About the Opportunity

The Senior Assistant Director for Residence Life plays an integral role in the leadership and vision of Northeastern University. The position provides leadership in one of several major functional areas of the Residence Life department including conflict resolution and community standards, curriculum development and faculty engagement, student-staff selection, training and development, facilities management, and Professional Staff selection and development.

The position is highly collaborative amongst departmental peers and campus colleagues, and requires strong communication, teamwork, and time-management skills. The S. AD provides direction and support to live-in staff and student-staff within their area of oversight regarding student development and engagement, violations of community standards, crisis intervention, and conflict resolution and mediation.

Reporting to one of the Associate Directors, the Senior Assistant Director will directly supervise 4-7 full-time Residence Directors and indirectly supervise up to 50-75 Student Resident Assistants. The S. AD will help develop departmental policy and decision-making functions for achieving divisional and departmental goals and objectives. The S. AD will be charged with coordination and implementation of departmental decisions and directives and will process and resolve student/parent/guardian or staff concerns. This is a is a full-time, life-off position with on-call responsibilities.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master's degree required; Master's degree in student personnel, higher education administration, or related field is preferred
• two to four professional work years. Two years preferred in Housing and Residential Life, Experience as a live-in staff member and experience supervising full-time professional staff is preferred.
• Effective supervision, administrative, organization, written and oral communication skills.
• Experience in conflict resolution, mediation, and application of student development theory, and ability to provide training and resources to staff members is preferred.
• Ability to work autonomously and ability to exercise excellent judgment and initiative in outlined areas of responsibility.
• Experience with an educational outcomes approach to learning and a demonstrated ability to apply educational outcomes throughout areas of responsibility is preferred.
• Experience and desire to work with and address the needs of a diverse student community of leader- learners.
• Experience with computer applications and social media platforms as a tool for community engagement and student and staff development.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

• The Senior Assistant Director position is highly collaborative amongst departmental peers and campus colleagues, and requires strong communication, teamwork, and time-management skills. A successful candidate is expected to balance job demands with the need to collaborate with campus and community partners to enhance the department and one’s own professional development. The S. AD should strengthen relationships across departments and across levels to develop connections and partnerships with students, staff, and faculty.
• Provide direction and support to live-in staff and Student Resident Assistants in their area of oversight regarding student development and engagement, violations of community standards, crisis intervention, and conflict resolution and mediation.
• Execute their assigned responsibilities using a curricular approach by creating learning outcomes, identifying outcome-based strategies, and utilization of assessment tools. The S. AD will support building staff's implementation of the residential curriculum for residents in their assigned community.
• Actively engage with the Northeastern students residing in university housing by attending engagements/programs, staff trainings, events, or meetings. Given that Northeastern University is a Co-Op institution, with students working full-time jobs for a semester or more, the S. AD will provide evening and weekend support as needed or required.
• Participate and facilitate regular dialogue and development efforts related to the needs of a diverse student and staff population. Additionally, they will support and contribute to the University’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The S. AD may participate in an additional assignment from May to August, including working on special projects, assisting with External Events and Conference Housing, managing orientation housing, and supporting summer residential students.
• Participate in an on-call duty rotation with other Administrators on-call. Given this role is a live-off position with an on-call responsibility, this staff member should live no more than 60 miles from Northeastern’s Boston campus and remain within a 60-mile radius from campus when actively serving as the Administrator on-Call (ADOC). University housing is open 365 days per year and there are always multiple levels of staff on–call to support each day/night, therefore some nights, weekends, and holiday support is required for this role. Holidays during the academic year may require in-person office coverage for part of the day.
• Northeastern University Housing & Residential Life Department experiences peak busy times where additional support may be needed outside of traditional business hours, including opening, closing, and transition periods. This role is expected to support in “all hands are on deck” for major sporting events, campus emergencies, campus and department events, and peak times of year when additional staffing is needed to support the on-call team.

Position Type

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.

Northeastern University is an equal opportunity employer, seeking to recruit and support a broadly diverse community of faculty and staff. Northeastern values and celebrates diversity in all its forms and strives to foster an inclusive culture built on respect that affirms inter-group relations and builds cohesion.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

To learn more about Northeastern University’s commitment and support of diversity and inclusion, please see www.northeastern.edu/diversity.