Senior Director for Residence Life and Safety

Hampshire College; Amherst (MA); On-site; USD 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Hampshire College is seeking a Senior Director for Residence Life and Safety to provide strategic leadership in fostering a safe and supportive campus environment. This full-time position will oversee residential life programs and campus safety efforts, ensuring inclusivity and equity in all practices while managing a dedicated team. The successful candidate will have extensive experience in higher education program management and will promote a thriving community for diverse student populations.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Retirement plan

Flexible leave plans

Qualifications

• Minimum of three years job-related experience required.
• Experience in campus safety and community care models preferred.
• Strong interpersonal skills for diverse communities.

Responsibilities

• Lead Office of Residential Life and Campus Safety initiatives.
• Develop programs for student success and crisis response.
• Supervise professional staff and manage safety protocols.

Skills

Program Management

Leadership

Communication

Crisis Management

Team Building

Education

Four-year college degree in Student Affairs or related areas

Tools

Microsoft Office

Google Suites

Adobe Creative Suite

Job description

Senior Director for Residence Life and Safety

Search:

Search: #1341

Date Posted:

Date Posted: 06/18/2025

Type/Department:

Type/Department: Administrator in JEA

Search Status:

Search Status: Searching for Candidates- Accepting Applications

Department: Justice, Equity, and Antiracism

Job Title: Senior Director for Residence Life and Safety

Position Type: Full Time

Schedule: 35 hours a week

Pay Range/ Status: $90,000 / Exempt

Location: Hampshire College Campus in Amherst, MA

Reports to: Senior Vice President for Justice, Equity, and Antiracism

Anticipated Start Date: August 1, 2025

Hampshire College, an independent, innovative liberal arts institution and member of the Five College consortium, is located on a beautiful rural campus in Amherst, Massachusetts. We provide residential undergraduate education to nearly 900 students. Each department at Hampshire College contributes to the collaborative culture of the organization and plays an important role in the success of the College. The justice, equity, and antiracism team advance the college’s goals of ensuring that all our students achieve success and transforming higher education. As part of this team, you will assist in achievingthese goals.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES:

As a well-rounded student affairs generalist and a practitioner of community care, the Senior Director for Residence Life and Safety is an on-call, 12-month, live-on position responsible for providing vision and strategic leadership for the Office of Residential Life and the Office of Campus Safety and Wellbeing, utilizing the community responder model . The Senior Director works to maintain a safe and secure learning and work environment for all members of the Hampshire College community as well as for guests and visitors.The Senior Director is the key organizer of the College’s residential experience and safety and wellbeing efforts. Responsible for working with staff and students to develop residential communities that promote student success and wellness, the Senior Director supervises and leads professional residential life staff who serve in an on-call capacity and the residence life student staff. The Senior Director is also responsible for the development, implementation, and supervision of administrators responsible for campus safety programs, services, resources and educational programs, including but not limited to personal safety, dispatch and security operations, inclement weather, fire safety, disruptions in daily operations, emergency and crisis management, transportation, and parking enforcement for the College. The Senior Director oversees the Emergency On-Call structure at the college, which includes a Residence Life On-Call (Tier 1), Administrator On-Call (Tier 2), and Campus Safety On-Call system.

The Residence Life team led by the Senior Director serves all students, while paying close attention to the particular needs and strengths of students from different cultural backgrounds and identities who may require focused support and considerations in the residence life capacities. The Senior Director needs to be open-minded, enjoy learning, and be able to adapt and evolve the offices accordingly to support students successfully as one department.

Open to new and challenging experiences, the Senior Director is a student development practitioner who cares deeply about forming strong relationships and engaging in meaningful experiences with staff and students. This position needs to be highly visible, maintain strong connections, and work successfully with students, faculty, staff, families, and external constituents. The Senior Director must have experience in program design and management and feel comfortable working in an evolving, fast-paced, organizational framework with shifting responsibilities.

