Assistant Director for Guest Services & Leadership Development, Housing & Residence Life

The Assistant Director for Guest Services and Leadership Development provides leadership, direction, and coordination of overnight accommodation for guests, camps, and conference housing primarily during the summer. Additionally, the Director oversees student engagement and leadership development for residential students. 

This position is a key coordinator for the formulation of student learning outcomes; retention, progression, and graduation of students; providing educational opportunities to students, and assessing that learning in a systematic way, consistent with SACSCOC requirements. 

Staff Hiring and Supervision

• Coordinates or assists with the recruitment processes for 7 Resident Directors, 104+ Resident Assistants, other student staff, and graduate assistants
• Supervises, hires, trains, and evaluates 1-4 full-time Resident Directors
• Oversees the supervision of up to 2-6 Administrative Assistants, up to 3 Graduate Assistants or 1-2 summer graduate interns, approximately 40-60 resident assistants, 15-30 desk assistants and 14- 20 conference assistants
• Trains and supervises 1-5 full-time Conference Managers (Resident Directors) during the summer
• Coordinates and manages staff payroll
• Conducts individual meetings, staff meetings, and regular staff evaluations
• Coaches employees utilizing positive and constructive feedback, motivating staff in the role as well as holding staff accountable
• Maintains accurate and up-to-date personnel records for all staff levels, including but not limited to position descriptions, agreements/contracts, and disciplinary records
• Researches, designs, creates, and implements ongoing training and staff development for student and professional staff that align with professional standards and best practices

Leadership Development

• Supports and advises the Residence Hall Association (RHA), RA Council, and other residential student leadership groups to enhance advocacy, civic engagement, and leadership skills
• Collaborates with Campus Partners to align leadership programming, student development initiatives, and community-building strategies within the residence halls
• Coordinates transitioning readiness programs, from exploring career paths to addressing potential barriers to success and decision-making
• Implements a residential curricular approach that scaffolds student learning, engagement, and leadership development across residents' time in housing
• Oversees the recruitment and selection of Graduate Assistants (GAs), Resident Assistants (RAs), and Conference Assistants (CAs) to build an engaged and well-prepared student staff team as the selection process should align leadership competencies across student roles within the department
• Coordinates break duty coverage for RAs and RDS

Administration

• Attends various meetings, oversees departmental committees, and serves on university committees as needed
• Manages short and long-term projects, and sees them through implementation
• Collaborates with other departments and offices on and off campus
• Reviews and revises publications, including Residence Life training materials, the housing web page, and others
• Assists in the development and implementation of policies and procedures
• Responsible for procurement processes for area and committee budgets of $12,000 to $55,000, following department and state purchasing guidelines
• Performs other duties assigned including autonomous decision making and authority in regards to Residence Life matters in the Associate Director’s absence
• Assists with website updating and editing
• Coordinates conference rooms, classroom, meeting spaces, and room reservations within 10 residence halls
• Utilizes electronic systems and databases (including but not limited to StarRez, IRIS, Concur, Maxient, Res Apps, and Microsoft Office Suite) as expected in completion of work tasks in a timely, thorough, and accurate manner

Camps, Conferences, and Guest Services

• Provides leadership, direction, and coordination of the Conference Housing services which includes logistics, contracts and agreements, scheduling, check-in/check-out, and billing
• Serves as primary contact for all group sponsors desiring on-campus housing arrangements
• Provides oversight of facility reservations, facility preparation, facility turnover, the check-in/check-out process, keys and card access, billing and account reconciliation, and payment verification
• Creates and maintains financial statements and responsible for collecting $500,000 in revenue
• Designs reports for various stakeholders
• Analyzes, evaluates, corrects, adjusts, and amends the conference management software system each year
• Maintains, organizes, tracks inventory and orders supplies

Crisis Management and Conduct

• Available for crisis situations and offers immediate support and resources to students and staff
• Serves in an on-call rotation (nights, weekends, and holidays)
• Updates appropriate supervisors in a timely manner regarding situations that arise
• Advises individual residents, students, and student staff of resources
• Meets with individuals regularly for conflict mediation/resolution, discusses concerns, or disciplinary action 
• Makes sound judgments about various issues and refers to the appropriate resources, if necessary (e.g., Counseling, Dean of Students, Office of the Registrar, and Bursar)   
• Available during scheduled and unscheduled university closures as essential personnel
• Ability to critically think through emergency procedures to assess functionality and feasibility for staff response, and is prepared to implement all emergency procedures
• Monitors staff conduct and case load, and ensures they follow proper policies and procedures; tracks Clery violations; and serves as a conduct hearing officer
• This position is designated as a Title IX Responsible Employee and as a Clery Act Campus Security Authority and must understand the associated responsibilities and compliance requirements

The ideal candidate will possess the following: 

• Knowledge of the tenets of a residential curriculum 
• Knowledge of student development theory and techniques
• Knowledge of how learning occurs (Bloom's taxonomy, etc)
• Knowledge of StarRez or similiar housing software
• Knowledge of camps and conferences operations
• Knowledge of or the ability to learn, department and university policies and procedures
• Knowledge of effective communication strategies and marketing practices and procedures
• Must have excellent ability to handle high-volume administrative tasks in a timely manner
• Ability to work within a collaborative environment 
• Ability to communicate effectively in both oral and written form
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and think critically in making decisions
• Ability to diffuse and respond effectively to crisis situations as well as react quickly and calmly in emergency situations
• Ability to train and supervise others
• Ability to observe and detect unusual occurrences and policy violations
• Ability to manage sensitive information
• Ability to network and create new contacts and connections for the camps and conferences program
• Advanced skills in computer/software design and setup are required
• Experience collaborating within and between departments
• Experience working with college faculty and staff
• Experience working in event planning/management

Review of applications will begin October 8, 2025, and continue until the position is filled.  Applications received by this date will receive priority consideration.

Minimum: Requires a bachelor’s degree in higher education, college student personnel, counseling, education, or other relevant field; (4) years of full-time experience in Housing & Residence Life, Student Affairs, business, communication, or event planning; and supervisory experience; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience. 

Preferred: A master’s degree and experience working with faculty and staff, event planning and management, and working knowledge of summer conferences and assignments is preferred.