Resident Director
About the role
The Resident Director (RD) at Bethel University plays a vital leadership role in shaping a vibrant, student-centered residential experience. This full-time, 10-month, live-on campus position provides holistic leadership for a residence hall community, fostering a living-learning environment where students thrive academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.
Responsibilities
Community Development (30%): Cultivate a welcoming and engaging residence hall community through intentional programming, relationship-building, and regular visibility. Support students' holistic development by fostering connections that encourage growth, belonging, and accountability.
Student Staff Supervision (25%): Recruit, hire, train, and supervise a team of Resident Assistants (RAs). Provide ongoing coaching, feedback, and leadership development for student staff.
Student Care & Crisis Management (20%): Support student well-being through advising, care coordination, and administrative follow-up. Participate in a professional on-call rotation, including emergency response and crisis management.
Administrative & Operational Leadership (20%): Oversee residence hall operations, including housing logistics, facilities coordination, and budget management. Maintain accurate housing records and ensure organized, compliant administrative processes.
Collaboration & Professional Engagement (5%): Meet regularly with the Director of Residence and Community Life and collaborate with the Residence Life and Student Engagement teams. Participate in committees, professional development opportunities, and other responsibilities as assigned.
Qualifications
Education Required: Bachelor’s degree
Preferred: Master’s degree
Experience Required: Prior experience in residence life or a closely related student development role
Preferred: 1+ year of professional residence life experience
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: Strong interpersonal and written communication skills, excellent organizational and administrative abilities, demonstrated leadership and supervisory experience, high emotional intelligence and ability to manage confidential information, ability to work both independently and collaboratively, proficiency with Microsoft and Google Suites, capacity to mentor students spiritually, professionally, personally, and emotionally, must be able to respond effectively in high-stress or emergency situations, ability to live on-campus in a residence hall apartment 12-months per year.
Additional Responsibilities
Bethel’s mission is to educate and equip students to lead lives of impact through transformative academics in a Christ-centered community. Bethel’s employee community plays a central role in developing our students as whole and holy persons.
Employees teach and mentor students and help one another uphold our Community Covenant commitments. As a result of these expectations, all University employees act as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ by actively partnering with the University to carry out its mission and foster Bethel’s Christ-centered covenant community.
Other Duties
The essential functions, tasks and responsibilities of this position may change from time to time. Bethel University reserves the right to add or omit duties and responsibilities at the discretion of the University or its leadership.
Remote Work And Sponsorship Restrictions
Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.
Travel
This position does not require travel.
Work Environment
This is a live-on position, requiring residency in a campus residence hall. Housing is provided as a benefit.
Evening and weekend work is required as job responsibilities demand.
This is a full-time, 10-month position, averaging 40+ hours per week.
Benefits
Bethel is committed to offering meaningful benefits to our employees including health insurance, retirement plans, and a generous time off package.