Jackson College is an elite League for Innovation community college in Jackson, Michigan where students from all backgrounds are offered a quality, world-class education. Our sincere commitment to integrity, leadership, collaboration, diversity and equity creates exceptional professional opportunities that have real, beneficial and measurable impacts on the people and the world around us.”
The Director of Residence Life position reports to the VP of Finance. The position is responsible for total administration and operation of the residence life community and student life programming. The director is expected to enhance the living environment of the community through staff development, resident outreach, creative programming and administrative organization.
This position requires living in a residence hall in a one-bedroom apartment provided by the College. Fire code limits the apartment occupancy to two individuals. College policies prohibit individuals under the age of 17 from living in the residence halls.
FOR HIGHEST CONSIDERATION, APPLY BY: MARCH 18th
Essential Functions
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned:
Hire, train and supervise Assistant Director of Residence Life, Student Life Coordinator and Residence Life Coordinators. Facilitate annual training as needed.
Identifies equity gaps in residence life and develops strategies to eliminate them.
Administer the Residence Life and Student Life Programs in accordance with institutional policies and procedures.
Facilitate housing operations including student room assignments, in-residence transfers, inspections, consolidations, and weekly occupancy and credit reports.
Work in conjunction with Student Services and other departments to identify and help at-risk students.
Create an atmosphere that provides support for others, respect for other’s rights and appreciation for differences among individuals that are conducive to academic success and residents’ personal growth.
Expectations include but are not limited to night and weekend coverage as needed.
Manages all mailbox assignments and keys
Handle emergency or crisis situations appropriately, as they arise using conflict resolution skills and counseling techniques when responding to these situations.
Develop and administer policies and procedures of the College, Residence Life, and Student Life programs.
This position serves as part of the Residence Life on call rotation
Assure administration is consistent with budget guidelines and parameters.
Organize and facilitate staff development activities to promote a strong sense of teamwork and to respond to staff concerns.
Assess needs and assist professional and paraprofessional staff in developing, planning, and implementing educational and social programs for both residence life and student life programming initiatives. Evaluate overall program effectiveness.
Work with Campus Safety providing on-call coverage and scheduled “duty” rotation to address safety and security concerns.
Possess a strong understanding and commitment to student development.
Be familiar with campus and community resources and utilize them for referring problems beyond the scope and experience of the position.
Handle emergency or crisis situations appropriately as they arise.
Apply conflict resolution skills when responding to student crisis situations.
Be familiar with and enforce rules and regulations of the College and Residence Life.
Work in concert with the Business Office to establish and collect on accounts. Notify students of delinquent accounts and/or changes in housing occupancy.
Direct student conduct efforts and address inappropriate behavior of students and document incidents appropriately.
Make conduct and other support service referrals as appropriate to get students the resources they need to succeed.
Respond to issues and concerns raised by students and parents in a manner consistent with the vision of the college and within federal regulations.
Communicate regularly with VP of Finance providing regular updates on activities occurring in Residence Life, Student Life and the housing units.
Lead and Maintain Residence Life and Student Life’s strategic agenda.
Post and maintain residence life office hours as determined by area’s needs.
Work in conjunction with Marketing and Admissions to advertise and promote residence life.
Review and authorize expenditures for programming, office supplies, staff development, printing, etc. Assist in the development and submit annual budget for Residence Life and Student Life.
Serve as liaison to facilities and custodial staff. Report, track, and follow-up on facility issues to ensure timely solutions. Advocate for building enhancements to improve the quality of the student living environment.
Perform weekly building walk-through to ensure building safety and security.
In conjunction with the Assistant Director of Residence Life , continuously working to improve the residence-life programming on campus.
Maintain excellent customer service by answering questions and inquires made by phone, email, and mail by prospective residents and current residents.
