Community Director

The Trustees of Union College in the Town of Schenectady in the State of New York; New York (NY); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The Trustees of Union College in the Town of Schenectady in the State of New York is seeking a Community Director to oversee 1-2 residence halls, ~350 residents, and supervise up to 12 student staff. This full-time, twelve-month live-in role includes a furnished on-campus apartment and on-call responsibilities.

The Community Director fosters an inclusive, learning-focused residential community, leads staff development, crisis response, and collaboration with campus partners to support student

Qualifications

• Foster an inclusive, learning-focused residential community.
• Ability to select, train, and supervise student staff.
• Respond to student crises and support wellbeing.
• Coordinate with campus partners on safety and programming.

Responsibilities

• Oversee 1-2 residence halls and ~350 residents.
• Supervise undergraduate staff (HRA/RA/HMs) and mentor others.
• Maintain on-call rotation and crisis response duties.
• Manage residential operations, safety, and facility coordination.
• Administer staff meetings, programming, and assessments.

Skills

Community development

Staff supervision

Crisis intervention

Student advising

Time management

Job description

Community Director

Pay Status and Classification: Exempt, Regular full time. This position is not eligible for relocation assistance or visa sponsorship.

Supervisor: Associate Director of Residential Education or Housing

Position Purpose

The Community Director (CD) is responsible for the comprehensive management of 1-2 residence halls or smaller cluster of houses, approximately 350 residents and supervising up to 12 student staff members. The CD serves as an active and visible residential life staff member that is responsible for facilitating an engaging building community-level residential experience that is highly relational; fosters curiosity and learning; centers well-being; and supports students in successfully finding their way.

This is a full-time, twelve-month live-in position that includes a furnished on-campus apartment including utilities with responsibility of serving on-call and supporting evening and weekend activities. Primary duties and responsibilities include: implementing the residential engagement model, administration and supervision, support for student development, crisis management, student conduct administration, community development, collaboration with facility management, as well as college and departmental committee assignments.

Essential Responsibilities and Duties

Community Development

• Works proactively toward creating an inclusive community atmosphere in which people respect each other's rights, cultures, and sensitivities.
• Develop, implement, manage, and assess student engagement and community development initiatives as well as collaborate with other departments across the college through the Student & Campus Life.
• Provides accurate advice and guidance to students based on their individual needs.
• Establishes a schedule that is appropriate for a student-facing, residentially focused role. Schedules work hours that meet the needs of students inside the assigned community. This includes some evening and weekend hours essential for programs and training. Maintains a visible and active presence in their residence hall(s).
• Actively engage with students and community through frequently attending community engagement and campus events, community walk throughs and open office hours.
• Support specific community needs as associated with assigned residence halls, which could include fraternity/sorority housing, theme communities, the Minerva Program (our living learning community), and others.

Supervision

• Select, train, supervise, evaluate and develop student staff, consisting of an undergraduate Head Resident Assistant (HRA), several undergraduate Resident Assistants (RA) and possible House Managers (HMs), who shall jointly assist in the development of a residential environment for learning
• Ensures ongoing staff development to help student staff learn leadership skills and mentor others.
• Plans weekly staff meetings and meets with each staff member individually on a routine basis.
• Educates all student staff about various campus resources.
• Manages and supports community development efforts, including the implementation of engagement and corresponding assessments.

Health and Safety

• Support and intervenes with students who may be struggling academically and/or with other behavioral and developmental issues.
• Refers accordingly to services as needed.
• Participates in regular professional staff on-call rotation, providing crisis intervention and serving as a resource or referral agent. Responsible for performing weekly and break on call duty coverage as directed
• Understands and enforces Code of Student Conduct and other policies regarding behavior, safety, security, health, and other matters in cooperation with the appropriate offices.
• Serves as a campus hearing officer through service as an educator during discussions with the involved resident(s) in an attempt to instill an understanding of the educational philosophy of the conduct process.

Building Management

• Collaborate with Res Ed Leadership team regarding resident management operations (e.g., initiating and tracking space changes, making resident space assignments, annual room selection and re-selection process, summer conference housing, etc.).
• Work cooperatively with Residence Life staff in coordinating move-in/move-out processes each term in assigned hall or apartment area.
• Promotes fire safety through programs, inspections, and scheduled fire drills.
• Ensures damages are reported and documented to the facilities department.
• Routinely walks assigned residential areas to check for any facilities issues and submits work orders as needed.

Administration

• Oversee the daily operation of residential communities, including, check-in and checkout procedures, and facility management
• Manages the budget for assigned staff, allocating resources to support programming, events, and operational expenses.
• Assist the Res Ed Leadership team with the coordination of annual projects [e.g., Student Staff Selection, Room Selection, Training,