Associate Director of Residential Life

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $68,300 - $75,000 Annually

Residential Life within Undergraduate Student Life (USL) plays a central role in shaping a vibrant co-curricular undergraduate experience where students grow as leaders, find belonging, and develop the skills and confidence to navigate complexity within Columbia College and Columbia Engineering and beyond. Grounded in USL’s commitment to holistic student well-being and community and culture, Residential Life fosters environments where students are supported, challenged, and connected through meaningful engagement and learning beyond the classroom.

The Associate Director is a key member of the Residential Life leadership team and will provide strategic leadership around student well-being and community and culture initiatives across the residential experience. This role is ideal for a student-centered professional who is passionate about building inclusive communities, fostering belonging, supporting holistic student development, and helping students navigate living and learning in a diverse and dynamic undergraduate environment. The Associate Director will partner closely with colleagues across Undergraduate Student Life and Columbia College and Columbia Engineering to integrate curricular and co-curricular learning and strengthen the undergraduate student experience.

This live-in position reports to the Director of Residential Life (RL) and supports RL and Undergraduate Student Life (USL) within Columbia College and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. The Associate Director (AD) oversees a residential area of approximately 1,500–2,000 students. The AD supervises a staff and collaborates with partner offices to promote a vibrant and cohesive living and learning environment. The AD ensures students are aware of rules and regulations in relation to residential living, serves on the emergency response team, and monitors the budget for the area. Working closely with RL and USL leadership, the AD will manage well-being initiatives for the department and think strategically and implement community building for the entire residential population. This position is assigned rotational on-call duties afterhours/weekend/holiday to address any residential emergency.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for Residential Life’s well-being, community and culture initiatives in alignment with Undergraduate Student Life’s mission and strategic pillars. Lead the development, implementation, and assessment of initiatives that foster holistic student well-being and community and culture, and meaningful co-curricular engagement across the residential experience.
• Supervise 3-5 Residence Hall Directors (RHDs); oversee the RHDs in their management of approximately 50 Resident Advisers. The AD is expected to provide leadership development and training opportunities, set expectations, monitor performance, give instruction, and provide formal written performance appraisals. The AD will meet regularly with the RHD staff, providing support and developmental opportunities.
• Build a sense of community in the area that supports a living and learning environment. The AD will assess the needs of their area, integrate relevant resources and programs from other offices, and design and implement innovative and educational programs and resources. The AD will work with RHDs on community initiatives, Hall Councils, etc. The AD will monitor the efforts of the area staff to support community development in the residence halls and manage the area budget.
• Support holistic student well-being across the residential experience through developmental and responsive practices. Assist with case management across Residential Life and develop, implement, and assess well-being initiatives that strengthen community and culture within Columbia College and Columbia Engineering. Partner with campus colleagues, including Columbia Health and Student and Family Support, to coordinate and advance initiatives that support students’ relational, emotional, intellectual, physical, and overall well-being within the residential community. Develop assessment practices and metrics to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of initiatives and inform continuous improvement.
• Partner closely with colleagues across Undergraduate Student Life, including those leading Community and Culture initiatives, the Senior Associate Dean of Community and Culture in Columbia College, and Undergraduate Community Initiative (UCI) staff to advance and operationalize USL’s Community and Culture strategic priority within the residential experience.
• Assist students in taking responsibility for the safety and well-being of fellow community members and the physical environment. Document conduct concerns and provide follow-up.  Residential Life staff works in conjunction with the Center for Student Success and Intervention (CSSI) to educate students about community standards and to hold students accountable for conduct.  The AD will oversee the RL conduct process within their area and assign cases as appropriate to the RHD staff, oversee decisions about disciplinary violations, and keep accurate records in accordance with the Clery Act, University and department protocols and policies; share on-call coverage for campus; coach and support RHD staff who serve as first responders; contact other professionals around facilities, health and public health concerns (e.g. pandemic), emotional and behavioral emergencies, suicidal behavior, sexual assaults, and police activity; liaise with medical facilities/hospitals; and appropriately notify parents and guardians
• Participate in the growth and development of USL, the College; School of Engineering, and Columbia University, including providing support for key initiatives and experiences, serving on committees, and collaborating with College and University partners to further the work of USL and the College.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and/or equivalent related experience required
• Minimum of 3 related experience
• Demonstrated knowledge of residence life, living and learning communities, leadership development, multicultural theory and program development
• strong communication skills with young adults from diverse backgrounds
• Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to exercise a high degree of diplomacy and discretion
• Well-organized administrative skills and computer literacy; Specifically, must be well versed in using web-based programs, Microsoft Office, and email
• Must be available for afterhours/weekend/holiday on-call duties on a rotational basis to address any residential emergency

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Higher Education, Student Personnel Administration, Counseling or related field
• Experience working with hall council/Residence Hall Associations, faculty programs, and young adults in an urban setting
• Experience advising/managing special interest/living-learning communities, including recruitment and selection
  processes

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.