Residence Hall Director - Undergraduate Residence Halls - University Housing
University Housing - Residential Life
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS - URBANA CHAMPAIGN
Job Summary The Residence Hall Director - Undergraduate Residence Halls is responsible for providing leadership, management, and coordination of a residential community in the undergraduate residence halls. RDs shape the experiences, environment and student success of residential students through the framework of a Residential Curriculum. Additionally, the position works collaboratively with colleagues on campus to support University Housing's mission and vision, and build safe, inclusive communities, through leadership, supervision, and crisis management. All University Housing staff will engage and contribute to a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion within University Housing.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Residential Education and Leadership - 25%
Assume responsibility for the leadership and implementation of strategies to achieve the goals and learning outcomes of a residential experience. Goals and learning outcomes of the curriculum are currently in the areas of Academic Success, Social Justice Exploration, Personal Growth and Community Engagement.
Provide direct leadership to staff for community assessment, community building and the implementation and assessment of the curriculum. Assume a leadership role in promoting action and advocacy for inclusivity, equity and belonging across all cultures.
Provide leadership, guidance and support to staff, students, and student groups in the development of communities with an increased sense of social awareness and sense of responsibility.
Support the academic mission of the university as educators, guiding staff, residents, and student groups in the development of communities that support residents' goals for making academic progress and expand their knowledge of academic and campus resources.
Coordinate collaboration and work between RAs and other paraprofessional and student hourly positions to implement the goals and outcomes of the curriculum. Provide leadership development opportunities for members of student groups through structured advising, mentoring, and community event planning.
Educate residents and staff regarding the University and Housing policies and developmentally address behaviors, informally through conflict resolution strategies, restorative practice, and formally through the educationally driven student conduct process.
Maintain appropriate community standards within the undergraduate residence halls.
Act as a University hearing officer for all hall-level violations and some campus-level student code violations utilizing an educational and developmental approach.
Develop intentional collaborative relationships with internal and external department and campus partners from Student Affairs and Academic Affairs.
Staff Supervision, Recruitment, Training and Development - 25%
Supervise and lead paraprofessional staff of 8-15 in the implementation of the residential curriculum.
Set expectations and guide paraprofessional staff in development of interpersonal skills, administrative tasks, professionalism, and working collaboratively within a team. Participate in departmental recruitment and selection processes.
Assist with departmental training, plan and implement paraprofessional training, and develop and implement weekly staff development for paraprofessionals. Participate in professional staff training and development programs.
Conduct informal and formal performance appraisals for paraprofessional staff.
Supervisors will engage in and implement University Housing's diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Crisis Response & Management - 25%
Assume on-call responsibilities within a multi-residence hall area on a regularly scheduled rotation during the year including all University break periods, which may include holidays.
Respond to in-hall emergencies including but not limited to weather, fire, outside emergency responders enter building.
Effectively address and respond to crisis or emergency situations, which includes providing guidance to paraprofessional staff and students. Provide appropriate post-crisis referrals and follow-up with students and staff.
Remains at or reports to their facilities as soon as conditions reasonably permit in the event of severe weather or emergency situations when the university may suspend classes or close the university. (This position is considered an essential employee.)
Administrative - 20%
Establish and maintain a minimum of 10 weekday drop-in office hours for residents as part of a flexible, work schedule during the academic year. Maintain a traditional 40-hour work week schedule during the summer and breaks to work on assigned projects and prepare for staff training.
Maintain availability for evening and weekend educational initiatives and contact with students on a flexible schedule.
Coordinate various administrative tasks, such as the room change process, fire inspections, and maintaining student employment records. Participate on a wide variety of departmental and/or university committees, project teams, and work groups.
Maintain accurate documentation for the judicial process.
Coordinate hall openings and closing procedures at various break periods.
Process requests for funding and administer student group and staff administrative budgets including maintaining detailed financial records.
Participate in weekly area professional staff meetings, monthly departmental and quarterly all housing meetings as well as regular project oriented departmental committee meetings.
Become familiar with Residential Life current policies and procedures outlined in the Residential Life manual. Participate in University Housing's overall Conference & Special Events operation.
Respond to day-to-day needs of conference groups and staff during the conference season. Collaborate regularly with other Housing units on various programs and operations.
Collaborate effectively with Living Learning Community staffs to plan and implement fall orientation, specialized educational initiatives and services that complement the academic theme of the Living Learning Community (applicable in halls with LLCs).
Professional - 5%
Function in a unique department-centered and area-centered environment where in-depth collaboration and teamwork are extremely important and highly valued. Demonstrate self-awareness of own social identities, privilege, and biases while actively engaged in learning about other cultures, viewpoints, and traditions in order to serve a diverse population.
Demonstrate a wide range of interpersonal skills to build and sustain an inclusive community.
Maintain an effective working relationship with supervisor, co-workers and other University Housing staff. Remain open and receptive to constructive feedback.
Demonstrate excellent oral and written communication skills.
Demonstrate quality decision making and evaluative skills, including taking responsibility for actions and decisions. Demonstrate a positive attitude toward the position, the Department of Residential Life and University Housing.
Demonstrate leadership and support of inclusive and equitable practices. Fulfill expectations for assigned committees and projects.
Other duties as assigned.
Additional Physical Demands
This position requires the staff member to live within the same residence hall in which they work. It requires travel around campus throughout the day for meetings. It requires the individual to be able to respond to duty related crisis calls within and around residence hall environments where there are lots of students and sometimes high demand situations. It requires the ability to multi-task and move around campus effectively in a busy and unpredictable environment. Position involves some lifting. Work will take place in office and residence hall environments including but not limited to student common and meeting spaces and various administrative offices/spaces on campus. This position also includes night and weekend responsibilities.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor's degree. Candidates with a Bachelor's degree in progress at the time of application may be considered. A successful candidate will have completed the Bachelor's degree at the time of beginning of employment.
Experience in residential life, conference services, any campus housing environment, student affairs or related field (higher education, counseling, diversity education, social work, etc.).
Preferred Qualifications
Master's degree in College Student Personnel, Student Affairs, Higher Education, Counseling or related field. Work in residential life or campus housing. Supervision experience, successful community building strategies, conflict mediation skills, interpersonal skills, knowledge of residential curriculum and sound decision-making and evaluative skills. Preference is also given to those who demonstrate openness to constructive feedback and the ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues and students while working successfully with diverse college student populations.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
A working knowledge of student learning and student development, social justice education, and/or residential curricular models.
Appointment Information
This is a 100% full-time Academic Professional position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The salary range for this position is $40,000 to $45,000 and salary is commensurate with experience.
Application Procedures & Deadline Information
To Apply: To view the complete job announcement, and for consideration, create your candidate profile at https://jobs.illinois.edu and upload a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references. The search will remain open, and applications will continue to be reviewed for 2024-2025 current and anticipated vacancies through October 4, 2024.
Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, please contact reslifejobs@illinois.edu Work authorization sponsorship is not available for this position.
For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.
For more information on employment at University Housing, please visit our recruitment web site at: Employment with University Housing
The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify .
Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodations portal , or by contacting the Accessibility & Accommodations Division of the Office for Access and Equity at 217-333-0885, or by emailing accessibility@illinois.edu .
