Arcadia University

Director of Residential Life and Housing

Arcadia University$75K — $95K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Master's degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Educational Leadership, or related field required
  • 5-7 years of experience in university housing, residential life, or campus life leadership
  • Supervisory experience with professional staff
  • Experience with residential crisis response and on-call management
  • Familiarity with housing systems administration and occupancy management

Responsibilities

  • Lead university housing operations and residential systems
  • Oversee housing assignments, occupancy management, and room selection processes
  • Plan and execute move-in, move-out, and residential transitions
  • Manage graduate housing operations and related policies
  • Ensure compliance and accuracy in housing data and reporting
  • Coordinate with Facilities Management for maintenance and improvements
  • Respond to and manage residential crises and emergencies

Benefits

  • Excellent healthcare coverage
  • Generous tuition benefits for employees and their families
  • Retirement benefits
  • Health and wellness programs
  • Additional employee resources and support
Full Job Description
Job Description: Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Student Experience, the Director of Housing Operations and Residential Experience provides strategic and operational leadership for the university's housing operations, residential systems, occupancy management, and residential infrastructure. This position oversees the day-to-day operational management of Arcadia University's residential communities and serves as a key leader in ensuring housing operations are efficient, student-centered, and aligned with institutional priorities. The Director is responsible for housing assignments, occupancy management, housing systems administration, residential facilities coordination, graduate housing operations, crisis response systems, and operational planning related to the residential student experience. The Director supervises a team that includes an Assistant Director, Residence Life Coordinators and a Housing Operations Coordinator. The Director collaborates closely with Campus Life Leadership, Facilities, Enrollment Management, Public Safety, Dining Services, Information Technology, and other campus partners to support residential operations, student wellbeing, and community success.

Location: Glenside

Responsibilities:

Housing Operations & Occupancy Management

  • Provide leadership for all university housing operations and residential systems
  • Oversee housing assignments, occupancy management, room selection, waitlists, temporary housing, break housing, early arrivals, and late stays
  • Lead operational planning and execution for move-in, move-out, openings, closings, and residential transitions
  • Oversee implementation and management of graduate housing operations
  • Develop and maintain housing operational policies, procedures, and assessment practices
  • Support long-range planning related to occupancy management, residential utilization, and operational effectiveness
  • Manage housing operations budgets related to occupancy management, summer operations, residential systems, and housing project

Housing Systems Administration

  • Serve as the senior administrator for housing management systems and operational platforms
  • Oversee system configuration, maintenance, testing, reporting, and optimization for systems such as StarRez, PowerCampus, MCR, or related platforms
  • Ensure housing data integrity, operational compliance, and reporting accuracy
  • Generate occupancy, utilization, and housing trend reports to support operational and strategic planning
  • Collaborate with Enrollment Management, Information Technology, and institutional partners on housing-related processes and student onboarding

Residential Facilities & Operations Coordination

  • Serve as the primary liaison between Housing and Facilities Management
  • Coordinate maintenance priorities, work orders, facilities concerns, and residential operational needs
  • Support planning and execution of residential improvement projects, furniture replacement, renovations, and student-centered facilities enhancements
  • Assist with long-term residential facilities planning, deferred maintenance initiatives, and summer project coordination

On-Call & Crisis Response

  • Serve within the university's residential on-call structure as Professional On Duty (POD 2)
  • Provide leadership and oversight for residential crisis response, escalation management, and emergency coordination
  • Respond to complex student situations involving health, safety, mental health, facilities emergencies, and conduct concerns
  • Support ongoing assessment, training, and implementation of on-call procedures and crisis response protocols
  • Maintain availability during assigned evening and weekend on-call rotation

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications
  • Master's degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Educational Leadership, or related field required
  • 5-7 years of progressively responsible experience in university housing, residential life, or campus life leadership
  • Demonstrated experience supervising professional staff and leading complex housing operations
  • Experience with residential crisis response systems and on-call management
  • Experience with housing systems administration, occupancy management, and facilities coordination
  • Demonstrated ability to collaborate across divisional and institutional partners in support of student success initiatives

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience implementing residential curriculum models, cohort-based engagement strategies, or themed residential communities
  • Experience with graduate housing operations or specialized housing initiatives
  • Experience with strategic planning related to residential communities and student experience development
  • Experience supporting student retention, belonging, and engagement initiatives through residential environments

Required Skills and Abilities
  • Strong knowledge of university housing operations, occupancy management, and residential systems administration
  • Experience with housing management software and student information systems (MCR, PowerCampus, StarRez, Colleague, or similar platforms)
  • Excellent organizational, strategic planning, and project management skills
  • Strong analytical, assessment, and data management abilities
  • Demonstrated ability to utilize assessment data, occupancy trends, and student experience metrics to inform operational planning and residential strategy
  • Ability to manage complex operational processes in a fast-paced and student-centered environment
  • Strong crisis response, decision-making, and problem-solving skills
  • Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills
  • Demonstrated commitment to inclusive practices, belonging-focused work, and student success
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality, professional judgment, and operational discretion
  • Experience collaborating effectively across departments and institutional divisions
  • Knowledge of residential facilities operations, deferred maintenance planning, and student-centered facilities management

Application Instructions:
  • Applications must be submitted online through Arcadia's Human Resources portal to receive full consideration. Please do not email application materials to the hiring manager. Due to the volume of applications received, communication will generally be limited to candidates selected for additional consideration.
  • Application review will begin immediately. Posting will be removed from the website once we've established a sufficient talent pool for consideration.




Arcadia offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare, generous tuition benefits for employees and their families, retirement benefits, health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Position Code: AC0107

About Arcadia University

Arcadia University is a private university in Glenside, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1853 as Beaver Female Seminary. The university offers more than 80 fields of study in its undergraduate programs and more than 20 graduate programs. The university is known for its study abroad programs and is ranked #1 in the nation for study abroad participation by undergraduate students. The university has a diverse student body with students from over 70 countries. The university has a strong focus on sustainability and has been recognized as a top performer in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) for its sustainability efforts.
Learn more about Arcadia University
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