Housing & Residence Life Tours Coordinator

Department: UL

Classification: Admin Office Specialist 3

Job Category: Classified Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: On Site Required

Pay Band: 03

Salary: Salary range starting in the low/mid $50k's; commensurate with education and experience

Restricted: Yes

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

Housing & Residence Life (HRL) is an auxiliary organization within the University Life unit of George Mason University. HRL employs over 170 full-time and graduate staff members and over 200 undergraduate student staff members. HRL oversees student housing areas comprised of roughly 6,000 beds within over forty (40) residential facilities, as well as housing the distributed campuses including the Science & Technology Campus and the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation. HRL is committed to providing a safe, student-centered environment that is all-inclusive of the global community; dedicated to creating a home that enriches the experiences of our students, staff, and faculty.

About the Position:

The Housing and Residence Life Tours Coordinator at George Mason University fulfills a major role in the department through customer service and recruitment, program management, and student staff supervision.

The HRL Tours Coordinator works under the direct supervision of the Assistant Director of Housing Operations & Special Projects to run the HRL Tours program. The position supervises the HRL Tours graduate professional assistant and the undergraduate Housing Tour Ambassadors (HTAs). The HRL Tours Coordinator is responsible for the day-to-day management of the HRL Tours program including staff scheduling, retention and training, and general visitor experience. The position acts as an HRL liaison with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions (UA) and assists in maintaining a communicative relationship between UA and HRL.

Responsibilities:

Student Staff Supervision

• Supervises the Housing Tour Ambassador (HTA) staff in completion of their duties - provides feedback and learning opportunities as needed;
• Creates and maintains schedule for daily tours, event tours, and summer tours;
• Attends HTA tours to evaluate and track performance and guest experience - offers feedback and further training as necessary;
• Assists with semesterly recruitment and selection process for HTAs, including but not limited to posting job positions, facilitating candidate interviews, and marketing for HTA roles;
• Working with Administrative Specialists, updates and prepares semesterly training materials, schedules, and communication of student staff performance expectations;
• Facilitates monthly HTA meeting to provide student staff with program updates and opportunity for professional development;
• Functions as the point of contact (POC) for daily tours Mon-Fri with a rotating POC expectation for Saturday tours; and
• Reviews and approves timesheets for HTAs on a biweekly basis.

Program Development

• Coordinates with HRL Assessment Analyst to assess areas for program and overall guest experience improvements;
• Coordinates with HRL Assignments team to procure tour spaces on a semesterly basis;
• Coordinates with University Life Marketing and Communications to utilize HTA staff in promotional social media content, virtual recorded tours, and other HRL content;
• With the Assistant Director for Operations & Special Projects, develops a comprehensive plan for overall program and staffing goals;
• Identifies and creates opportunities for student staff leadership within program and departmental projects;
• Assists in designing and ordering of HTA uniforms such as polos, hats, water bottles, etc.; creates complete inventory of said items; and
• Assists in the design and ordering of guest merchandise. 

Customer Service & Guest Experience

• Coordinates with University Life Marketing and Communications to develop marketing materials and informational pamphlets for HRL;
• Provides customer service training to HTAs and other student staff members;
• Assists HRL participation in large-scale Admissions event planning and execution;
• Develops methods of implementing customer service industry best practices across HRL operations and the wider department;
• Liaises with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to ensure a seamless tour transition and overall positive guest experience; and
• Identifies opportunities for cohesive, department wide message and branding. 

Other Duties

• Performs other related duties as assigned by supervisor;
• Assists in fulfilling duties of vacant positions within the department, as relevant and needed;
• Attends regularly scheduled departmental meetings; and
• Actively supports and complies with all university policies, HRL (Housing & Residence Life) regulations, department vision and goals. 

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field or equivalent combination of education and experience; 
• Professional experience typically obtained in 1+ years in student affairs, orientation, or other customer service centered positions in professional environments;
• Experience with independent project and team management.
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills, verbal and written;
• Creative problem solving and critical thinking skills;
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously;
• Demonstrated ability to be flexible and adaptable to meet the needs of a diverse and dynamic environment; and
• Ability to learn new forms of technology and software and adapt to multiple systems.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field;
• Experience providing or organizing tours - extra preference given to tours experience at a four-year higher education institution;
• Demonstrated experience as a supervisor of student or professional staff;
• Experience implementing methods of program evaluations and strategies for improvement;
• Knowledge of Housing or Marketing Tour programs, preferably within a Higher Education context;
• Demonstrated ability to create a welcoming environment; and
• Ability to lead and develop student staff.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for Housing & Residence Life Tours Coordinator at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a Cover Letter/Letter of Intent with Resume for review.

This position is not eligible for international visa sponsorship

Posting Open Date: March 17, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  March 31. 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes