Associate Director, Housing & Residential Experience

Position Summary:  

The Associate Director is a senior leader on the Residential Experience team within Housing and Residential Experience in the Student Affairs division at Vanderbilt University and is responsible for the continued development of residential life under the Director of Residential Experience. This position assists in guiding the Residential Experience team to fulfill the departmental mission of building safe, engaging, and educational residential communities, thus contributing to the intellectual, cultural, and social growth of Vanderbilt students. Reporting to the Director of Residential Experience, the Associate Director is responsible for the supervision, recruitment, and development of the residential staff teams, including four Assistant Directors, seven Area Coordinators, seven Graduate Area Coordinators, and 160 Resident Advisors. The Associate Director provides leadership and counsel for professional and paraprofessional staff regarding policy implementation, resident staff emergency response, and community building and serves as the primary designate of the Director of Residential Experience. The Associate Director will progress the Residential Experience vision, execution, and impact in student staff learning and development and oversee key functional areas including community development & assessment, care management, selection & training, and Residential Experience operations. 

The Associate Director is also responsible for engaging in benchmarking and proactive professional development initiatives; participating in the campus on-call rotation and crisis response; and facilitating training and programmatic efforts across the department. The Associate Director will supervise four Assistant Directors and is responsible for supporting strong collaboration and communication with faculty and staff within Residential Colleges as well as other campus partners. Additional duties may include leading and participating in divisional and departmental committee work to promote student success. 

 

About the Work Unit: 

Housing and Residential Experience provides safe, secure, comfortable, accessible, and healthy housing for its residents. Programming for residents builds engaged communities in which students’ social needs for belonging, friendship, recognition, respect, and dignity are met. These communities foster learning, personal development, academic achievement, and successful transitions for both new students and graduates. 

 

About Student Affairs 

Student Affairs serves a central role in student learning and development at Vanderbilt, advancing the University’s mission of teaching, research, and service by fostering academic and social networks through which students develop as intentional learners and global citizens. Student Affairs creates opportunities to involve students, faculty and staff in diverse learning communities and provides a critical support structure for enriching the overall student experience. We achieve these ends through strategic alignment, both internally and in concert with other university departments. We care deeply. We educate completely. We lead with excellence. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and mental health are top priorities for the institution and by extension the offices of Student Affairs. Our staff are committed to continued growth in knowledge, awareness, skills, and experience engaging with these priorities in a higher education environment.   

 

Key Functions and Expected Performance: 

Leadership & Development 

• Oversee the hiring and onboarding processes for all Residential Experience staff, including Assistant Directors, Area Coordinators, administrative staff, graduate and student staff, and other student workers. 
• Responsible for the creation and maintenance of competency-based professional development of the full-time Assistant Director staff (including the management of committee(s) to assist in those processes). 
• Provide oversight of comprehensive learning and development initiatives to enhance professional and paraprofessional staff competencies, including training curriculum development, in-service planning, workshops, and ongoing professional development. 
• Foster a collaborative and inclusive team environment that promotes communication, accountability, and excellence. 
• Ensure professional and paraprofessional staff display a positive and professional image and that the Residential Experience staff respond appropriately to the many stakeholders served (students, parents/families, administrators, campus partners, etc.). 
• Provide financial oversight for the Residential Experience allocation as needed, including full responsibility for the preparation and management of relevant budgets