Residence Life provides a living-learning community in well maintained downtown facilities designed for the student artist. Student and Professional staff engage in community development, offer fun & educational events and programs, connect students with campus resources and provide 24hr on call support.
ABOUT THE POSITION
The Residence Hall Director (HD) is responsible for the administration of Jones Hall, a co-educational high-rise residence hall housing 200 students in downtown Chicago and SAIC leased residence hall spaces. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, supervision of Resident Advisors (academic year), Summer Resident Advisors (summer) and other student support staff, Resident Advisor committee advisement, community development, conduct adjudication, crisis response, and a high level of in-person student support follow up. The position reports directly to the Assistant Director of Residence Life of Education and Training. This position is a full-time, live-in, 12 month appointment, with a typical work day being 10:00am - 6:00pm. Frequent evening and weekend commitments should be expected.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Supervision – Supervise and provide leadership for up to 15 RAs, 1-3 SRA across 2 buildings; provide on-going feedback through biweekly 1:1 meetings with RAs and SRAs; attend to the personal development of all student staff and conduct performance evaluations annually; provide on-going training for student staff and take active role in formal training sessions; facilitate weekly RA meetings;; train SRAs on administrative functions of office and building; meet with SRAs regularly to monitor project progress; provide ongoing training; provide ongoing feedback through biweekly 1:1 Meetings.
Student Advocacy/Outreach – Develop and maintain rapport with residents through regular student contact; attend floor meetings as needed; assess needs and concerns of residents; advocate for students in all aspects of their housing and educational experience. Identify personal and emotional concerns of students; provide appropriate resources and referrals; meet regularly with students to follow up on referrals, inform appropriate staff in a timely manner; track student issues using Symplicity database; maintain contact with parents and other constituencies as appropriate.
Hall Management/Facilities Administration –Manage co-ed residence facilities housing both owned by SAIC and leased by SAIC; monitor online work order system; maintain accurate occupancy reports and room inventories; coordinate cleaning and preparation of student rooms, conduct weekly walk-throughs; address common area issues as needed; communicate and partner to resolve concerns to partnering SAIC staff/Leased facility staff; monitor work orders on 360° Work Management System; coordinate complete building turnover(i.e. cleaning, defining maintenance issues, and prepping of all student room and common spaces) twice annually. Note: Jones Hall is open 365 days/year.
Programming – Coordinate co-curricular programming efforts across the residence halls; challenge student staff to creatively meet programming requirements; track and monitor RA programming by maintaining appropriate logs; assist in creating departmental programming philosophies and models.
Summer Hall Management – Supervise Summer Resident Advisors (SRAs) and Summer Housing Coordinators (SHCs); co-coordinate summer programming efforts to meet the needs of the SAIC Early College Program Summer Institute (ECPSI) which resides in Jones Hall over the summer; assist with coordination of occupancy assignments; Manage nightly curfew process; coordinate ECPSI Session room preparation; assist in coordination of staffing for check-ins and check-outs; actively work with summer staff to ensure customer-service focus.
On-Call Responsibilities & Student Support- Participate in 24-hour on-call rotation; recognize that residence halls are open 365 days/year and therefore being on-call during holidays should be expected; respond to student and/or facilities issues/crises in person ; high level of in-person response to mental health concerns, other distressed student situations should be expected; professional staff may be asked to respond to the hospital if a student is transported via ambulance; consistent communication with Dean On-Call during crisis/emergency situations; maintain accurate reports using Symplicity Advocate Software.
Crisis Management—Work with Residence Life and Student Affairs team to respond to critical incidents on campus. Work with other departments including IRFM, Campus Security, Wellness Center, and others to provide appropriate response to crises.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)- Participate and assist in DEI initiatives within SAIC including programming and training. Ensure all initiatives within the area respond to the needs of a diverse student body.
Communication – Maintain regular contact with appropriate resources to ensure effective operation of residence hall; communicate facility issues to appropriate areas in a timely fashion; communicate student issues/crises; respond to parental communication as appropriate; share necessary information to RAs during staff meetings; meet with supervisor, at a minimum, biweekly; provide email and written reports as requested by department head. Serve as liaison with the Buckingham management staff as well as other departments and offices on campus including Campus Security, IRFM, Health Services, Counseling Services, Academic Advising, CRIT, and Admissions.
Advise Student Staff Committee – Advise committee with a Senior Resident Advisor; meet regularly with SRA to provide direction for committee and plan programs that response to the needs of the residential community; attend weekly meetings and be present during programs; attend to the leadership development of committee
Student Conduct - Serve as a conduct officer for low-level policy violations including first time alcohol; utilize Symplicity Software for adjudication process including notification letters, sanctioning, and closing of conduct cases
Professional Staff Team Member - Attend weekly meetings with direct supervisor; understand and implement SAIC’s core values whenever possible; participate in departmental planning efforts; develop goals & objectives for each year; complete administrative paperwork; cultivate mutually supportive relationships with the campus community; serve as a positive role model and mentor for new members of the team.
Develop relationships and liaison with other departments including Instructional Resources and Facilities Management, Campus Security, and Continuing Studies.
Budget Management – Assist in budget management by maintaining accurate expenditure logs; manage petty cash disbursement; proactively work to reconcile payments with monthly budget statements; identify budget projections for office supplies and programming.
Live-in Position – This is a 12-month, live-in position; weekend and evening commitments should be expected; assist on-call staff as needed for student and/or facilities issues/crises (e.g., fire alarms, flooding, multiple student issues, etc.); allowed one weekend away each month (to be approved by supervisor).
Assist with Residence Life & Office of Student Affairs Programs - Assist with departmental programs and events such as RA Selection, RA training, Move In, Move Out; Assist with OSA departmental programs such as Halloween Ball, Holiday Art Sale, Spring Art Sale, Leadership Dinner; serve on school committees and various work groups as assigned
Other Duties as Assigned
Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor's degree Effective communication skills Ability to work with diverse populations, including multicultural experience, cross-cultural communication skills and the ability to create and promote an inclusive community Demonstrated collegiality and leadership ability Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
Preferred Qualifications: Master's Degree Student-focused candidate with experience supervising student staff, developing community, advisingstudent groups, working with other student affairs offices, or promoting student learning in a residence hall setting Basic understanding of mental health and mental health support Skills in crisis management, counseling, mediation, student referrals and understanding of working with artist Strong written and verbal skills. Ability to effectively communicate in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize work. Be a self-starter with a demonstrated ability to plan, organize and prioritize strategies and tasks in an independent way. Exhibit strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community
Our world-class art and design college flourishes as a result of our passionate, talented staff and faculty––people who think creatively, drawing from their own unique experiences to forge fresh insights, innovative ideas, and ambitious goals for the future.
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is an equal opportunity, equal access employer fully committed to achieving a diverse and inclusive workplace. We believe in a culture that benefits from a wide range of experience, backgrounds, and career paths, and we encourage nontraditional candidates to apply. All faculty and staff must embrace the School’s commitment to creating an inclusive and equitable institution.
We strive to attract, engage, and grow with our talented staff and faculty.
We offer a competitive, comprehensive benefits package*—including:
5+ weeks of paid time off
paid holidays
medical, dental, and vision insurance
generous parental, caregiver, and medical leave benefits
competitive retirement plan (up to 9% employer contribution)
tuition remission and Tuition Exchange Program
employee discounts
and complimentary general admission to participating cultural institutions
*Part-time benefits may vary
