Director of Residence Life

Coker University invites applications for the position of Director of Residence Life. The Director serves as a senior leadership member within the Division of Student Services and oversees all aspects of housing, residential life and residential education. Candidates must be enthusiastic, highly motivated, and able to balance administrative duties with a strong student development focus. The Director is responsible for creating safe, inclusive, and dynamic learning communities that empower the holistic development for approximately 600 residents. This position reports to the Senior Director of Student Experience and plays a key role in strategic planning with a focus on residential education, community building, safety and compliance.

The Director will create efficient operational practices that promote student learning, growth, and development. The position contributes to the strategic workflow and customer services emphasis within Student Services and ensures proactive marketing/promotion of all aspects of residential living, engagement programs, learning communities, room assignments, billing, etc. This position leads the department's occupancy management efforts, oversees the housing management software (eRezLife), and manages room selection processes for students. The Director provides training and support to resident assistants, direct reports and university personnel as needed.

Responsibilities include:

• Supervision of Assistant Director of Residence Life, Head Resident Assistants, Resident Assistants, and support staff.
• Provide leadership for all housing, facilities and operations initiatives for student housing.
• Provide vision and leadership for housing occupancy management, including but not limited to planning, reporting, management, communication and marketing. Lead marketing efforts to assure desired occupancy levels. Indirectly manage and oversee housing assignments, billing, room changes/selection processes, and meal plan selection.
• Provide overall leadership for professional and paraprofessional departmental staff, as well as creating a supportive environment that promotes the professional/personal development of staff members.
• Assess and evaluate current living-learning communities and establish new living-learning communities.
• Oversee coordination of hall opening/closing processes in conjunction with student services leadership, departmental/hall staff and campus constituents.
• Facilitate the departmental budgetary process to ensure adequate resources for operations, technology and facilities needs that align with departmental mission and goals.
• Work collaboratively with the Office of Facilities to address maintenance and facility concerns.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive marketing, promotions and brand plan, in conjunction with the Office of Strategic Communication and Marketing. Coordinate and oversee the development of content for the department's website and social media accounts.
• Serve as a hearing officer to address alleged housing policy violations.
• Assist with the creation, implementation, and evaluation of the department's strategic plan, mission, and goals. Serve as a member of the Division's Leadership Team (DLT); serve on and lead other departmental, divisional, and university committees.
• Serve in an on-call capacity to support staff emergency response during evenings, weekends, and holidays. Other duties as assigned.

Essential Functions:

• Create and maintain vibrant communities that contribute to the holistic development of students. Ensure restorative best practices and educational awareness via continuous programming efforts.
• Supervise and mentor residence life student staff.
• Recruit, select and train new and returning staff members.
• Meet regularly with staff individually and conduct weekly staff meetings.
• Direct, monitor, assess and evaluate staff work assignments and workflow.
• Disseminate information, provide training experiences, direct professional growth and develop a sense of team cohesiveness.
• Cultivate an understanding of diversity and inclusion and create inclusive living environments.
• Foster healthy personal lifestyle choices.
• Maintain a visible presence in the residence halls through participation in residence functions, attendance at resident meetings, involvement in student events, and frequent walk-throughs.
• Serve in the on-call and crisis response rotation for all residential students exercising discretion and judgment in resolving critical incidents. Position deemed as essential personnel as an emergency responder to natural and human caused disasters.

Required Qualifications:

• Master's degree in College Student Personnel, Higher Education/Student Affairs, or other related field is required.
• Full-time residence life post-master's experience in a college or university environment is required, including supervision of professional staff.
• Web development skills and proficiency in Google Workspace is required.
• Demonstrated passion and commitment to college student development.
• Ability to relate well and be a mentor to a diverse population of college students.
• Experience in facilitating and supervising the planning and coordinating of creative events and approaches to community development.
• Demonstrated skill in individual and team development.
• Ability to utilize sound judgment and critical thinking in a wide variety of scenarios.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficient execution of competing administrative responsibilities.
• Strong work ethic and an ability to multitask and work comfortably in a fast-paced and highly dynamic student-centered environment are required.
• Work evenings and weekends as needed.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Proficiency with housing and other university database systems is required.
• Demonstrated crisis management skills are strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including the ability to work effectively with staff,students and other key stakeholders, inside and outside of Student Services is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and work collaboratively with others, both inside and outside of Student Affairs.
• Experience with the design and implementation of assessment strategies preferred.

To apply, send a resume and cover letter to https://coker.isolvedhire.com/pages/JobOpportunities Review of applicants will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

University Standard Service and Excellence Expectations

Coker's standards of service and excellence to the campus and community is an institutional priority for the university. We pride ourselves in our customer service, communication, and availability to our stakeholders and employees through efficient response times, detailed information, and professionalism.

Coker University readies undergraduates for personal and professional success through a distinctive four-year program that emphasizes a practical application of the liberal arts as well as hands-on and discussion-based learning within and beyond the classroom. Coker is ranked among the "Best Colleges" in the South by U.S. News & World Report as well as The Princeton Review. Located in Hartsville, Coker is within two hours of the cultural, financial and recreational resources of Charlotte, Columbia, Charleston and Myrtle Beach.

Coker University, in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws, including Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, marital status, veterans or military status, or against individuals with disabilities, or other legally protected classifications in the areas of employment, admission, financial aid or access to educational or extracurricular programs, activities or facilities.