Executive Director of Residence Life

Rutgers University–New Brunswick seeks an innovative, strategic, and relationship-centric residence life leader to be the next executive director of residence life.

Founded in 1766, Rutgers University–New Brunswick (Rutgers) stands among America's highest-ranked, most diverse public research universities. It is a member of the Association of American Universities and the Big Ten Academic Alliance. An academic, health, and research powerhouse and a university of opportunity, Rutgers is dedicated to teaching that meets the highest standards of excellence, conducting research that breaks new ground, and providing services, solutions, and clinical care that help individuals and the local, national, and global communities where they live. Today, more than 43,000 students attend Rutgers from over 120 countries, all 50 states, and all 21 New Jersey counties.

A distinguishing feature of Rutgers is the eclectic atmosphere across its five distinct campus centers: Busch Campus, College Avenue Campus, George H. Cook Campus, Douglass Campus, and Livingston Campus. The campuses are linked by a campus bus system, which offers students access to services on each campus. Students enjoy a mix of residential living options, engagement opportunities, eateries, and study and academic spaces on each unique campus.

Reporting to the associate vice president for student affairs/dean of students, the executive director of residence life serves as the senior housing officer for Rutgers University. The executive director is the primary architect of the residential experience for 16,000 increasingly diverse undergraduate and graduate residential students in 147 buildings across five campuses in New Brunswick and Piscataway, making it the second-largest residential program in the nation.

The executive director provides strategic and innovative leadership to a comprehensive residential life program, which includes housing operations (room assignments, contracts, IT, summer conferences), student behavior and crisis management, student leadership, and residential education (living-learning communities, academic initiatives, residential curricula). The executive director leverages a $12.4 M operating budget to ensure a safe, comfortable, learning-centric, and inclusive community. The executive director leads a residence life team that serves as the front line connection to residents in a 24-hour housing operation, responding to various personal, psychological, and facilities related concerns. There are five direct reports to this position, an additional 86 full-time and graduate professional team, and an undergraduate student staff of 450.

The executive director is charged with building a long-term housing and residence life plan that reimagines the residential experience in alignment with the most recent Rutgers academic master plan. This position works closely with partners in academic affairs, student affairs, and institutional planning and operations to integrate academic enrichment, student learning, social engagement, and a sense of belonging into the fabric of the residential experience. The executive director serves as the primary liaison with Institutional Planning and Operations (IPO) to ensure the residential facilities are well maintained and serve student needs.

The salary range for this position is $150,00-$170,000.

A master's degree and ten years of progressively responsible experience in housing and residence life are required. The next executive director must have a successful track record of goal setting and implementation in a university residential setting. The successful candidate will possess knowledge of best practices for hiring, retaining, and supervising staff and will be skilled in organizational development, employee engagement, and generating synergy across large teams.

The successful candidate must be a capable leader with an exceptional understanding of the value of the residential experience as it relates to the academic, personal, and social development of residential students. The executive director should have excellent oral and communication skills and be comfortable being a visible campus leader. The person is this role must be knowledgeable in current and relevant practices in higher education, legal and risk management, residential education, and living-learning communities. A demonstrated skill in relationship and coalition building across all university levels and the ability to work collaboratively with students, staff, parents, faculty, alumni, and other stakeholders is essential.

Review of applications will begin March 29, 2023 and continue until the position is filled. A resume with an accompanying cover letter may be submitted via the Spelman Johnson website at www.spelmanjohnson.com/open-positions.

Nominations for this position may be emailed to Julie A. Leos at jal@spelmanandjohnson.com.

Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact Spelman Johnson at 413-529-2895 or email info@spelmanjohnson.com.

Visit the Rutgers University website at https://www.rutgers.edu/

It is university policy to provide equal employment opportunity to all its employees and applicants for employment regardless of their race, creed, color, national origin, age, ancestry, nationality, marital or domestic partnership or civil union status, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, disability status, liability for military service, protected veteran status, affectional or sexual orientation, atypical cellular or blood trait, genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing), or any other category protected by law. As an institution, we value diversity of background and opinion and prohibit discrimination or harassment on the basis of any legally protected class in the areas of hiring, recruitment, promotion, transfer, demotion, training, compensation, pay, fringe benefits, layoff, termination or any other terms and conditions of employment. For additional information, please see the Non-Discrimination Statement at the following web address: http://uhr.rutgers.edu/non-discrimination-statement