In leading a department that has adopted the community responder model and applies trauma-informed, restorative and transformative justice, and community care practices, the Senior Director will work with a Campus Safety and Wellbeing team that aims to promote equity, justice, and inclusivity. Under the direction of the Senior Director, the Residential Life and the CSW teams will work together to serve students, particularly in the following areas: crisis response, campus safety and security, sexual misconduct/assault prevention, and conflict resolution. The Senior Director participates in the administrator emergency response “on call” duty rotation and as a committed member of the Justice, Equity, and Antiracism team in college and divisional committee work, projects, meetings, retreats, and community development. Applicants must be available to work evenings and weekends for programs, emergencies, and coverage for staff shortages in both departments.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

• Directly related educational background and relevant work experience.
• Demonstrated success in higher education program management and leadership, particularly regarding business practices pertaining to campus safety, residential life, community care, restorative practices, prevention and education, and risk mitigation.
• Passionate about working in an organization that values and promotes justice, equity, and inclusivity.
• Experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Employs anti-oppressive practices and principles to accomplish work.
• Ability to serve as an advocate for individuals of all ethnicities, genders, ages, and backgrounds.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and ability to present to diverse audiences, specifically racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse communities.
• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive and equitable working relationships with students, faculty, staff and community members.
• Supports and enhances a sense of belonging and success of students from traditionally marginalized populations.
• Knowledge of high impact strategies that promote persistence and degree completion, and reduce time to completion, particularly for underrepresented students.
• Understanding of Student Development Theory, knowledge of higher education trends and best practices, administration and governance.
• Excellent program/project design, execution and assessment skills.
• Ability to function independently and complete projects with limited supervision.
• Excellent interpersonal and team building skills.
• Ability to analyze data, interpret results, and make recommendations.
• Ability to develop and maintain positive, professional relationships.
• Highly organized and able to prioritize in a fast-paced, team- oriented environment.
• Ability to manage ambiguity as well as collaborative decision-making structures.
• Strong supervisory, problem-solving and collaborative skills.
• Ability to pay close attention to detail for budget tracking.
• Familiarity with computer programs: Microsoft Office and Google Suites, Adobe Creative Suite, Information Management (Colleague), social media applications, student activities and housing platforms, etc.
• Employment is dependent on successful completion of the following:
  • A pre-employment physical and background check.
  • Certification in CPD/first responder or ability to obtain certification in Massachusetts within six months of hire; EMT certification desirable.
  • A valid Massachusetts driver’s license and successfully meet the requirements of Hampshire College driver credentialing policy.

Preferred

• Experience in Community Response Model for campus safety.

REQUIRED CERTIFICATION, EDUCATION, AND EXPERIENCE:

• Four-year college degree in either Student Affairs; Higher Education Administration, Organizational Leadership, or related areas.
• Minimum of three years job related experience.

Required Alternatives to formal education and paid work experience may be considered as equivalent qualifications to include military service/training, volunteering, activism, and other non-traditional programs and experiences related to the position.

BENEFITS:

Hampshire College offers an excellent benefits program for eligible employees such as medical, dental, vision, life insurance, retirement plan, flexible leave plans, and many other fringe benefits. For information on Hampshire College, including more information on employee benefits and our company culture, visit our website at www.hampshire.edu .

WHO SHOULD APPLY:

Hampshire College is an equal opportunity employer and deeply committed to a community of excellence, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We are particularly committed to revealing and combating the social and institutional structures that support racism and white supremacy in all phases of employment and college life. We believe that the educational and employment environment is enhanced when diverse groups of people with diverse ideas come together to work and grow. We encourage applications from women, underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, sexual minority groups, veterans, and other candidates who will contribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas and perspectives. Hampshire College is committed to removing barriers to employment faced by equity-seeking groups and encourages (but does not require) members of these groups to self-identify in their application materials. Applicants whose work incorporates a global perspective and a demonstrated commitment to issues of diversity in the work environment are particularly encouraged to apply.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please submit your cover letter, resume and names/phone numbers of three professional references via our website at https://jobs.hampshire.edu/

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

Hampshire College is an equal opportunity institution, committed todiversity and inclusion in education and employment.