Assistant Director of Residential Education

Colby College; Waterville (ME); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A renowned higher education institution in Waterville, ME is seeking an Assistant Director of Residential Education to lead and manage residence halls, support community-building initiatives, and enhance student experience. The ideal candidate will have a background in student affairs, strong interpersonal skills, and a commitment to an inclusive community. This full-time position involves overseeing staff, programming, and direct student support.

Qualifications

• 1 to 2+ years of experience in a residence hall environment preferred.
• Excellent communication skills to support a variety of individuals.
• Commitment to creating an equitable and inclusive campus community.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day administration of the assigned residential area.
• Supervise student staff including Area Residence Directors.
• Support community development efforts and student advising.

Skills

Interpersonal communication

Team collaboration

Mediation skills

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Master’s degree in student affairs preferred

Job description

Assistant Director of Residential Education

Colby College seeks candidates for the Assistant Director of Residential Education role. The Assistant Director provides leadership and management to an area of approximately 14 residence halls and 25–30 undergraduates who serve as Community Advisors and Area Residence Directors (student hall staff). The Assistant Director will focus on building community, offering individual student support, and enhancing the residential experience for all Colby students.

Essential Functions

• Oversee day-to-day administration of the assigned residential area, including student and family concerns, community events, staff, facility needs, and student behavior concerns.
• Directly supervise student staff including 3–4 assigned Area Residence Directors (ARD) and indirectly supervise approximately 25 Community Advisors (CA).
• Supervise the social and educational programming efforts for CAs and contribute to the development and implementation of the community development model.
• Maintain regular contact with the CAs and ARDs; conduct weekly staff meetings and participate in monthly full team meetings.
• Assist with the recruitment, selection, training, and ongoing development of ARD and CA staff.
• Contribute to the financial planning and oversight of area-specific budgets for residential education and staff development.
• Support community development efforts led by Faculty and Staff-in-Residence through regular communication, liaising between Faculty and Staff-in-Residence and CA/ARD staff, and program design support.
• Promote shared community governance and international development efforts, and implement restorative practices to empower and elevate student voice.
• Provide student advising, mediation, and referral to campus resources when appropriate.
• Educate resident students on College policies and community expectations.
• Serve as a community values hearing officer for lower-level policy violations within the residence halls.
• Support and collaborate with the Assistant Dean and Director of Housing Administration to assist in operational processes.
• Contribute to the management of major events, including opening/closing of residence halls, student orientation, first-year convocation, senior week, commencement, and summer housing.
• Participate in evening and weekend programming, events, and operations as required by the residential community and to support the Dean of the College division.
• Serve in the on-call rotation responding to emergencies and student needs/concerns each semester, including evenings and weekends.
• Liaise with the Dean of Studies Office and Class Deans to ensure student success and remediation of student concerns.
• Collaborate with the College and Dean of the College colleagues to develop, articulate, and execute plans for compass initiatives, including programming that supports the mission of a residential college.

Position Qualifications

Education and/or experience

• Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent in education and experience; Master’s degree in student affairs or related field preferred.
• 1 to 2+ years of professional experience working in a residence hall environment is preferred; graduate-level experience with hall staff oversight and working/living in a residential environment is also acceptable. Excellent interpersonal, listening, collaboration, and communication skills to effectively support a variety of individuals.
• Knowledge of and experience in implementing community development initiatives are preferred.
• High degree of motivation and strong work ethic.
• Proven ability to work independently and as a member of a team, establish priorities and work collaboratively as a member of a diverse community.
• Possess skills to form and maintain positive relationships with a broad range of individuals and a commitment to treating all members of the community with respect.
• Deep commitment to creating an equitable and inclusive campus community.
• Commitment to high-level cooperation between student affairs and academic programs.
• Possess strong interpersonal communication, planning, decision-making, critical thinking, and mediation skills.
• Demonstrated skills in advising, coaching, and supervising a diverse group of students and staff.
• Must be flexible, have great attention to detail, show initiative, and have a results-driven philosophy with the ability to problem solve and work collaboratively.

Physical/Mental Demands

The physical/mental demands described herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• To successfully perform the essential functions of this position, an employee must be able to maintain confidentiality with regard to employee data and privacy needs of employees and past employees.
• The ability to comply with highly inflexible deadlines is required; there will be multiple occurrences of urgent task completion.
• Employees may encounter strong emotions from others and must interact professionally, diplomatically, and appropriately in such situations.
• While performing essential duties, the employee may move around the office space and campus facilities.
• There may be frequent personal computer use, including keyboard and monitor viewing.
• Ability to lift and/or move up to 10 pounds frequently and up to 35 pounds occasionally.
• Specific vision abilities include close and distance vision and ability to adjust focus.
• The work environment may require shifting focus quickly due to interruptions and the ability to manage multiple projects.
• The noise level is generally moderate, with occasional louder periods.

Seniority level

• Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Administrative, Education, and Other

Industries

• Higher Education