Job Abstract

Saint Peter’s University is seeking an experienced candidate for our Community Director (CD) position. Saint Peter’s University, inspired by its Jesuit, Catholic identity, commitment to individual attention and grounding in the liberal arts, educates a diverse community of learners in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs to excel intellectually, lead ethically, serve compassionately and promote justice in our ever-changing urban and global environment. The University’s main campus is located in Jersey City, a city rich with arts and culture, and less than
five miles from New York City.

Reporting to the Director of Residence Life, the Community Director is a full-time, live-on position that is responsible for the management of two to three residence halls, 10-12 Resident Assistants (RAs) & 200-400 residential students. The Community Director is responsible for staff supervision, program development oversight through a Residential Curriculum, crisis response, and building collaborative relationships with campus partners (i.e. Campus Safety, Maintenance, Campus Ministry, etc.) The successful candidate will have experience working with diverse students and understand the value that living on campus contributes to the success of college students.

The Community Director serves as the primary contact for her/his/their particular area of oversight on campus. The successful candidate will be able to analyze and evaluate overall performance, collaboration of key campus units, and contribute to strategies and initiatives to ensure student development can be met long term. The Community Director will be able to apply theory to practice to holistically develop students throughout the course of an academic year.

This is a full-time, 12-month, live-on position that includes participation in a campus-wide on-call duty rotation. Ideal candidates will have previous experience with Residence Life and Housing & Operations, strong critical thinking and problem solving skills, familiarity with Microsoft Office and Google (i.e. Gmail, Google Docs, etc.), and excellent written and verbal communication. A Master’s degree and one year of experience are strongly preferred.

Salary Range: $38,000 – $42,000

Staff Supervision Responsibilities
- Supervising a team of 10-12 Resident Assistants (RAs) throughout the academic year.
- Conducting weekly staff meetings with the Resident Assistant staff.
- Hosts weekly or bi-weekly one-on-one supervisory meetings with each Resident Assistant (RA) on staff.
- Creates and fosters positive Resident Assistant (RA) staff team dynamics while cultivating individual relationships with each Resident Assistant (RA).
- Evaluates each Resident Assistant (RA) throughout the academic year by utilizing the departmental formalized process.
- Keeps accurate notes and records for each Resident Assistant (RA) from formal and informal conversations.
- Serves as a resource to Resident Assistants (RAs).
Residential Curriculum Responsibilities
- Works with the Director of Residence Life to determine strategic priorities each academic year for the specific residential population tracks in the Residential Curriculum.
- Coaches Resident Assistants (RAs) to develop initiatives that are suited for their specific community.
- Coordinates community-wide initiatives directly linked with at least one of the Residential Curriculum learning goals.
- Monitors the bulletin boards that the Resident Assistant staff executes throughout the academic year.
- Tracks the implementation and completion of the one-on-one conversations that each Resident Assistant (RA) is executing through the Residential Curriculum.
Resident Assistant Training & Selection Responsibilities
- Co-coordinates the Resident Assistant (RA) Training that takes place in August and the training that takes place in January with the help of the Director of Residence Life and other Community Director.
- Presenting on relevant topics related to the Resident Assistant (RA) position at the various trainings.
- Helps coordinate meals for the Resident Assistant (RA) staff throughout the duration of the various training
sessions.
- Recruiting of Returning Resident Assistants (RAs) and Prospective Residents Assistants (RAs) for the upcoming academic year.
- Co-managing the online application processes for the Returning and Prospective Resident Assistant (RA) selection process.
- Presenting at Resident Assistant (RA) Information Sessions to help explain the Resident Assistant (RA) position.
- Helping plan and execute the group interview process of the Resident Assistant (RA) selection process.
- Interviewing Returning and Prospective Resident Assistants (RAs) to be selected as a member of the Resident Assistant (RA) staff for the upcoming academic year.
- Co-selecting the upcoming Resident Assistant (RA) and Alternate Resident Assistant (ARA) candidates.
Housing & Operations Responsibilities
- Plays a key role in all housing procedures for students in the hall (i.e. check-in, check-out, break closings and openings, room selection, room consolidation, etc.)
- Facilitates all room changes within the living unit in conjunction with the Assistant Director of Housing and Operations or designee.
- Manages and tracks the maintenance and upkeep of the University residence halls and furnishings, including student/community notification of damage and billing.
- Responsible for the distribution and collection of keys and monitoring Room Inventories.
- Works within Residence by Symplicity (Housing Management System) to oversee the community in an electronic platform.
- Helps perform lock changes for rooms/apartments and/or mailboxes when needed.

