Executive Director, Housing Operations

University of Utah

Salt Lake City (UT)

On-site

USD 125,000 - 135,000

Full time

2 days ago

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Job summary

The University of Utah seeks an accomplished, strategic, and collaborative leader to serve as its Executive Director of Housing Operations within Housing & Dining Programs. Reporting to the associate vice president, the role shapes campus housing strategy, informs enrollment and student success, and leads key operational functions in a complex university setting.

Responsibilities include occupancy strategy, financial leadership, technology/data management, communications, living-learning

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related field; master’s preferred.
Eight years of progressively responsible leadership experience in housing or related field.
Experience supervising staff, managing budgets, and leading organizational change.
Strong data-informed decision-making and excellent written/spoken communication.

Responsibilities

Provide executive leadership for housing occupancy strategy and retention.
Lead financial planning, budgeting, and strategic opportunities.
Oversee technology and data systems, including StarRez integration.
Guide communications, marketing, and student recruitment efforts for housing.
Set strategic priorities for living-learning communities.
Recruit and develop staff, fostering accountability and growth.
Build partnerships across campus and external professional networks.

Skills

Leadership

Budgeting

Data analysis

Communication

Project management

Strategic planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business administration

Master’s degree in higher education / business administration (preferred)

Tools

StarRez

Job description

Executive Director, Housing Operations

Job Summary

The University of Utah (the U) seeks an accomplished, strategic,and collaborative leader to serve as its next executive director ofhousing operations within Housing & Dining Programs (HDP).Reporting to the associate vice president for Housing & DiningPrograms and serving as a member of the Executive Leadership Team,the executive director will play a pivotal role in shaping thefuture of campus housing, informing enrollment and student successstrategies, and providing strategic leadership for criticalbusiness and operational functions within a large, complex, andevolving university environment.

Responsibilities

Occupancy, Enrollment, and Housing Strategy

Provide executive leadership for the U's housing occupancystrategy, including demand forecasting, application and contractingprocesses, room selection, assignments, and strategies designed tomaximize utilization of the U's residential inventory.
Leverage enrollment, occupancy, market, and historical data todevelop projections and identify opportunities to strengthenhousing demand and achieve consistently high occupancy.
Partner closely with Enrollment Management, Admissions,academic colleges, Athletics, International Student Programs, andother institutional stakeholders to position housing as animportant component of student recruitment, enrollment, retention,and success.

Business and Financial Leadership

Identify, research, and analyze strategic opportunities andevaluate their operational, fiscal, and policy implications inconjunction with centralized fiscal operations.
Provide recommendations to executive leadership that supportsound decision-making and the long-term financial sustainability ofHousing & Dining Programs.

Technology, Data, and Assessment

Maintain strategic oversight of housing technology andinformation systems, including the department's StarRez housingmanagement platform, technology integrations, and systemssupporting housing operations.
Champion a data-informed culture by ensuring that occupancyinformation, student feedback, assessment results, financial data,and institutional metrics translate into actionable strategies forcontinuous improvement.
Oversee the departmental assessment planning, data collection,analysis, reporting, and integration of findings into strategic andoperational plans.

Communications, Marketing, and Outreach

Guide the strategic planning and implementation of departmentalcommunications, marketing, outreach, and recruitment efforts.
Ensure that Housing & Dining Programs communicateseffectively with prospective and current students, families, campuspartners, and other stakeholders, and develops marketing andoutreach strategies that support occupancy and enrollmentobjectives.

Living-Learning Programs

Set strategic priorities and provide executive oversight forthe university's living-learning and themed residentialcommunities.
Partner with academic colleges and other campus organizationsto ensure residential programs support institutional prioritieswhile creating meaningful opportunities for student engagement,belonging, and academic success.

Organizational Leadership

Recruit, develop, supervise, and evaluate professional staffwhile creating a culture of accountability, collaboration,innovation, and professional growth.
Serve as a strategic advisor to the associate vice presidentand contribute broadly to the success of Housing & Dining Programs beyond the assigned portfolio.
Provide leadership through influence as well as positionalauthority, effectively navigating complex organizationalenvironments and building productive relationships across theU.

