Residence Life Specialist - Residence Life

West Virginia University; Morgantown (WV); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dedicated Residence Life Specialist to oversee the daily operations of a vibrant residence hall community. This role involves supervising staff, managing student conduct, and ensuring a safe living environment for 300-500 students. The ideal candidate will have a Master's degree in Higher Education or a related field, along with experience in residence life or similar housing roles. Strong leadership, crisis management, and communication skills are essential for fostering student development and maintaining community standards. Join a supportive and inclusive environment where your contributions will make a lasting impact on students' lives.

Benefits

Work-life balance

Professional development opportunities

Inclusive working environment

Supportive community atmosphere

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required; 2+ years of housing experience preferred.
• Strong communication and leadership skills are essential.

Responsibilities

• Manage a residence hall, ensuring safety and student development.
• Supervise staff, facilitate training, and enforce community standards.

Skills

Crisis Management

Student Development

Communication Skills

Leadership Skills

Advising and Counseling

Education

Master’s Degree in Higher Education

Master’s Degree in College Student Personnel

Tools

Advocate System

MyTime System

Job description

Job Description - Residence Life Specialist - Residence Life (26051)

Residence Life within the Division of Student Life at West Virginia University is seeking applications for a Residence Life Specialist.

About the Opportunity:

Under the general supervision of the Assistant Director for Residence Life, the Residence Life Specialist (Residence Hall Coordinator) is a full-time, live-in professional staff member responsible for the day-to-day operation of a residence hall of approximately 300-500 students. The RLS supervises Resident Assistants (RAs) and a full-time desk secretary. The RLS includes (but is not limited to) facilitation of staff development, staff selection, staff training, residence hall programming, residence hall safety and security, facility oversight, student development, student conduct, crisis management, and summer operations support. The RLS must participate in a rotating on-call duty schedule and be available 24 hours a day during the year. Weekday, weekend, emergency closure, and holiday duty for the campus is required.

What you’ll do:

Develop and Manage a Residential Community:

• Implement the residential curriculum model and academic success initiatives. Actively participate in events and programs that support the residential curriculum model and other university retention initiatives.
• Maintain Community Standards of Conduct. Train RAs to enforce and document violations of the Community Standards in Advocate System. Adjudicate student conduct cases, review incident reports, schedule conduct hearings, assign and manage educational sanctions, communicate with students and parents regarding cases, ensure timeliness of case management, and guarantee student due process rights. Support the Office of Student Conduct with case management as needed.
• Serve as building supervisor and facilities liaison. Assess facility conditions and report safety, security, and other building need issues. Be knowledgeable and train staff on fire or other evacuation/crisis management procedures. Prepare and facilitate the opening and closing of residential facilities.
• Identify potential risks and respond to student and building crisis situations as they arise. Provide crisis intervention and referrals as needed.

Develop Student Leaders and Supervise Staff:

• Select, train, supervise, and evaluate resident assistants and desk staff. Contribute to the growth and development of staff via regular supervisory meetings and ongoing training/feedback. Enforce department expectations. Maintain and ensure accuracy of time records in MyTime System.

Serve as Professional Educator and Administrator:

• Maintain regular office hours as assigned by the department. Be available in person and/or by phone during other non-office hours, as outlined by the department.
• Attend department and university training, meetings, retreats, and other necessary functions to include those scheduled on evenings, weekends, closures, or university holidays.
• Serve on department and university committees as appointed by the department.
• Assume weekday, weekend, emergency closure, and holiday duty for the campus as needed.

Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in Higher Education, College Student Personnel, or a related field.
• A minimum of two (2) years of combined experience involving:
• Residence hall or similar housing experience.
• Experience working with college students.
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

Physical Skills: Job requires the ability to physically respond on site to emergency or crisis situations; requires regular travel around campus to meetings, programs, and other functions; and the ability to perform the task of walking through the hall(s) daily to facilitate accessibility, interpersonal relationships with students, staff supervision, overall coordination of related matters, etc.

Communication Skills: Ability to read, write, analyze reports, and prepare documents in English. Requires a thorough working knowledge of English grammar, spelling punctuation and sentence structure. Ability to speak before groups. Strong advising and counseling abilities needed. Requires the ability to develop rapport with all levels of the department as well as faculty and parents.

Leadership Skills: Requires knowledge of student learning and student development and ability to implement programs to meet residents’ needs. Designing proactive approaches to develop a cohesive, team-oriented staff is essential. Must demonstrate agility in multitasking and navigating a complex and changing organization. Requires the ability to make decisions on imperfect information. Knowledge of University policies and applicable federal and state laws is required.

Physical Effort:

• Daily coordination is necessary, which involves the ability to climb steps, walk long hallways, and complete normal office functions.
• Daily use a personal computer to log in reports and access information.

Requirements:

• Valid US driver’s license required and the ability to drive a van is required.
• Must be able to travel to various residence halls on different campuses and drive a van of students to activities.

About WVU:

West Virginia University is a place of purpose and community. We take pride in our profound impact on the state of West Virginia and are committed to the personal and professional growth of our employees.

At WVU, you will discover a supportive community that champions work-life balance and fosters a collaborative atmosphere. Our core values — service, curiosity, respect, accountability, and appreciation — unite us as Mountaineers.

We are dedicated to creating an inclusive and engaging working environment and actively seek candidates who bring diverse ideas, approaches, and experiences.

Join us at West Virginia University, where your work will make a lasting impact. To learn more about WVU, visit wvu.edu.

West Virginia University is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and is the recipient of an NSF ADVANCE award for gender equity. We value diversity among our faculty, staff, and students and invite applications from all qualified applicants regardless of race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, nationality, genetics, disability, or Veteran status.