Director, Residence Life & Education (Student Housing)

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Job Purpose:

Reporting to the Senior Director, the Director provides strategic leadership for the Residence Life & Education to support the university’s housing strategy. The Director has responsibility for developing strategies and systems to provide a safe, supportive, inclusive, and learning-focused residential environment in Peterborough and Oshawa, Ontario. To that end, the Director is responsible for strategic planning and operations related to community development, student and staff support and well-being, student conduct, conflict resolution, emergency and crisis response, and retention programming. The incumbent leads with a developmental and learning-oriented mindset and oversees the residential program and environment to support student success in alignment with university objectives.

Key Activities:

• Lead, develop, implement, and assess a multi-year strategy for the student experience to positively contribute to student retention and align with the university’s housing strategy.
• Establish short- and long-term plans to execute, monitor, and evaluate the effectiveness of strategies, and implement changes as required.
• Lead the department to develop evidence-based initiatives related to community development, student support and well-being, student conduct, conflict resolution, emergency and crisis response, and retention programming operations. Develop plans in consultation with campus partners and students.
• Develop and oversee the crisis intervention/emergency management plan and system for identifying, responding to, and monitoring potential risks related to safety, conduct, wellness, and emergency response. Ensure that strategies, policies, processes, and communications are consistent with institutional objectives and legal requirements.
• Upon referral from the Assistant Director, investigate and intervene in high-risk student situations. Advise the Senior Director of student related risks and mitigation strategies.
• Serve as the senior adjudicating officer for appeals related to student behaviour.
• Develop and implement a framework for effectively collaborating with the Colleges, Student Affairs, and other campus partners.
• Provide strategic direction on the residence experience, including overseeing the development, implementation, and assessment of the residential curriculum.
• In collaboration and alignment with institutional priorities, identify and direct the development, implementation, and assessment of student and staff retention strategies, including but not limited to, living-learning communities, academic clusters, the residence learning model, student involvement opportunities, and well-being initiatives for students and staff. Ensure the implementation of proactive and reactive strategies that integrate into the university’s systems.
• Oversee the development of department policies and procedures related to areas of expertise.
• Provide financial and human resources leadership to a staff complement of 2 management staff, 13 OPSEU staff, 70 student employees, and an annual department budget scope of $2.5 million.
• Keep current in advances in the industry, investigates solutions to recommend and oversees implementation of improvement initiatives to ensure efficient and effective operations.
• Participate in a management on-call rotation to provide emergency and crisis response support for on-call staff.
• Represent the department on a range of university and community bodies and committees.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education Required:

• A graduate degree in a related field is required.
• Certification in one or more areas of suicide prevention, mental health first aid, or conflict resolution from an accredited body is preferred.

Experience/Qualifications Required:

• A minimum of eight (8) years of progressive full-time leadership experience in residence life, residence education, student housing, student affairs is required.
• Experience with the supervision of management, unionized, and student employees.
• Demonstrated understanding of student development and learning theories.
• Ability to interpret a variety of university, portfolio, and department policies and procedures for decision making purposes.
• Planning skills and the ability to conceptualize and propose new initiatives to meet specific outcomes.
• Ability to identify problems and deal with complex situations by probing for information, analyzing complex issues and developing solutions for unique situations.
• Ability to research, learn, teach, and disseminate information.
• Demonstrated commitment to and understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion, Indigeneity, and accessibility.
• Demonstrated understanding of relevant legislation and operations of the university.
• A clear police record check is required as a condition of employment.
• An Ontario G Class driver's license with access to a vehicle.