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Housing Regional Engagement Specialist

Employer
Princeton University
Location
New Jersey, United States
Salary
Salary Not specified
Date posted
Nov 1, 2022

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Housing Regional Engagement Specialist

US-NJ-Princeton

Job ID: 2022-15852
Type: Full-Time
# of Openings: 1
Category: Campus and Auxiliary Services

Princeton University

Overview

Housing and Real Estate Services (HRES) is seeking to fill the role of the Housing Regional Engagement Specialist who will be the main point of contact for either a geographical region of the student housing inventory (undergraduate) or student housing population (graduate) and will serve as an entry point into the HRES organization. Reporting to the Associate Director for Engagement, the Specialist will be the face of the department for the student housing community through regular and sustained contact with the Residential Colleges, Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students (ODUS), the Graduate School and students. The Specialist will also be responsible for knowing all aspects of the area to which they are assigned including unit configurations, common areas, dining halls, and furniture and appliance inventories. Additionally, the Specialist will be responsible for developing partnerships within HRES, The Service Point and all other units within University Services, as well as with other campus service providers to respond to undergraduate and graduate student life administrative staff and student priorities to meet the programmatic goals of the residential life program in these areas.

Through sustained engagement, the Specialist will assist in ensuring the alignment of the department’s processes and facilities management functions with student life programmatic goals and service needs. The outcomes associated with this engagement may include, but are not limited to, department policy and process development, change, and implementation as well as the renewal and renovation of student housing facilities. The Specialist will need to collaborate with campus partners, as well as HRES colleagues to ensure effective management of expectations and effective delivery of devised solutions to student life goals and needs. The Specialist will play a part in the development, planning, and implementation of various initiatives and the delivery of University Services cross-functional services. Finally, the Specialist will assist in the development and implementation of effective online and in-person communication strategies for use by the engagement team and HRES.

The scale of student housing operations at Princeton is unique and diverse with 6,200 dormitory beds for undergraduate and graduate students on campus, and approximately 700 rental units for graduate students. The Specialist will work across this broad spectrum and will need to understand the various living and dining needs and priorities of the undergraduate and graduate student populations – for living, understanding the differing programmatic goals and facilities needs for the Residential Colleges and upperclass housing; and, for dining, understanding the options for students (dining plans, co-ops, independent life, Eating Clubs, the availability of shopping options, etc.) and their effect on the student experience. In order to stay relevant to and connected with the ongoing work around these connected living and dining issues, the Specialist will work closely with the student life administrative staff, student staff [Dormitory Assistants (DAs), Residential College Advisors (RCAs), and Resident Graduate Students (RGS)], and students. This work will require sustained visibility within and engagement with their area of responsibility, including regularly attending meetings and devising creative ways to communicate HRES information and priorities.

In order to achieve success, the Specialist must have excellent written and oral communication skills, and a high degree of responsiveness. The Specialist must also have an understanding of how facilities and student life issues intersect and how to effectively manage intra- and interdepartmental relationships to achieve results. Finally, the Specialist should possess the ability to establish processes and relationships necessary to make a new position successful.



Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

Student Housing Engagement Coordination

  • For either the geographical region of campus or the student population (graduate) to which they are assigned, the Housing Regional Engagement Specialist is the department’s main point of contact for the Residential Colleges, ODUS, Office of the Dean of the College, the Residential College staff, the Graduate School. The Specialist will also be the front-facing representative of the department for their geographical region of campus or the student population (graduate) to which they are assigned.
  • Through regular walkthroughs of their areas of responsibility, develops and maintains knowledge of the housing facilities and their conditions including unit configurations, common areas, furniture and appliance distribution throughout the area, and specialty program areas (i.e. co-op kitchens, limited access kitchens, student group rooms, etc.). Similar walkthroughs for student life administrative staff will be coordinated.
  • Develops and maintains relationships with campus partners and understands the needs related to the residential life program for undergraduate and graduate students.
  • Serves as a liaison and works closely with partners in University Services and including, but not limited to, Building Services, Grounds and Building Maintenance, and the Department of Public Safety.
  • Establishes regular contact and interaction with students and administrators to understand and coordinate responses to the unique housing-related issues within their area of responsibility and related to the Residential College program, the upperclass housing program, and the graduate housing program.
  • Ensures that the Occupancy Management and Housing Facilities teams understands the needs of the student life program including gender inclusive housing, independent student needs, dining coops, residential college collectives, summer housing programs, and outputs from the Strategic Framework and Campus Plan. Works with these HRES teams and campus partners to develop and implement these initiatives.
  • Works with other HRES teams for implementation of any policy and process changes.
  • Continuous, regular engagement with residential based student leaders through the Assistant Dean, Directors of Student Life, and graduate house committees. In upper-class housing, the specialist would work collaboratively with the Assistant Dean in ODUS on the hiring of Dormitory Assistants, as directed by the Associate Director for Engagement, as well as supporting other areas of the program as needed. The Specialist would also work closely with the Residential College Staff on housing related matters. In conjunction with the Graduate School, the Specialist would attend graduate house committee meetings. Note that these meetings may occur outside of regular business hours requiring flexibility of schedule.
Facilities/Student Life Alignment Coordination:

    Understands the intersection of facilities and student life initiatives and works with student life administrative staff, students, HRES teams, and other campus partners on the development of proposals to meet identified needs. Provides information to the Housing Facilities team regarding common area furniture and appliance needs with their area of responsibility and coordinates the delivery and installation of these items with HRES teams and residents. Effectively manages service requests to ensure the delivery of daily operational items and project-related solutions that align with student life goals and needs. Assists with the gathering and prioritization of Residential College, upperclass housing, graduate housing major maintenance and capital requests. Works with the Associate Director of Engagement and Housing Facilities team to advocate for innovation and investment related to facilities/student life alignment efforts. Through working with the HRES Facilities team, assists with ensuring that project proposals are properly considered in University governing processes. Ensures that the results of decisions from project consideration governing processes are communicated to student life administrative staff and students. In conjunction with University Services and campus partners, assists with the further development of the housing/dining node model for summer programs.
Customer Service Delivery:

    Provides exceptional online and field-level service support for undergraduate and graduate customers, their families, and other internal and external administrative offices. This includes being a conduit for the Occupancy Management and Housing Facilities teams through participation in the Service Now @ Princeton process flow and working in tandem with the Housing Facilities team on room condition and dormitory fire inspections.
  • High level of interaction with The Service Point to resolve customer service needs through collaboration with Occupancy Management and Housing Facilities teams, and other campus service providers, and ensuring clear lines of communication between the various parties involved.
  • During the undergraduate and graduate Room Draw process, organizes and attends sessions to provide information and responses to student inquiries.
  • Ensures clear lines of communications with other University Services units with connections to their areas including Campus Dining, Conference and Event Services (summer use and scheduling) and other units as needed.
  • Partners with HRES teams and undergraduate student life administrative staff to effectively manage Move In and Move Out activities for their area of responsibility assisting in the effective distribution of carts and other Move In/Move Out resources. Assists in initial emergency and situation (i.e. bed bugs, service failures, etc.) responses for their area of responsibility ensuring communication to HRES and student life administrative staff. Ensures follow-up coordination with campus partners and communication to the affected parties and student life administrative staff. Assists in the implementation and maintenance of a communication/marketing strategy across various platforms (print, web, apps, etc.).
Other duties as assigned.



Qualifications

Essential Qualifications:

  • A Bachelor's degree and 3-5 years of experience in housing, higher education, or a related field are required.
  • Excellent judgment and a high level of interpersonal skills; diplomacy and negotiating ability necessary for successful resolution of issues. Highly motivated, self-starter. Strong problem-solving abilities, discretion, and effective oral and written communication are needed to handle sensitive situations in a professional, confidential, and accurate manner. Organization and multi-tasking skills are essential; must have the ability to work independently, as a team member. This position requires proficiency in using Microsoft Office (especially Word, Excel, and Outlook). Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams across a broad continuum of internal colleagues and facilities management professionals. Ability to effectively negotiate, communicate with, and influence internal and external partners. Strong written and oral communication and interpersonal skills. Proficiency in working with different constituencies from students to administrators to third-party vendors. In addition to a regular work schedule, availability to work a flexible schedule, when necessary, to be on site and to support major University housing events, including Move In and Move Out weekends. These events regularly occur on holiday weekends, including Memorial Day and Labor Day. Availability during non-business hours to attend DA, RCA, student housing advisory board, and graduate house committee meetings. Provide additional support as needed during emergency situations. Aptitude for establishing processes and relationships necessary to make a new position successful. A valid driver’s license is required.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with or ability to learn a housing software system.
  • Experience working with a computerized maintenance management and customer service inquiry ticketing systems (the University utilizes Maximo and Service Now).
  • Experience with developing communication strategies and developing and maintaining campus engagement efforts.

Core Competencies

  • Action Oriented
  • Dealing with Ambiguity
  • Approachability
  • Creativity
  • Customer Focus
  • Integrity and Trust
  • Learning Agility/Learning on the Fly
  • Patience
  • Personal Learning
  • Problem Solving/Critical thinker
  • Self-Development
  • Understanding Others
  • Written and Verbal Communication Skills
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Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

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