Community Engagement Responsibilities
- Serves as a resource for all residential students on-campus, as well as a resource for commuter students.
- Utilizes counseling skills to assist individuals and groups of students within the halls and/or refer out strategic university partners.
- Acts as an official representative of the University for events held within the residence halls and on campus.
- Builds positive and productive relationships with campus partners.
Safety & Security Responsibilities
- Participate in an on-call duty rotation with other professional staff within the Office of Residence Life.
- Operating and supervising the living unit and ensuring the physical safety and welfare of the students in that unit.
- Enforcing University policies, objectives, and regulations to students.
- Serve as a judicial hearing officer for low to mid-level judicial hearings.
Administrative Responsibilities
- Managing a programming and entertainment budget for the Resident Assistant (RA) staff.
- Maintaining hall records and files (i.e. housing and building rosters, maintenance reports, duty schedules, fire drills, room/apartment condition reports, etc.)
Maintenance & Facilities
- Reporting cleaning and maintenance problems to Campus Services (i.e. Maintenance, CBS, etc.) and acting as a liaison between students and that office.
- Educate residents on how to properly submit Maintenance Requests by utilizing the online platform.
Standard Department Responsibilities
- Maintaining a flow of communication with Residence Life staff members and other Student Life and Development departments.
- Participates in marketing efforts put forth by the department, which may include participation in
Admissions events, Open House, and/or committee work.
- Expected to be attentive to the needs and concerns of the residents in such areas as safety, security, and emergency situations. Will work cooperatively with Campus Safety to ensure safety and security in the residence halls.
- Responsible for explaining and enforcing departmental, divisional, and campus policies.
- Maintains accurate records in order to submit various reports as specified by the Assistant Director of Housing and Operations and Director of Residence Life.
- Assists with other duties as assigned by the Assistant Director of Housing and Operations and Director of Residence Life.
- Expected to close her/his/their campus at the end of the academic year following graduation.
- Responsible for maintaining communication with the Assistant Director of Housing and Operations, and Director of Residence Life.
- Participates in other duties as assigned when needed.

- Commitment and sensitivity to the needs of a diverse student body with diverse values and priorities.
- Ability to work independently on sensitive, confidential, often complicated issues with tact and political acumen.
- Ability to analyze problems/issues, gather data and information, evaluate and recommend alternative solutions, or effect solutions with a tolerance for ambiguity and change, when necessary.
- Knowledge of student development and counseling theories and the ability to apply theory to practice in a university setting.
- Dedication to creating a collaborative and creative work environment.

Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in Higher Education, Student Personnel Administration, Counseling, or related field is strongly preferred.

At least one (1) year professional experience in a residence life program or working within a college/university setting is preferred (not required). Graduate school experience (i.e. assistantships, internships, practicums, etc.) will also be considered during application review.

The typical work week is 9am-5pm where the Community Director will predominantly be in a traditional office setting. In addition there are after hour responsibilities on the weekdays and weekends (i.e. conducting Resident Assistant (RA) staff meetings, university events, on-call responsibilities, etc.). There are some outdoor responsibilities when it comes to programming and helping work university events (i.e. Resident Student Move-In, Commencement, etc.)