University & Professional Engagement

Develop collaborative relationships and key partnerships acrossorganizational and divisional boundaries, including, but notlimited to, Enrollment Management, Admissions, Orientation &Transition, Athletics, International Student Support Services,academic colleges, Honors, Disability and Access, CommuterServices, General Counsel, University Guest House, UniversityMarketing & Communications, and University ComputingServices.
Represent Housing & Dining Programs on departmental,divisional, and university-wide committees.
Serve as an active connection to the broader collegiate housingprofession through engagement with Big 12 institutions, theAssociation of College and University HousingOfficers-International (ACUHO-I), and other relevant professionalnetworks, while supporting team members in developing andstrengthening their own professional connections.
Participate in departmental emergency and crisis response and,as appropriate, serve within the escalation and reporting structurefor significant incidents occurring outside normal businesshours.

Minimum Qualifications

The successful candidate will possess a bachelor's degree inbusiness administration or a related field, or an equivalentcombination of education and relevant professional experience. Amaster's degree in higher education, student affairs, businessadministration, or a related field is preferred. Candidates shouldalso bring at least eight years of progressively responsibleprofessional experience, including significant management andleadership responsibilities within university housing, studentaffairs, enrollment management, auxiliary services, or a comparablycomplex organization to the role. Other requirements includedemonstrated success in supervising, developing, and leadingprofessional staff; managing budgets and complex initiatives; andguiding organizational change. Additionally, the executive directormust possess strong analytical and project-management capabilities,including the ability to use data to inform strategy anddecision-making, as well as excellent interpersonal, written, andverbal communication skills.

Competitive candidates will demonstrate several of the followingqualifications:

A sophisticated understanding of the interrelationship amonghousing, enrollment management, student recruitment and retention,and broader institutional strategy.
Proven ability to develop housing demand and occupancyprojections using enrollment trends, historical performance, marketconditions, and operational data.
A record of developing and executing strategies that achieveand sustain housing occupancy of 95 percent or greater in highlycompetitive markets.
Expertise in managing occupancy throughout the full recruitmentand assignment cycle, including early-, mid-, and late-cyclestrategies.
Familiarity with housing management platforms; knowledge ofStarRez is particularly desirable.
Leadership of housing application, contracting, assignment, andoccupancy-management processes.
The ability to synthesize data, assessment findings,stakeholder feedback, and industry practices into actionablestrategies and meaningful organizational change.
Skill in navigating, negotiating, and resolving complex orsensitive matters involving students, families, campusstakeholders, and institutional partners.
Knowledge of federal and state laws, regulations, andcompliance requirements affecting university housing, includingprivacy, disability accommodations, emotional support animals, andlandlord-tenant considerations.

Preferences

In addition to the qualifications stated above, key stakeholdersidentified the following capabilities and attributes of asuccessful candidate:

Extensive collaboration skills at all levels, with the abilityto understand the vital importance of interconnectedness and solidrelationships, while also serving as a strategic and visionaryrisk-taker who promotes creativity in every area of theposition.
A compassionate, empathetic leader with the proven ability tomake difficult decisions, quickly resolve issues before theyescalate to become problems, conduct difficult conversations whenpertinent, work effectively with staff members at various levels ofdevelopment and knowledge, listen actively to all sides of anissue, and be willing to change directions as necessary.
The ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments andjuggle multiple priorities, while maintaining a strategic visionofhow all the various pieces fit together effectively.
Strong organizational development abilities, includingemotional intelligence, transparency, excellent listening skills,an orientation to detail, and empathy that inspire and unify staff,provide professional and personal growth opportunities, and promoteteamwork throughout the operation.
An innovator with a futuristic orientation and a willingness totry new opportunities, remain informed on recent trends and bestpractices, and drive significant change processes.

Requisition Number:

PRN46264B

Full Time or Part Time?

Full Time

Work Schedule Summary:

Department:

00307 - Housing and Dining Program

Location:

Campus

Pay Rate Range:

$125,000-$135,000

Close Date: