Residence Hall Director

The Cooper Union has an opening for our Residence Hall Director within the Division of Student Affairs. Reporting to the Associate Dean of Students, the Residence Hall Director is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Residential Life program, including policy enforcement, policy generation, duty coverage, annual reporting, occupancy, handbook updating, and housing assignments. As a key member of the Student Affairs team, this live-in position is responsible for the day-to-day operations of our one 16-story residential facility housing approximately 170 first-year students in the East Village. This position comes with a furnished studio apartment located in our student residence hall.

The ideal candidate for this position will have some experience in Residence Life and Student Affairs and be looking for a position with a great deal of autonomy. This position will gain broad exposure to all aspects of Residence Life including staff supervision, student conduct, housing assignments, and student development. This role is a perfect opportunity for someone with some hall director level experience looking to expand their responsibilities and grow personally and professionally at a small specialized college in a vibrant NYC neighborhood.

The Division of Student Affairs places the highest value on the wellbeing and work-life balance of our team. As a live-in position with on-call responsibilities, work schedule and hours will vary and are flexible.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Oversee all aspects of the Residential Life program, including policy enforcement, policy generation, duty coverage, annual reporting, occupancy, handbook updating, and housing assignments.
• Recruit, train, supervise, and evaluate the staff of 8 Resident Assistants.
• Oversee the direction, support, and development of Resident Assistants, through daily follow up, individual conferences, and regular staff meetings.
• Develop, implement, and assess a comprehensive residential education model consisting of relevant programs, community building, and meaningful student interactions. Ensuring a positive community and student-centered experience for the residents of the building is always at the core of our work.
• Serve as the main professional resource for students dealing with residence hall issues, including roommate conflicts, personal challenges, and other developmental concerns.
• Process and track all paperwork related to residential programming.
• Manage the Cooper Union Residential Life social media presence.
• Manage the Summer Housing Program.
• Recruit, organize, and support the Residence Hall Association.
• Serve as a primary-level respondent to student crises, as part of the campus on-call rotation.
• Coordinate residence hall tours, in support of campus partners’ programs and initiatives.
• Enter and track all housing assignments via Ellucian Colleague software.
• Oversee Residential Life data entry, check and receipt processing, and residential guest tracking, performed by Student Affairs administrative staff.
• Serve as the primary conduct officer for all Residential Life community standards violations.
• Manage the Residential Life departmental budget and expenses.
• Purchase and track Residential Life programmatic resources, media tools, and appliances.
• Oversee all aspects of the opening, closing, and turnover of the residence hall.
• Serve as the main representative for the department of Residential Life.
• Manage the production and tracking of all residence hall keys/card access, including apartment door access and mailbox keys.
• Review and update Resident Assistant staff, and residential student, contracts, waivers, and releases.
• Oversee all aspects of our off-campus housing support and resources, including meetings, presentations, and partnerships.

LIVE-IN ON CALL RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Serve as a primary-level respondent to student crises, as part of the residential life campus on-call rotation.
• Resides on the provided on-campus apartment located in the student residence hall.
• Coordinates the on-call schedule for the RA Staff as well as the Professional Staff. Professional Staff on-call responsibilities are shared between the Graduate Assistant for Student Life, Student Activities Director, Associate Dean of Students, and Director of Residential Life and Housing.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES – Division of Student Affairs

• Assist with Student Affairs programmatic opportunities for the entire Cooper Union student body.
• Maintain a high level of visibility on campus and build strong relationships with students.
• Responsible for assisting in the development of leadership, community building, transition, and professional development programs to meet diverse needs of Cooper Union students.
• Serves as a liaison between students and Cooper Union administration, campus-wide resources, services, and departments - facilitating positive relationship building.
• Support student development and engagement with a focus on community building guided by the ideals of inclusion and belonging.
• Develop and foster relationships with Administrative/Academic departments to support campus programs and initiatives.
• Develop and implement a strategic plan for all areas of responsibility and provide regular updates to supervisor.
• Other duties as assigned within the scope of this position.

SKILLS/REQUIREMENTS

• Experience supervising staff (may be student staff).
• Minimum of 2 years of experience managing a student residence hall.
• Understanding of student development theory and demonstrated ability to apply theory to practice.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, urban, student-centered environment.
• Experience with crisis management in a collegiate residential setting.
• This position requires regular night and weekend availability. Work schedules are adjusted for night, weekend, and after-hours duty obligations to ensure work-life balance.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• A demonstrated commitment to principles of holistic student wellbeing and intersectional justice.

EDUCATION

Earned Masters Degree required in a field relevant to the scope of this position.

This is a non-union position.