Director of Residence Life & Student Dining

Westminster University

Director of Residence Life & Student Dining

Full-Time Benefited

POSITION SUMMARY

The Director of Residence Life and Student Dining serves as the senior housing officer and is responsible for setting a comprehensive strategic direction, budgetary oversight and revenue development, programmatic innovation, and risk management in accordance with Westminster University's mission, vision, and strategic goals. This key leader of Student Affairs has primary responsibility for coordinating all aspects of the Residence Life and Student Dining program. The position reports to the Assistant Dean of Students and directly supervises the Associate Director of Residence Life.

As a member of the Student Affairs Leadership Team, this essential team member provides leadership in creating and fostering a healthy, safe, and inclusive robust campus life for a diverse student population.

Student Affairs at Westminster is committed to creating an environment that encourages students' exploration of self while pursuing community and working toward academic success. Westminster is a private comprehensive liberal arts institution with a deep commitment preparing students to lead lives of learning, accomplishment, and service and to help them develop skills and attributes vital for success in a diverse and interdependent world. Westminster centralizes engaged learning that emphasizes theory and practice academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular programs. A culture of imagination and innovation with a committed practice of inclusiveness and respect for differences.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Departmental Leadership & Strategic Planning

• Oversee the planning, development, implementation, and assessment of a comprehensive housing & residence life program that supports institutional priorities and learning.
• Conduct ongoing internal and external review of national trends, best practices, and industry standards so as to ensure department strategies, practices, policies, and programs align with best practices.
• Develop long range planning goals for 680 bed Residence Life program and report annual progress toward departmental goals.
• Revise/develop departmental strategic plan foreground residential student experience, residential curriculum, resident and facility safety, and revenue generation.
• Guide all aspects of the department's strategic initiatives, daily operations, assessment, revenue projection, occupancy management, and key partnerships in service to the departmental mission.
• Foster and maintain strategic partnerships with Campus Dining, Campus Patrol, Athletics, Honors College, Financial Aid, Student Account Services and departments within the Division of Student Affairs.
• Develop, analyze, and generate departmental reports containing descriptive analytical and evaluative content generated by completing formative and summative assessment.

Staff Development & Leadership

• Recruit, hire, onboard, and supervise Residence Life four professional and 20 paraprofessional staff.
• Provide culturally competent supervision and mentoring for direct reports, including adapting approach and style as needed to achieve positive results.
• Foster a welcoming, inclusive, and responsive environment in Residence Life for current and prospective students and their families, departmental staff, and university community members.
• Directly supervise Associate Director of Residence Life and provide oversight of professional staff, resident assistants, student staff.

Finance, Facilities, and Policy Administration

• Manage 680 bed Residence Life program generating approximately two million dollars in revenue with a $350,000 operating budget.
• In collaboration with campus partners in Student Affairs, Business Administration and Finance, and Enrollment Management, evaluate and assess University housing occupancy, retention, and projection trends.
• Manage all Residence Life capital expenditures, and programming budgets effectively and appropriately.
• Oversee annual review of Housing Agreements and Meal Plan Agreements with General Counsel and Risk Management.
• Coordinate Residence Life on-call rotation in coordination with other on-call rotations within Student Affairs.
• Provide leadership and support as appropriate for crisis response at the department, division, and university-wide levels.
• Ensure departmental residence hall student policies and expectations align with all applicable institutional policies, including the Student Code of Conduct.
• Cultivate and maintain collaborative partnerships with Plant Operations and Facilities department to ensure building maintenance, cleaning, renovations, and furnishings meet student needs and demands.
• Identify and develop opportunities for revenue generation appropriate to departmental/institutional scope and mission.
• Manage the Student Dining 400 meal plan program customer service, billing, budgeting, system management, and sales.

Residential Student Experience

• Provide strategic vision and leadership for the residential experience by creating a high-quality living and learning environment that contributes to student success and meets occupancy goals.
• Responsible for ensuring a healthy, safe, and inclusive residential living experience delivered by Residence Life.
• Produce departmental assessment plans that expand the potential for student success by utilizing a data-informed approach to student programming that positively contributes to retention and graduation rates.
• Ensure the maintenance of health, fire, and safety standards in residence halls.
• Respond to emergency situations of residential students and implement protocols to resolve on-site threats to student safety and wellbeing.
• Work cooperatively with Campus Patrol, Salt Lake City emergency services.

Additional Duties

• Serve as a Campus Security Authority and Mandatory Reporter
• Data management, facility management, assessment, and reporting
• Assist students and other parties in policy understanding and application
• Provide collaborative leadership and coordination of high-profile institutional events including convocation and commencement

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's degree in higher education administration, business administration, or management from an accredited college or university
• Seven+ years of progressive responsibility and increased leadership in university administration
• Understanding of college student development theories and an integrative learning approach to residential student development
• Experience with student learning and programmatic outcome assessment, analysis, and implementation
• Knowledge of state, regional and national issues, trends, and best practices in areas of campus housing, residence life, and student affairs
• Understanding of Title IX regulations, FERPA and other relevant federal, state and local laws and ordinances
• Budget and finance experience
• Demonstrated experience in student housing accommodations
• Demonstrated experience in administration, budget management, assessment, problem-solving, and crisis or emergency response
• Demonstrated experience in policy interpretation, application, and compliance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Seven+ years of progressive responsibility and increased leadership in the area of residential student housing operations
• Experience with software packages: Persona, eRezLife, Advocate, Maxient, WebAdvisor, Self-Service, THD, StarRez, Slate
• Experience with occupancy management including assignments, move in/out, and changes
• Experience developing revenue streams utilizing residence halls and in coordination with university event planning and dining services
• Experience serving on a student affairs leadership team, integrating the residential experience into the overall student experience
• Successful implementation of faculty partnership programs, residential education models, living learning communities, or co-curricular approaches to student affairs

Diversity and Inclusion

Promote an Inclusive Westminster through demonstration of the commitments included in the Westminster College Diversity Statement. Participate in developmental activities to increase understanding and awareness of issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion both individually and as related to my field of work, profession, or discipline.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Westminster University is committed to a diversified workforce, equal opportunity, and nondiscrimination. To this end, Westminster prohibits any form of discrimination or harassment based on race or ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identification, disabilities, genetic information, status as a veteran, or any other category or classification protected by applicable federal, state, or city laws.