Residence Director

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The Residence Director (RD) plays an instrumental role in shaping the residential experience for 250-500 first-year or upper-class students, ensuring a supportive, inclusive, and engaging environment conducive to their development and success. Reporting to the Director of Residential Housing, the RD fosters community and individual growth within residence halls, including overseeing Resident Assistant (RA) training and community development programs. This position requires the RD to live on campus. It demands a high degree of flexibility, with responsibilities extending beyond standard hours to include evenings, weekends, and on-call duties, all aimed at maintaining a safe and dynamic student living environment.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES

• Hire, train, and supervise Resident Assistant staff, including application review, candidate interviews, and selection.
• Lead training sessions and develop instructional materials, conduct weekly staff and individual supervision meetings, provide constructive feedback and encouragement, and promote accountability and professional growth opportunities that foster staff development.
• Maintain an active presence within the residential areas by regularly scheduling office hours and attending programs and events within the building and campus communities.
• Meet with individual students to discuss problems and concerns, assist with appropriate referrals, follow up on community-related concerns, and provide challenges and opportunities for learning and student development.
• Respond to psychological, behavioral, medical, Title IX, and maintenance emergencies by following established protocols.
• Participate in conduct boards as assigned, adjudicate policy violations, update relevant software for each case, and serve as the primary hearing officer in your designated areas. Engage in meaningful discussions with students to reflect on their choices and understand the implications of their actions. 
• Respond promptly to facilities concerns, uphold cleanliness and safety of the housing facilities, and manage key and lock inventory.
• Address roommate conflicts proactively by training student staff in conflict resolution techniques, ensuring the execution of roommate and suitemate agreements, consistently monitoring reported conflicts, and engaging directly with students to resolve issues promptly.
• Manage RA programming and community development, including approving active and passive program proposals and coordinating to meet residents' educational and social needs.
• Oversee logistics, budgeting for hall events, documentation submission, and direct building initiatives via EmConnect.
• Serve as a facilitator for Emersion, Emerson College’s First Year Experience course each academic year. Advise Learning Community(ies)/themed housing/ specialty housing, including RA and student programming efforts.
• Manage Hall Openings and Closings and maintain accurate records of building residents. Coordinate all closing and opening procedures for the residence hall during semester and holiday breaks.
• Manage and ensure follow-up on various reporting systems, including occupancy, incident, maintenance, evaluation reports, and hall opening/closing procedures. Maintain accurate records, utilize management tools effectively, and prepare comprehensive evaluative reports.
• Serve on departmental and institutional committees and attend relevant staff meetings and trainings. Dedicate up to 5 hours weekly to collateral assignments across various areas such as Orientation Program Planning, Class Council, Late Night/Weekend Programming, Leadership Development/Engagement, and Care and Concern, adapting to event schedules and seasonal demands.
• Actively participate in the on-campus duty rotation by ensuring that the staff are prepared to promptly address emergency and non-emergency situations when students are on campus. Responsibilities encompass responding to urgent issues affecting student well-being or residence hall infrastructure, facilitating necessary access for quarantine/isolation requirements, and managing communication with faculty, staff, and parents to address their concerns effectively.
• Supervise the Welcome Desk, including the Welcome Desk Coordinator and Assistants.
• Undertake additional responsibilities to support the department and enhance the student residential experience.

QUALIFICATIONS – Qualifications are deemed required or preferred and represent what is needed to perform the job effectively.