RESIDENCE DIRECTOR

 

RESIDENCE DIRECTOR

POSITION DESCRIPTION

 

 

LOCATION:                                 Central, SC

 

CLASSIFICATION:                     Regular, full-time, 12-month, salaried, non-exempt

On-campus housing, full meal plan

 

REPORTS TO:                             Director of Residence Life

 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Residence Director (RD) position at Southern Wesleyan University (SWU) is a highly relational role that provides overall leadership and vision for the operational, personnel and budgetary activities of the residence hall and assists with the overall leadership of the Residence Life Department.  The RD promotes the holistic and spiritual development of students and supports the educational goals of SWU through mentoring and discipleship of students, modeling desired values, attitudes and behavior, and providing educational programs.

 

Interested candidates should be enthusiastically willing to embrace and serve within the context of a flexible schedule, understanding that students are our work, and therefore should be willing to incorporate evenings and weekends into their schedule at varying times. RDs at Southern Wesleyan are also expected to be intentionally engaged across the Southern Wesleyan campus community, i.e., the dining hall setting, various athletic and fine arts events, chapel, etc.

 

Th Residence Director will serve as a live-in supervisor for one of the residence hall buildings on campus. Each Residence Hall houses both male and female students in separate wings or halls. The RD provides leadership and supervision to 6-10 Resident Assistants (RAs), who are paid student staff. Depending on the residence hall, an RD may also supervise one 10-month, graduate-level Assistant Resident Director (ARD). The RD will be expected to develop and lead with specific discipleship and mentoring plans for their RAs and lead within the context of the already established curriculum and plan of personal and professional development of the ARD in the assigned residence hall.

 

In Residence Life at Southern Wesleyan University, we exist to foster transformational community with students – loving God, loving people and teaching others to do the same.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

 

1. Administrate Student Life Policies

• Assist with planning and evaluation of Residence Life goals and objectives.
• Assist with housing assignments for new and returning students.
• Direct the opening and closing of the residence hall each semester and over breaks.
• Provide leadership in implementing SWU’s restorative discipline process in the residence hall when appropriate.
• Assume direct supervision of residence hall budget and expenses.
• Participate in scheduled Residence Life and Student Life staff meetings.
• Monitor furniture and equipment needs in the residence.
• Monitor residential facilities concerns and communicate concerns to proper offices for resolution.
• Assist in revising the RA training manual and materials.
• Assist in planning training for the beginning of each semester.

 

2. Supervise Residence Hall Staff

• Participate in the selection, training, supervision, and evaluation of the residence hall staff (RAs and ARDs).
• Orient staff to expectations, policies and procedures.
• Conduct weekly staff meetings and one-on-one meetings for RAs and ARD.
• Assist with the planning of residence staff training events.

 

3. Foster Community Development

• Make personal contact with residential students and attempt to build community.
• Advise and counsel students.
• Refer students to appropriate offices for assistance.
• Assist in orienting new students to the residence hall and campus community.
• Facilitate interaction between faculty and students.

 

4. Implement Educational Programs

• Attend various residence hall programs.
• Assist RAs in planning activities.
• Plan and implement educational activities congruent with the programming model, including co-curricular opportunities focusing on both technical and soft skills.

 

5. Participate in Professional Development

• Attend training sessions as offered by the Student Life Office.
• Attend annual regional or national student development conferences as directed.
• Maintain membership in a national professional organization (as budget permits).

6.  Additional Responsibilities

• Participate in the on-call rotation with other Residence Life staff.
• Cooperate with other campus offices in sharing non-confidential student information.
• Take the initiative to effectively address student life issues/needs that arise daily.
• Attend chapel regularly.
• Engage students regularly in the dining hall setting.
• Represent needs and concerns of students to the Director of Residence Life.
• Serve on faculty/staff committees as assigned.
• Participate in new student orientation programs.
• Assist Admissions and other campus departments as directed with visiting groups and opportunities to use the community spaces within the residence halls.
• Provide periodic support to Campus Safety to ensure the overall security of campus.
• Other duties as assigned by the Director of Residence Life or the Vice President for Student Life.
• Assist Conference Services with summer groups and camps as directed.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

1. Bachelor’s degree is required. A master’s degree in counseling, higher education or related field is preferred.
2. Experience working in a higher education environment is strongly preferred.
3. Must have excellent interpersonal and communication skills along with the ability to relate and work effectively with people.
4. Maturity, confidentiality, integrity and discretion are essential.
5. The ability to work with minimal supervision or instruction, the willingness to work in a team environment, and a commitment to customer service are essential.
6. SWU is committed to maximizing the use of technology in its daily operations and in achieving its strategic goals; the ideal candidate will have a high comfort level with web-based, mobile and PC applications including but not limited to the use of Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PPT).

 

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

1. Mission and Lifestyle Expectations. SWU is a Christian liberal arts institution in the Wesleyan-Holiness theological tradition. In light of SWU’s unapologetically Christ-centered mission, all employees are expected to embrace the university’s Statement of Faith, commit to the mission of the university, respect the beliefs of the Wesleyan Church, adhere to its lifestyle expectations and demonstrate a mature relationship with Jesus Christ.
2. Physical/Environmental Requirements. This position involves a variety of physical activity ranging from sedentary to light work. It may require the ability to sit for periods of time in an interior office environment along with some light activity outdoors. Infrequent lifting of objects up to 10 pounds may be required and, occasionally, items up to 20 pounds.
3. Travel/Driving. May be required to drive university vehicles from time-to-time. Sporadic traveling associated with professional development conferences, training events, etc. Must have a valid driver’s license and clean driving record.
4. Pre-employment Screening. Employment is contingent on the completion of a background screening.