Senior Associate
- Job Type: Officer of Administration
- Bargaining Unit:
- Regular/Temporary: Regular
- End Date if Temporary:
- Hours Per Week: 35
- Standard Work Schedule:
- Building:
- Salary Range: $80,000 – $83,000
The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.
Position Summary
Reporting to the Associate Director, the Senior Associate, Resident Support oversees day-to-day Resident Support operations and ensures high-quality, responsive housing services for Columbia Residential residents and prospective residents, including graduate and General Studies students, as well as faculty, postdoctoral, and non-affiliate populations. The role supervises the Resident Support front office, manages high-volume communication channels, supports services across the housing lifecycle, and serves as a primary escalation point for complex cases, emergencies, and policy matters.
Responsibilities
- Provides operational leadership by supervising front office staff, ensuring appropriate staffing coverage, consistent service delivery, and compliance with University policies and housing regulations.
- Serves as the primary escalation point for complex resident matters—including policy, wellness, and safety incidents—by overseeing Maxient case coordination, documentation, and resolution with campus partners to support resident safety and mitigate institutional risk
- Manages high-volume communications across email, phone, LiveChat, and walk-in channels, and oversee the 24/7 emergency phone program (coverage, protocols, after-hours response), including emergency relocations and Essential Personnel responsibilities during closures
- Partners with the Associate Director to implement customer service strategy by setting service standards and metrics, producing insights and reporting, and delivering training and initiatives that improve quality and staff performance
- Collaborates with Leasing Administration to identify lifecycle process gaps and recurring issues (selection, move-in/out, transfers, extensions, sublets, cancellations) and implements improvements to processes, communications, and documentation to increase efficiency and reduce escalations
- Collaborates with Leasing Administration to identify lifecycle process gaps and recurring issues (selection, move-in/out, transfers, extensions, sublets, cancellations) and implements improvements to processes, communications, and documentation to increase efficiency and reduce escalations
- Performs other duties as assigned or as necessary
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree and or equivalent.
- A minimum of 4 years in related University Housing position, leasing, or real estate office required
- Excellent customer service and communication skills, both written and verbal
- Demonstrated supervisory or team-lead experience
- Must possess strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills
- Ability to manage sensitive situations with discretion, sound judgment, and professionalism
Preferred Qualifications
- Prior management-level customer experience
Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran
Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.