Area Director - Residence Life

About the role

The Office of Residence Life at James Madison University is accepting applications for an Area Director of Residence Life. The Office of Residence Life is committed to designing and maintaining a caring environment that encourages academic success, respect, personal growth and responsibility to one’s community. The Area Director reports to the Associate Director of Residence Life for Community Development. This person will be part of the Residence Life team that serves over 6,900 residential students on a campus that continues to grow.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Directly supervise 4-9 Hall Directors including undergraduate, graduate and potentially full-time staff.
• Work directly with Hall Directors to manage hall staff performance, student development, student leadership, student conduct, and hall community engagement.
• Manage administrative processes related to documenting, processing, and follow-up for student behavior.
• Meet with students and staff to discuss and manage behavioral concerns (mental health, policy/community violations, roommate conflicts, etc.).
• Participate in on-call rotation for the residential campus. Provide support to staff during times of crisis.
• Monitor and support hall programming and community engagement efforts. Track and approve the use of hall programming funds. Support Hall Directors’ programming through the Community Learning Plan.
• Hold staff accountable to the Residential Education Plan requirements.
• Proactively develop and maintain effective, supportive relationships with departmental partners (Housing, Business Operations, Learning Initiatives) as well as with other stakeholders (ie: Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Justice, Title IX, Dean of Students Office, Office of Orientation and Transition, Office of Admissions, etc.) where such relationships would promote efficiency/effectiveness in fulfilling your job description.
• Provide active support of student staff selection (RA and HD) by assisting with interviews, reviewing applications, and participating on selection committees.
• Provide support for training efforts (pre-service, professional development, PSYC 100) through active participation on work groups and developing/facilitating training content.
• Serve on departmental and university committees as necessary.
• Accumulate a minimum of 20 hours of professional development during each performance evaluation period. Obtain hours by attending university, divisional, and department training. Attend conferences, get a certification, or complete other job-related training. Use professional development opportunities to stay relevant to trends and best practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree
• One (1) year or more of experience in Residence Life (graduate assistant or full-time experience considered)
• One (1) year or more of experience supervising staff or student employees
• Preferred Master’s Degree in Student Affairs, Higher Education, or a related field
• Full-time professional experience in Residence Life
• Demonstrated experience supervising residence hall or student staff
• Demonstrated experience managing student conduct processes and documentation
• Demonstrated ability to respond effectively to crisis and student emergencies
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously