Executive Director, Housing & Residence Life

This position requires a strategic, student-centered, and collaborative leader responsible for providing comprehensive direction over a large and complex housing and residence life operation. This position oversees campus housing management, residential education, staff leadership, crisis response, conduct processes, and student success initiatives that promote belonging, learning, and well-being. At present, the department has over 50 professional, graduate, and undergraduate student staff that serve over 2,000 students living in on campus residence halls and apartments. This position manages significant human, financial, and physical resources; leads data-informed decision making; and ensures alignment of the residential experience with the University mission and student success priorities. This position works closely with varied campus partners to create welcoming and safe residential communities that support student growth and persistence. Sponsorship is not available for this position.

Strategic Leadership and Oversight Provide direct supervision, leadership, vision, and long-range strategic planning for housing & residence life; Align departmental goals with institutional mission, student success, and retention priorities; Lead assessment, data analysis, and continuous improvement processes; Develop policies, procedures, and systems that protect university assets and enhance operations; Housing Operations and Facilities Oversee day-to-day housing operations, occupancy management, and housing assignments; Direct processes for room selection, inspections, summer/interim/break housing, and move-in/move-out; Coordinate facility needs with campus partners/departments and external vendors to ensure safe, well-maintained spaces; Support capital planning, housing master planning, and renovation priorities; Oversee housing software systems, currently StarRez, and technology-driven improvements; Work with private owners near campus who are partners in affiliated housing management; Residential Life and Student Experience Create residential environments that promote learning, leadership, and community engagement; Implement and evaluate a residential curriculum tied to developmental learning outcomes; Oversee residential programming, student engagement activities, and living-learning initiatives; Maintain visible presence in residential communities and build strong relationships with students; Retention, Assessment & Student Success Use data to evaluate programs effectiveness, occupancy trends, and student outcomes; Monitor housing retention patterns and develop strategies that support persistence; Produce reports and summaries to inform divisional and institutional decision-making; Crisis Management, Safety & Compliance Participate in on-call rotation and respond to after-hours emergencies; Serve on crisis and threat management teams as appropriate; Ensure compliance with university policies, Title IX, student conduct expectations, and risk-management practices; Budget & Resource Management Develop, manage, and forecast complex housing and auxiliary budgets; Ensure responsible stewardship of financial, human, and facility resources; Identify opportunities for efficiencies and revenue development; Staff Leadership & Supervision Recruit, train, supervise, and evaluate both professional and student staff; Provide ongoing professional development and coaching; Foster a collaborative, ethical, student-focused work culture; Perform all other duties as assigned.

ADDITIONAL DUTIES

Serve on university, divisional, and departmental committees and working groups as requested or required by position; Represent the department and division at campus programs and significant events; Perform duties to support student success and institutional priorities. Master's degree in higher education, student affairs, counseling, educational leadership, or a related field is required; Seven to ten years of progressively responsible leadership experience within housing/residence life or student affairs is required; Supervisory experience, including oversight of professional staff and multiple functional areas is required; Proven experience with budget management and resource management is required; Experience with crisis response, conduct processes, and student support systems is required; Experience working with housing software systems is required; Experience managing large-scale residential operations or complex auxiliary systems is preferred; Experience with retention initiatives, residential curriculum, learning communities, and/or student success platforms is preferred; Experience with capital planning, facilities oversight, and/or housing master planning is preferred.

LICENSES, CERTIFICATIONS, OR REGISTRATIONS

NoneApplicants must upload a cover letter and resume at the time of application, as well as provide contact information for at least three professional references. For questions, please email employment@una.edu or call 256.765.4291 and select option #2. Selecting an option other than #2 will result in a delayed response.