Director, Student Housing

Douglas College; New Westminster; On-site; CAD 125,000 - 192,000; Full time

Job summary

Douglas College in New Westminster seeks a strategic Director of Student Housing to build and lead our first on‑campus housing program. You will shape vision, create systems, and oversee a dedicated team as we welcome students in 2028.

Reporting to the Associate VP, Student Affairs, you will partner with faculty, facilities, sustainability, and student groups to deliver a thriving, inclusive housing community and to ensure student success and belonging.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Student Affairs, Higher Education, Administration, or a related field.
• Minimum of five to seven years of progressively responsible management experience in a postsecondary environment, including leadership of student housing and/or residence life programs.
• Experience with governance and multi-party committees in a postsecondary setting.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills for diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

• Provide vision and leadership to build a new student housing program.
• Translate strategic goals into actionable plans and systems.
• Lead and develop a dedicated housing team and coordinate with campus partners.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation and policy and manage budgets.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Team leadership

Interpersonal skills

Education

Master’s degree in Student Affairs or related field

Tools

Student Information Systems

Student Housing Management Systems

Job description

Location

New Westminster/Coquitlam Campus

Salary Range

Pay Band 15 (Min: $125,478, Control Point: $167,305 Max: $192,400). Placement within a salary band is typically up to Control Point based on skills, experience and internal equity. May place over Control Point in limited circumstances.

The Opportunity

Douglas College is seeking a strategic and community-minded leader to build and lead our first Student Housing program. Reporting to the Associate Vice President, Student Affairs, the Director, Student Housing will provide vision and leadership for a new student housing community designed to support student success, belonging, and engagement.

The successful candidate will be a strategic and collaborative leader who can translate vision into action, establish strong systems and processes, and bring people together to create a thriving new student housing community.

This is an opportunity to shape the student experience from the ground up, build an inclusive and vibrant student housing community, and lead a dedicated team as Douglas College prepares to welcome our first students to housing in 2028.

Who We Are

Do what you love. Be good at it. That's how Douglas College defines a great career. It's a philosophy that resonates through our classrooms, our offices and our boardrooms. It inspires our students and drives us to make Douglas College one of BC's Top Employers. We love what we do. And we're looking for passionate, motivated people to join us in making one of Canada's best degree-granting colleges even better.

Be a part of an institution where everyone is committed to empowering successful students, creating responsive learning environments, fostering social and environmental responsibility, and supporting healthy learning and work environments.

What It Takes

• Master’s degree in Student Affairs, Higher Education, Administration, or a related field.
• Minimum of five to seven years of progressively responsible management experience in a postsecondary environment, including leadership of student housing and/or residence life programs, operational administration, and financial management.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, presentation, and verbal communication skills, delivered in a manner to meet diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and Indigenization within higher education.
• Understanding of governance of post-secondary institutions and experience working with multiparty committees.
• Ability to work evenings, overnight, weekends and holidays as required for scheduled on-call rotations.
• Demonstrated understanding of legislation and laws relevant to post-secondary institutions, including the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act ( FIPPA ), human rights, principles of natural justice, and legal considerations related to on-campus housing (e.g., Residential Tenancy Act exemptions).
• Formal training in crises response and emergency management is considered an asset.
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to set priorities, schedule tasks, and solve complex problems efficiently.
• Ability to engage in critical thinking and analyze quantitative and qualitative data for strategic planning, assessment, and reporting.
• Proven ability to synthesize detailed, complex information into clear and compelling recommendations and briefings.
• Demonstrated ability to model professional, ethical, and collaborative behavior that engender collaboration, trust, respect consistent with the responsibilities of this position.
• Extensive knowledge of student development theory and its practical application to student engagement, community building, staff training, and student conduct.
• Experience with student information systems and Student Housing Management Systems, or equivalent.
• Ability to build and sustain relationships with academic faculties, administrative units, student groups, campus partners, property developers, and peers in Student Housing, Facilities and Sustainability, and Student Affairs departments, and Douglas Student Union.
• Demonstrated experience with budget development, monitoring and forecasting.
• Understanding of building facilities maintenance and capital planning processes.
• Experience in Hospitality is considered an asset.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a satisfactory Criminal Record Check with a Vulnerable Sector Search.
• Demonstrated abilities that align with the Douglas College Core Competency Framework. Indigenous ancestry.

Additional Information

Regular hours of work are 8:30 am - 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday. The Director, Student Housing participates in the management of on-call rotation and is expected to provide leadership and respond to operational or emergency needs during evenings, overnight periods, weekends, statutory holidays, and campus closures, as required. This position will be based at the New Westminster Campus. Occasional travel between Douglas College’s locations as required.

Douglas College (DC) is committed to supporting a healthy work/life balance for Employees. As per the DC Administration Policy A70 Work from Home, College employees may be eligible to work from home on a part-time basis, subject to operational requirements and approval by their Responsible Administrator (RA).

First round of applicant reviews will take place on October 5, 2026.