Job Description

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR / RESIDENCE LIFE

Position Number: S-3698

Position Summary:

The Assistant Director of Residence Life reports to the Associate Director who reports to the Executive Director of Residence Life. The Assistant Director for Residence Life ensures the effective daily operations of a residential community housing 1,100-2,200 students. The Assistant Director is responsible for supervision, development, and evaluation of assigned professional and student staff; safety and security; supervising the implementation of a residential curriculum; leading departmental committees and/or advising RHA ; contributing to wellbeing efforts. The Assistant Director works collaboratively with Care Advocates, Building Maintenance Workers, Community Police Officers, and other campus partners to ensure the development of a community that fosters a sense of belonging, community development, and emotional wellbeing. This is a live-out position and serves on a second layer on-call duty rotation. The Assistant Director must be able to respond to campus within 60 minutes.

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree.
Three years of experience in university housing or residence life work at a college or university.
Experience supervising, training, and leading others.
Possesses a working knowledge of student development theory and student learning theory; demonstrated commitment to student learning and development.
Demonstrated organizational, administrative, and problem-solving skills.
Demonstrated cultural competency skills.
Demonstrated effective public relations and communications skills, both oral and written.
Working knowledge of computer applications and word processing software.
Ability to work evenings and weekends as needed.
Ability to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.

Preferred Qualifications:

Master’s degree in higher education, educational administration, student affairs or a related field.
Experience with supervising graduate-level or full-time residence life staff.
Experience with advising student groups, crisis intervention, and facilitating living learning communities at a private or public college or university.
Experience with assessing student learning and satisfaction.
Experience with equity and justice work.
Continued engagement in higher education professional associations and professional development opportunities.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Supervises 4-5 residence hall directors, including holding regular staff meetings and one-on-one meetings; indirectly supervises 30-56 paraprofessional staff and 48-75 desk receptionists.
Actively contributes to the creation of a community where students have a sense of belonging and community,
Provides direction in the coordination, planning, development, and implementation of programs and initiatives to enhance student growth and learning.
Regularly reviews, implements, and enhances housing program procedures/operations.
Works closely with assigned living learning community staff and Residence Life staff to facilitate multiple learning communities.
Chairs department-wide committees and/or leads department initiatives; scope and charge will be determined annually.
May advise the Residence Housing Assembly ( RHA ) including attending regular meetings, advising executive board, and holding trainings.
Contributes to a comprehensive equity and justice plan that is incorporated throughout the department.
Facilitates staff response to crisis and emergency situations.
In coordination with the Assistant Director of Residential Education, assists in the facilitation and implementation of the residential curriculum.
Ensures residential operations and facilities task accountability in coordination with the Assistant Director for Facilities Operations.
Ensures proper administrative occupancy management (room changes, building changes, cancels etc.) in coordination with the Assistant Director for Housing Assignments.
Monitors incident reports including reviewing incidents, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and appropriate follow up.
Monitors care reports including reviewing reports, supervising staff in their outreach and follow up, and coordinating student expectation meetings when appropriate.
Contributes to a comprehensive assessment plan that encompasses student learning outcomes, satisfaction, and retention.
Oversees the administration and student staffing of a Student Success Center office and/or Assistant Director office.
Assists with department-wide projects and processes such as recruitment and marketing events.
Serves on the Residence Life senior leadership team on-call year-round duty rotation including breaks and summer (approximately 10 weekends, including openings and closings, during the academic year and two weeks in the summer).
Other duties as assigned.

Supervision Exercised:

Supervisors are expected to support the Leadership Standards of Central Michigan University and foster a culture that inspires excellence. The Leadership Standards define how we lead and treat others in our teams. As leaders, it is our responsibility to seek input from our teams to continuously improve leadership abilities and demonstration of the standards. Additionally, it is our responsibility to encourage and support the growth and development of those whom we lead. At CMU , we encourage employees to grow both personally and professionally, and thus advance CMU’s culture of excellence.

