Assistant Director of Residential Life

The College of St. Scholastica; Duluth (MN); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The College of St. Scholastica seeks an Assistant Director of Residential Life to lead the Residential Education and Community Development initiatives for a vibrant campus community of about 800 students.

You will supervise Area Coordinators and RAs, design curricula, and collaborate with Counseling, Academic Advising, and Student Activities to support student well-being and retention. Your role includes overseeing staff training, crisis response, and the conduct process with restorative

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in social sciences, business management, or related field.
• 2 years of professional academic, student development, program planning, and management experience.
• 1–2 years in housing operations, residence life, summer conferencing, or student programming.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends; take initiative and work independently.
• Strong communication, organizational, and customer service skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and assess a comprehensive residential curriculum fostering a vibrant, inclusive community.
• Ensure community-building with a student-centered, DEI-focused approach.
• Collaborate with campus partners to connect residential programming with student well-being and retention.
• Establish measurable learning outcomes and use data to improve strategies.
• Directly supervise and mentor Area Coordinator and RAs; design fall/spring trainings.
• Develop staff through accountability, mentorship, and coaching.
• Respond to campus emergencies, provide crisis intervention, and oversee residential conduct using restorative practices.
• Participate in leadership meetings, campus events, and committees.

Skills

Communication

Organizational skills

Customer service

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

The approximate base compensation range is posted, but the actual offer will reflect our total compensation and benefits package. The offer will be determined by a number of factors including the selected candidate’s experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, FTE, number of months worked, as well as internal equity among our team.

Job Summary

This is a twelve (12) month Residential Life position. Under the responsibility of the Director of Residential Life, the Assistant Director of Residential Life manages the community development of the Residence Halls that support a vibrant and safe campus community of approximately 800 students. The Coordinator ensures that housing processes, community development model, training, check-in and check-out processes, and collaborations contribute to a positive student experience and a strong sense of community within Residential Life. The Assistant Director of Residential Life supervises an Area Coordinator and the RAs in the apartments. This position is designed to support the mission of Residential Life through programming that helps create a welcoming and student-centered living environment. This position also assists with the summer conferencing component of Residential Life.

Required Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s Degree in social sciences, business management, or related field; AND two (2) years of professional academic, student development, program planning, and management experience; OR an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• One to two (1-2) years of related experience in housing operations, residence life, summer conferencing, or student programming.
• Ability to foster a healthy and safe living-learning environment through operational excellence.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends, when necessary.
• Ability to take initiative and work independently to carry out multiple responsibilities.
• Strong communication, organizational, and customer service skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• A Master’s degree in Student Affairs, Higher Education, Business Administration, or a related area.

Key Responsibilities

Residential Education and Community Development

• Design, implement, and assess a comprehensive residential curriculum that fosters a vibrant, inclusive, and learning-centered community.
• Ensure that all community-building initiatives, programming, and restorative practices are carried out with a student-centered perspective that values diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
• Collaborate with campus partners (e.g., Counseling, Academic Advising, Student Activities) to connect residential programming directly with student well-being, satisfaction, and retention.
• Establish measurable learning outcomes for the residential experience and utilize data to continuously improve community development strategies.

Staff Supervision, Training, and Leadership Development

• Directly supervise, evaluate, and mentor (1) professional Area Coordinator and Apartment RAs (about 10). Indirectly oversee Somers RAs (about 9).
• Design and facilitate comprehensive fall, spring, and ongoing training for professional and student staff, focusing on community building, mediation, and identity development.
• Develop staff through effective accountability, mentorship, and coaching to support operational excellence and healthy community dynamics.

Student Care, Crisis Response, and Administration

• Respond to campus emergencies, assist with critical incidents, and provide crisis intervention for residential students.
• Oversee the residential student conduct process, utilizing restorative justice practices to address community standards violations and facilitate conflict resolution.
• Participate in Residential Life leadership meetings, departmental initiatives, and campus-wide committees. Assist with large-scale campus events such as Orientation, Move-in, Admissions Open Houses, and campus traditions.