Assistant Director of Residential Life

University of Massachusetts Boston; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Massachusetts Boston seeks an Assistant Director of Residential Life to lead co-curricular and administrative initiatives, enhance community engagement, and supervise staff within the Student Housing Office. The role supports leadership development and collaborates on long-range goals for residential services.

Responsibilities include staff recruitment/training, program assessment, budgeting, on-call duties, and crisis response.

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Higher Education, Student Services, Student Affairs, Counseling or related field.
• 2 years live-in experience required.
• Experience in housing and student life; ACUHO-I/ACPA/NASPA involvement preferred.
• Willingness to travel; on-call rotation; live within 30 minutes of campus.

Responsibilities

• Lead recruitment, hiring, and training of Residential Life staff and student workers.
• Support student experience initiatives and foster a strong residential community.
• Align programs with Student Affairs strategic plans and learning outcomes.
• Collaborate with senior staff on long-range and budgetary planning.

Skills

Leadership

Staff supervision

Communication

Budget management

Strategic planning

Program assessment

Partnership building

Crisis management

Student development

Confidential information handling

Customer service

Problem solving

Education

Master’s degree in Higher Education / Student Affairs

Job description

Job no: 530412
Position Type: Staff Full Time
Campus: UMass Boston
Department: Student Housing Office
Pay Grade: 32
Date opened: 04 Nov 2026 Eastern Standard Time
Applications close: 18 Nov 2026 Eastern Standard Time

General Summary

The Assistant Director of Residential Life will provide general leadership for co-curricular and administrative initiatives related to students’ sense of community, as well as leadership development, involvement and engagement of the residential community. The Assistant Director will supervise the Assistant Community Director for New Student Transitions, support all residential staff in developing, assessing and growing the quality of the Residential Life program; and will collaborate with senior staff to support long-range and strategic goals for the residential halls. This position may be assigned formal on-call duties in accordance with Article 18.3 of the contract between the University and the Professional Staff Union. Assignment of on-call will be detailed using the “On-Call Assignment (Professional Staff) Form.” The incumbent will be required to respond to Residential Services after-hours emergent, crisis and emergency situations on a 24-hour basis.

Examples of Duties

• Lead the recruitment, hiring, and training of Residential Life staff and student staff, ensuring that departmental training provides staff with the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities and assist with overseeing hall desk operations;
• Support the undergraduate student experience initiative by providing meaningful connections with the academic community, by increasing student satisfaction and by developing strong, caring residential communities;
• Create an inspired sense of community among residential students, ensuring that the Student Affairs Strategic Plans and student learning outcomes are incorporated into the residential experience model; maintain and enhance existing partnerships with student life Initiatives in support of co-curricular opportunities;
• Work closely with residential staff in assessing and growing the quality of the Residential Life program;
• Oversee the planning, budgeting implementation, execution, and assessment of residential programming;
• Serve as systems administrator for residential education by tracking in-hall social and educational programming in Roompact and budget administration;
• Provide departmental assessment support, including academic performance, retention among students living in the residence halls, student and behavioral concerns;
• Serve as student care and conduct hearing officer and Title IX officer for the university,
• Represent Residential Life to various University offices, both within and outside the Division of Student Affairs;
• Build strong relationships and engage with individual students, student organizations, parents/family organizations and the public on departmental challenges, interests and concerns as related to Residential Services;
• Assist in management of departmental technology and manage departmental website;
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Master’s Degree in Higher Education, Student Services, Student Affairs, Counseling or a closely related field and a minimum of three to five (3-5) years of work experience in residential life and/or students affairs, preferably in an urban setting. Two (2) years of professional “live-in” experience is required. A demonstrated record of success in housing and student life, with professional experience in other functional areas of Student Affairs, strongly preferred. Evidence of the implementation, assessment and evaluation of resident student services and programs is preferred. Leadership and/or participation in a related professional organization, such as Association of College and University Housing Officer – International (ACUHO-I), American College Personnel Association (ACPA) or NASPA, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, preferred. Ability to and willingness to travel to participate in regional and national professional meetings and organizations required. This position requires evening, weekend and holiday hours, as well as availability outside of regularly scheduled hours for emergencies related to housing services. Availability to serve in the on-call rotation for Housing and Residential Life core staff is required. Due to the on-call nature of the position, the Assistant Director must live within 30 minutes of campus. Availability to serve as an emergency responder and perform assignment tasks in the case of housing emergencies, as deemed necessary by the Associate Dean/Director of Housing and Residential Life.

• Strong knowledge of student development and application to programs and experiences of relevance, practicality and substance to students;
• Demonstrated experience in program assessment and strategic planning;
• Demonstrated success in cultivating relationships and creative partnerships;
• Demonstrated success and experience with fiscal and budgetary management;
• Ability to lead and supervise staff;
• Ability to work with confidential information pertaining to students;
• Strong oral and written communication skills;
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills
• Strong conflict-resolution and crisis management skills;
• Strong commitment to customer and student service.

Salary Ranges for the appropriate Pay Grade can be found at the following link:

Grade: 32

Salary Ranges

This is an exempt union position. n Resources.

UMass Boston is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact [e-mail] or 617-287-5150.

Applications close: 18 Nov 2026 Eastern Standard Time