatives.
• Completes other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• The University offers generous benefits including paid time off (holidays, holy days and vacation), employer matching contributions to the retirement plan, and tuition benefits for employees and their eligible dependents.

What This Job Offers

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