Director of Residential Life and Housing

Arcadia University • Glenside, PA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Student Experience, the Director of Housing Operations and Residential Experience provides strategic and operational leadership for the university's housing operations, residential systems, occupancy management, and residential infrastructure. This position oversees the day-to-day operational management of Arcadia University's residential communities and serves as a key leader in ensuring housing operations are efficient, student-centered, and aligned with institutional priorities. The Director is responsible for housing assignments, occupancy management, housing systems administration, residential facilities coordination, graduate housing operations, crisis response systems, and operational planning related to the residential student experience. The Director supervises a team that includes an Assistant Director, Residence Life Coordinators and a Housing Operations Coordinator. The Director collaborates closely with Campus Life Leadership, Facilities, Enrollment Management, Public Safety, Dining Services, Information Technology, and other campus partners to support residential operations, student wellbeing, and community success.

Requirements

• Master's degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Educational Leadership, or related field required
• 5–7 years of progressively responsible experience in university housing, residential life, or campus life leadership
• Demonstrated experience supervising professional staff and leading complex housing operations
• Experience with residential crisis response systems and on-call management
• Experience with housing systems administration, occupancy management, and facilities coordination
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across divisional and institutional partners in support of student success initiatives
• Strong knowledge of university housing operations, occupancy management, and residential systems administration
• Experience with housing management software and student information systems (MCR, PowerCampus, StarRez, Colleague, or similar platforms)
• Excellent organizational, strategic planning, and project management skills
• Strong analytical, assessment, and data management abilities
• Demonstrated ability to utilize assessment data, occupancy trends, and student experience metrics to inform operational planning and residential strategy
• Ability to manage complex operational processes in a fast-paced and student-centered environment
• Strong crisis response, decision-making, and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusive practices, belonging-focused work, and student success
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, professional judgment, and operational discretion
• Experience collaborating effectively across departments and institutional divisions
• Knowledge of residential facilities operations, deferred maintenance planning, and student-centered facilities management

Nice To Haves

• Experience implementing residential curriculum models, cohort-based engagement strategies, or themed residential communities
• Experience with graduate housing operations or specialized housing initiatives
• Experience with strategic planning related to residential communities and student experience development
• Experience supporting student retention, belonging, and engagement initiatives through residential environments

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for all university housing operations and residential systems
• Oversee housing assignments, occupancy management, room selection, waitlists, temporary housing, break housing, early arrivals, and late stays
• Lead operational planning and execution for move-in, move-out, openings, closings, and residential transitions
• Oversee implementation and management of graduate housing operations
• Develop and maintain housing operational policies, procedures, and assessment practices
• Support long-range planning related to occupancy management, residential utilization, and operational effectiveness
• Manage housing operations budgets related to occupancy management, summer operations, residential systems, and housing project
• Serve as the senior administrator for housing management systems and operational platforms
• Oversee system configuration, maintenance, testing, reporting, and optimization for systems such as StarRez, PowerCampus, MCR, or related platforms
• Ensure housing data integrity, operational compliance, and reporting accuracy
• Generate occupancy, utilization, and housing trend reports to support operational and strategic planning
• Collaborate with Enrollment Management, Information Technology, and institutional partners on housing-related processes and student onboarding
• Serve as the primary liaison between Housing and Facilities Management
• Coordinate maintenance priorities, work orders, facilities concerns, and residential operational needs
• Support planning and execution of residential improvement projects, furniture replacement, renovations, and student-centered facilities enhancements
• Assist with long-term residential facilities planning, deferred maintenance initiatives, and summer project coordination
• Serve within the university's residential on-call structure as Professional On Duty (POD 2)
• Provide leadership and oversight for residential crisis response, escalation management, and emergency coordination
• Respond to complex student situations involving health, safety, mental health, facilities emergencies, and conduct concerns
• Support ongoing assessment, training, and implementation of on-call procedures and crisis response protocols
• Maintain availability during assigned evening and weekend on-call rotation

Benefits

• excellent healthcare
• generous tuition benefits for employees and their families
• retirement benefits
• health and wellness programs and resources

What This Job Offers

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