Director of Resident Health and Wellbeing

About the role

International House (I-House) is a residency program for graduate students and young professionals, built on the simple yet radical notion that living in a diverse community instills a lifelong dedication to cultural understanding. Since 1924, I-House has welcomed young people from all over the world to live, learn, and grow together. In addition to offering safe and comfortable housing within a New York City historic landmark, I-House hosts an array of programming and other opportunities designed to foster cross-cultural connection and to help residents form lifelong bonds. From the outset, our mission has been simple and daring: to cultivate individuals who will help bridge the polarization, isolation, and division our world continues to face. Through an intentional admissions process, we curate an eclectic, interdisciplinary cohort of open-minded individuals who come together at a key stage in life for a crash course in social and cultural intelligence. It is a life-changing experience our alumni carry into their communities, practices, and professions.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary wellness resource for residents experiencing emotional, personal, academic, social, or cultural adjustment concerns.
• Provide brief, solution-focused supportive counseling, wellness consultations, and individualized case management.
• Assess resident needs, develop support plans, and coordinate referrals to healthcare providers, mental health professionals, hospitals, insurance providers, legal resources, and other community services.
• Maintain relationships with community providers experienced in serving international and culturally diverse populations.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive wellness strategy promoting emotional, physical, social, and psychological wellbeing.
• Create educational programs addressing stress management, resilience, mental health awareness, healthy relationships, mindfulness, sleep, nutrition, and cultural adjustment.
• Design prevention-focused initiatives that encourage healthy behaviors, reduce stigma surrounding mental health, and increase awareness of available resources.
• Evaluate program effectiveness and recommend improvements based on assessment data and resident feedback.
• Promote an inclusive and welcoming community that supports residents from diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Provide guidance related to cultural adjustment, homesickness, identity development, intercultural communication, and navigating life in New York City.
• Collaborate with Resident Experiences staff to integrate wellness throughout the residential experience.
• Provide strategic leadership for the Peer Counselor Program, including recruitment, training, supervision, coaching, and evaluation.
• Develop training on active listening, helping skills, intercultural communication, crisis response, ethics, confidentiality, and referral practices.
• Maintain resident wellness trends and utilization of services to identify emerging needs.
• Collect and analyze assessment data, prepare annual reports, and recommend policies and initiatives that strengthen resident wellbeing and support organizational priorities.

Requirements

Master's degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, Higher Education, Student Affairs, or a closely related field.

Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in higher education, residential life, counseling, student affairs, community wellness, or a related environment.

Experience providing supportive counseling, case management, or wellness coaching.

Experience responding to behavioral concerns, crisis situations, and emergency interventions.

Demonstrated success developing wellness education, prevention programming, or health promotion initiatives.

Experience supervising student leaders, peer educators, interns, graduate assistants, or professional staff.

Excellent interpersonal, communication, organizational, and relationship-building skills.

Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and intercultural engagement.

Ability to maintain confidentiality, exercise sound professional judgment, and work effectively with diverse populations.

Ability to reside on-site and participate in an after-hours on-call rotation.

Qualifications

Preferred qualifications include:

• Clinical licensure or eligibility for licensure (LMSW, LCSW, LMHC, LPC, or equivalent).
• Experience working with international students or globally diverse populations.
• Experience in residential education, campus housing, or student affairs.
• Training in trauma-informed care, restorative practices, suicide prevention, threat assessment, or crisis intervention.
• Experience using assessment data to evaluate programs and inform strategic planning.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and customer relationship management (CRM) systems.

Benefits

Generous time off including vacation, holidays, and sick time.

Comprehensive benefits including health, dental, vision, and life insurance.

403b retirement plan with company match.

Tuition assistance and financial support for job training.

Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and related expenses.

Complimentary access to our on-site fitness facilities.

Staff discount in our full-service dining facility.

Employee appreciation events and enrichment programming.

A friendly, inclusive, and collaborative work culture committed to I-House’s core values of Empathy, Respect, and Moral Courage.

Pay

$70,000 – $75,000 commensurate with experience.

Schedule

This is a required live-in position. The Director is provided a one-bedroom apartment within International House and serves as an active member of the residential community. Living on-site is an essential function of the position and supports the Director's ability to build relationships with residents, provide timely support, and respond effectively to emergencies.