Director of Housing & Residential Life - DigiPen Institute of Technology

Located in Redmond, Washington, DigiPen Institute of Technology is a small college that offers undergraduate degree programs in Computer Science, Game Design, Digital Audio and Music, Computer Engineering, and Digital Art and Animation, as well as Master’s degree programs in Computer Science and Digital Art. DigiPen Institute of Technology has been ranked one of the top 5 game design schools in the country by the Princeton Review for more than a decade.

Director of Residence Life and Housing

DigiPen Institute of Technology

Position Description:

• This is an exempt, full-time, and required live-in role
• Reports to Vice President for Student Engagement
• The basic function of the Director of Residence Life and Housing is to oversee the daily functions of the office, provide leadership to the staff, and manage the business operations components of the off-campus living environment

Responsibilities

Residential Development:

• Oversee the creation and implementation of a cohesive and comprehensive residential life curriculum, rooted in goals for student success and retention efforts

• Develop initiatives and programs with a focus on developing community and student engagement

• Implement a comprehensive residential education model and co-curricular programming for students in institution provided housing

• Support and foster Living Learning Communities and associated staff

• Collect, assess, and maintain relevant data from residential students and programs to provide quality improvement, equitable practices, and program evaluations

Student Support:

• Oversee an on-call structure focused on providing student support and assistance

• Work closely with institution and community partners to provide appropriate, effective, and equitable responses to student needs and emergency responses, in compliance with state and federal guidelines/law

• Serve as a member of the committee for student concerns, providing outreach and support to assist students with acquiring essential resources

• Collaborates logistics with the international satellite campuses for any niche resident stays

• Singapore, Spain, Korea, and future contracts

Conduct and Community:

• Support and enforces institutional policy on campus and in provided housing locations

• Work with the chief conduct officer on modernization of the institution's conduct system, ensuring best and equitable practices

• Collaborate with the chief conduct officer for training of staff and students on the conduct system

• Serve as hearing officer as required by the institution's conduct system

Administrative Responsibilities:

• Author department relevant policy in lines with best practices and students’ best interests in mind

• Provide essential reports on a weekly/monthly basis to relevant departments

• Develop and administer budgets for the department and monitor expenditures

• Co-Management of billing procedures and completion with accounting and other offices

• Assist executive leadership with price setting and cost analysis

• Negotiate leasing cost and terms for off-campus housing facilities and operations (i.e., utilities, cleaning, maintenance)

• Oversee strategic planning and outcomes development consistent with departmental, divisional, and institutional goals and priorities

• Work with the assistant directors and coordinators to facilitate trainings, conduct day to day housing operations, facilitate the housing selection process, and other duties as determined or needed

• Join and participate in related organizations to stay up to date on housing/residence life trends, needs and practices

• Serve on institution wide committees and engage in decision-making processes that impact the entire campus community

• Serve on the duty rotation for 1 week at a time answering any questions 24.7 via the duty phone, email, or office drop by from all of DigiPen students, staff, faculty, and executives

• Collaborates with Student Life and Security on Emergency Response

• Completes performance evaluations for professional staff

Qualifications:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Higher Education, Business Administration or related field

• 3+ years of professional experience in Property Management, Higher Education and/or Housing & Residence Life

• 3+ years of supervision experience

• 3+ years overseeing a budget

• 3+ years of duty/on call experience

• Computer knowledge of MS Office and proficiency with new technology

• Abide by policies and procedures

• Current valid driver’s license and dependable transportation/personal vehicle

• Superior organizational ability is essential

• May need to lift up to 50 lbs

• Successful completion of ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) within 3 months of employment (DigiPen will pay or reimburse for the training)

Preferred:

• Master’s degree in Higher Education or related field highly desirable

• 5-7 years of previous professional experience in a residence life or other student services office, with an emphasis on student conduct, activities, or advising

• 5-7+ years of supervising professional staff

• Experience in property management

Salary and Benefits: Housing (Monthly rent and utilities totaling about $32,000/year), plus salary of $68,000-78,250 and benefits.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and academic freedom are priorities of DigiPen Institute of Technology, as DigiPen endorses the goals of affirmative action and equal opportunity employment. The Institute's intent is to hire the most qualified individuals for faculty and staff, attracting candidates from diverse backgrounds of race and ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, veteran status, nationality, culture, religion, and physical abilities. We are committed to broadening our candidate pool to include more diverse individuals and ensuring fairness in hiring by avoiding bias and determining criteria to judge all candidates prior to posting each new position.