Responsible for understanding, supporting and actively demonstrating the College’s beliefs, values, mission, and vision and being in agreement to be evaluated by same.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES This position has supervisory responsibilities for the assistant director of residence life, student life coordinator, and residence life coordinators, including training, hiring and termination.
CONTACTS AND PURPOSE OF CONTACTS
Internal: Frequent contact in an information sharing capacity with faculty, staff and students, especially in departments like Student Life, Athletics, Student Services, Student Conduct, Facilities Operations, Marketing and Multicultural Affairs.
External: Regular contact with students and community members in a service-provider capacity, providing information and problem solving. Communicate with JC stakeholders.
Minimum Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
3+ plus years in college/university setting working with a diverse population of students
Residence Life/University Housing experience
Experience in RA staff supervision, student work study, facilitating student activities, occupancy management and student conduct
Excellent written/verbal communication skills
Ability to work effectively with a diverse student population, high level of professionalism and management skills
Knowledge of supervisory practices and principles
Knowledge of crisis intervention strategies
Skill in communicating effectively with individuals from a variety of culturally diverse backgrounds are needed.
Computer Skills Knowledge of personal computers and software including word processing, excel, spreadsheets and Datatel.
Language Skills Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports, action plans, and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of an organization. Good command of grammar.
Mathematical Skills Ability to calculate addition and subtraction and to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.
Reasoning Ability Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions of the job.
While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to use hands and fingers, handle or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include the ability to adjust and focus.
WORK ENVIRONMENT The work environment characteristics described are representative of those an employee encounters while performing essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The noise level in this work environment is usually moderate.
“This description is intended to indicate the kinds of tasks and levels of work difficulty that will be required and shall not be construed as declaring the specific duties and responsibilities. It is not intended to limit or in any way modify the right of any supervisor to assign, direct and control the work of employees under his or her supervision. The use of particular expression or illustration describing duties shall not be held to exclude other duties not mentioned that are of similar kind or level of difficulty.”
Supplemental Information
Jackson College only accepts on-line applications though this system. For assistance with this, please call 517-796-8468.
Please use your legal first and last names on your application. If you are hired you will have the opportunity to identify and utilize your preferred name.
The Jackson College Nepotism policy prohibits the hiring of direct relatives of current employees or members of the Board of Trustees including spouse, domestic partner, child, stepchild, parent, stepparent, aunt, uncle, niece/nephew, grandparent, grandchild. This policy applies to all full and part-time employees except for student workers, tutors, temporary employees and adjunct faculty.
It is important that your application show all the relevant education and experience you possess (even if you are repeating it from your resume or cover letter). For instance, do not say, "See Resume or C/V." Your resume, cover letter that includes your salary requirements and an unofficial transcript for the degree required must be attached to your application. Applications will be rejected if incomplete. When you apply for the position, you will get to the document upload area where you will be given an opportunity to attach your documents such as your resume/vita, transcripts, etc. Instructions will also be found there.
The College reserves the right to request proof of degree or certification at a later date, if these documents are required as part of the qualifications for the position.
Final candidates will be subject to a criminal background as part of the employment process.
If selected you will be required to complete the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Employment Eligibility Verification form I-9 and provide documentation verifying identity and eligibility to work in the United States. Jackson College is NOT able to support Visa applications for employment at the college. Applicants must already be eligible to work in the United States to be considered.
Applicants with disabilities may request accommodation to complete the application and interview process. Please notify Human Resources at least three (3) working days prior to the date of need.
A copy of Jackson College's Annual Security Report and Annual Fire Safety Report is available on the JC Campus Safety & Security website. The security report contains crime statistics for the previous three years for all of our campus locations and the annual fire safety report, which contains statistics for any reported fires in campus housing units and fire safety systems in these buildings. Additionally, the report contains policies, available resources and information concerning personal safety, fire safety and reporting procedures for both crimes and fires.
Applicants have rights under Federal employment laws(Download PDF reader). Jackson College is an Equal Opportunity Employer that actively supports workforce diversity.
