Director, Residence Life

The Director, Residence Life serves as the Senior Housing Officer and oversees Housing Operations and Residence Education. Specifically responsible for establishing and executing the department's goals, developing departmental systems, and managing staff in support of the department's mission to create safe, inclusive, and educationally sound living environments; ensuring the development, implementation, and evaluation of a comprehensive residence education program and resident assistant program that enhances students’ personal, social, and intellectual growth and contributes to student learning outside of the classroom experience; providing guidance and oversight for a team of professional, paraprofessional, and student staff; assisting residential students in navigating campus resources to help increase academic and personal success; creating place-based opportunities for networking and meaning-making of residential experiences to develop affinity for the College; and capitalizing on Babson’s intentionally diverse community by promoting peer-to-peer connections and opportunities to learn across differences.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Develop and implement best practice operational and administrative processes relating to the annual review of housing inventory; management of a strategy to maximize space allocation in residence halls; housing selection, room assignments and changes; all communications of policies and procedures associated with opening and closing of halls, early arrivals, health and safety inspections; and implementation of all Residence Life policies and procedures.
• Regularly evaluate and analyze key metrics for advancing the residential and housing programs and initiatives focused on student engagement, wellness, and success.
• Effectively and strategically analyze, forecast, and manage all Residence Life operating budgets; annually review housing license in collaboration with Babson Dining, Student Financial Services, the Budget Office, and General Counsel.  
• Recruit, supervise, evaluate, and train department staff, including but not limited to direct oversight of two Assistant/Associate Directors and indirect supervision of Area Coordinators and Resident Assistants.
• Collaborate with the Division’s senior leadership team to develop and implement safety and security education programs, protocols, and drills for students and staff; partner with Public Safety on community policing initiatives.
• Lead residence hall move-in and move-out processes in collaboration with Facilities, Public Safety, and Student Engagement. 
• Oversee the residential incident reporting system; work collaboratively with the Director of Community Standards to supervise residential incident conduct officers and serve as a senior-level conduct hearing officer whenever necessary.  Serve on the bias related incident triage team. 
• Collaborate with facilities management and planning to ensure the physical aspects of the student experience in the residence halls supports student success and enhances student satisfaction; contribute to planning and implementation of renovations and new construction.  Lead regular Facilities/Student Life meetings. 
• Serve as a dean on call member of the crisis team; respond to or assist in a campus crisis or student emergency situation; work with medical personnel or emergency services staff to assess students’ status and evaluate ability to return to campus; conduct necessary follow-up with Public Safety, local agencies, and/or parents and staff as needed; assist with coordination, communication, and implementation of emergency response plans and actions. 
• Serve as a case manager for the College’s CARE Team. Advise and execute individualized interventions for students to support their personal and academic success.
• Provide individual guidance, advice, and counsel to students related to personal, academic, and community matters; refer when necessary and/or appropriate.
• Develop and manage Residence Life content for the website, student hub, and social media.
• Serve on departmental and campus committees and assume additional responsibilities as assigned by the Associate Dean of Students.

YOUR TEAM WILL INCLUDE

Assistant/Associate Director of Residence Life for Housing Operations

Assistant/Associate Director of Residence Life for Residence Education

WHAT EDUCATION AND SKILLS YOU WILL NEED

Master’s Degree or equivalent

10 years of increasingly responsible leadership roles within residence life or related work.

Must have excellent judgement, strong leadership, diplomacy, and team management skills with the ability to engage others through a participative process, while serving as key decision maker.

Must have advanced knowledge of student development theory, program development, management, and evaluation.

Demonstrated experience in student group advisement and development; student and staff training development; and student leadership program development.

Must have a strong knowledge and command of college safety policies, student conduct processes, and related legal considerations in student affairs.

Demonstrated commitment to working with a diverse and inclusive student body, faculty, staff, and other constituents.

Must have advanced project and program management and evaluation skills; as well as sound financial and budget management skills.

Demonstrated comfort in public speaking and presenting; excellent interpersonal and written communication skills.

Ability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with faculty, administration, staff, parents and alumni.  Special emphasis in the following areas:  Public Safety, Facilities, Student Financial Services, Office of Academic Services, Budgets and Accounts Payable, Event Management Office and Alumni and Friends Network.

Ability to create an environment where direct reports have the freedom and security to take initiative; deal with complexities with resilience, resourcefulness, and optimism; and appreciate open mindedness, creativity, and agility in thought and tactics.

Must have the willingness to embrace ideas and changes created by all community members. 

Ability and willingness to solve problems independently; looks for opportunities to take on responsibility; takes thoughtful risks; and effectively acts on new and ongoing initiatives, objectives, and solutions to gain sought-after results.

Ability to anticipate and effectively handle change; demonstrate willingness to try new skills and challenging tasks; and is flexible in changing conditions.

Must have strong technology skills including proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint); email communication, database management, and social media.

HOW AND WHERE YOU WILL WORK

This is a 12-month, full-time position.

Serve as senior member of the crisis and dean on call team; serve on call a minimum of 10 weeks an academic year and respond at any time if called to assist in any campus crisis response; coordinate, respond, and/or assist with student and campus emergencies/crises; conduct necessary follow-up with Public Safety, local agencies, and/or parents and staff as needed; assist with coordination, communication and implementation of emergency response plans and actions. 

Regular evening/weekend work required

ADDITIONAL SKILLS YOU MAY HAVE

• Experience with StarRez, Roompact, and Maxient desirable