Employee Group: Professional & Administrative -Salary
Staff Pay Level:
Pay Range: $62,000 - $74,000
Division: Student Affairs
Department: Residence Life
Position Status: Regular
Position End Date:
Employment Status: Full-Time
FTE: 1.0
Position Type: 12 month
Weekly Work Schedule: Mon-Fri, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. / weekends and evenings as required.
Location: 1200 S Franklin St, Mt Pleasant, Michigan, 48859
Posting Ends:
Open Until Filled: Yes

About the Department:

About CMU:

Central Michigan University has a more than 125-year legacy of preparing students to become leaders and changemakers in their communities and in their personal and professional lives.

We serve nearly 15,500 students on our Mount Pleasant campus, in satellite locations around the state and throughout the country, and through flexible online programs. Many of our approximately 300 undergraduate, master’s, specialist and doctoral programs in the arts, media, business, education, human services, health professions, liberal arts, social sciences, medicine, science and engineering are nationally ranked for excellence.

CMU leads the nation in leadership development programming through our Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute, and we are proud to be among only 5% of U.S. universities in the top two Carnegie research classifications. Our faculty work with graduate and undergraduate students in areas such as Great Lakes research, medical innovation, engineering technology and more.

Central is home to 17 men’s and women’s Division 1 sports including football, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, wrestling and more. Our student-athletes achieve great success in competition and in the classroom, capturing Mid-American Conference championships and maintaining an average cumulative GPA of 3.17.

CMU is located in Mount Pleasant, a community that blends the best of small-town living with big-city amenities. It’s part of the culturally varied and vibrant Great Lakes Bay Region that also includes Saginaw, Bay City, Midland and the state’s largest Native American community, centered on the Saginaw Chippewa Isabella Reservation in Mount Pleasant.

Area residents enjoy the mix of outdoor activities, cultural events, shopping and dining options, and family attractions. Other major Michigan destinations and attractions — Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Traverse City, wineries, beaches, golf and ski resorts, and many more — are within easy reach of the city’s central location in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

CMU employees enjoy access to a nationally recognized wellness program along with health care and benefits that exceed regional, state and national norms.
CMU Leadership Standards:

Central Michigan University is a place where we value students and work for their success, where we act as family, and where employees are engaged, appreciated and have extraordinary opportunities to make a difference.

We intentionally maintain and strengthen the hallmark CMU culture that sets us apart from our peers by expecting CMU leaders and employees to model the following Leadership Standards and develop them within their teams.

Please review the Leadership Standards before applying for this position.
Message to Applicants:

Central Michigan University is dedicated to fostering a broadly diverse and inclusive campus that respects all social identities, experiences, and perspectives. In an effort to further this initiative, we are especially interested in candidates who will advance and promote an inclusive and supportive environment for every member of our university community.

You must submit an on-line application in order to be considered as an applicant for this position.

Cover letters may be addressed to the Hiring Committee.

This position will remain open until filled. The university reserves the right to close the recruitment process once a sufficient applicant pool has been identified. For best consideration, please submit application materials by August 6, 2025.
To apply, visit

CMU , an AA/EO institution, strongly and actively strives to increase diversity and provide equal opportunity within its community. CMU does not discriminate against persons based on age, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex‐based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight (see OCRIE ).

If you wish to see “EEO is the Law” posters, please click here .

CMU does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, including admission and employment, and is required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 not to discriminate in such a matter.

Inquiries about the application of Title IX can be made to CMU’s Title IX Coordinator, the US Department of Education’s Assistant Secretary, or both.

CMU’s Title IX Coordinator can be reached at:
Phone: 989-774-3253
Office: 103 E. Preston St.
Bovee University Center, suite 306
Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
Email: titleix@cmich.edu

Job Tags

Full time, Summer work, Work at office, Live out, Flexible hours, Weekend work, Afternoon shift,

Similar Jobs