Associate Director of Residence Life

Department: University Life

Classification: Administrative Faculty

Job Category: Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

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

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: On Site Required

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Salary: Salary range starting in the upper $80k's; commensurate with education and experience 

Restricted: Yes

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

Housing & Residence Life (HRL) is a self-supporting auxiliary organization within the University Life unit of George Mason University. HRL serves a highly diverse population of approximately 6,000 students, the majority of which are undergraduates living in traditional, suite and apartment-style residence halls on three campuses within the vibrant Northern Virginia area. HRL employs over 150 full-time and graduate staff members and over 250 undergraduate student staff members. HRL is committed to providing a safe, well-maintained student-centered environment that is innovative and all-inclusive of a global community. It is dedicated to creating a home that enriches the experiences of our students, staff and faculty.

About the Position:

Reporting to the Director of Residence Life, the Associate Director oversees the daily operations of the residence halls. The position directly and indirectly supervises the live-in staff on both the Mason Fairfax and Sci-Tech Campuses. In partnership with the Director of Residence Life and the other Associate Director of Residence Life, the Associate Director provides leadership and support to all areas of Residence Life and its team members. Their combined efforts ensure policies and procedures are implemented effectively, supporting a safe, engaging, and inclusive on-campus living environment. The Associate Director serves as a liaison between Housing & Residence Life and other University Life units. This position serves as a primary member of the Residence Life leadership team, a member of the HRL leadership team, and in the HRL Senior Staff duty rotation. Our comprehensive benefits include one year of optional housing provided by Housing & Residence Life to support your transition to the role.

Responsibilities:

Supervision and Leadership

• Provides guidance, leadership, and direction to ensure appropriate supervisory support to direct reports (Assistant Directors), quality supervision of indirect reports (Community Directors, Grad staff, and student staff), and team accountability;
• Sets goals for performance and deadlines in ways that comply with the university's plans and vision and communicates them to subordinates;
• Organizes workflow for Residence Life to ensure that employees understand their duties or delegated tasks. Receives and addresses complaints and other issues as applicable;
• Provides ongoing feedback and coaching to promote professional development of team, sets performance goals and deadlines with staff, and completes annual performance reviews;
• Conducts weekly one-on-one supervisory meetings with a focus on performance and professional growth;
• Hires and trains new employees;
• Leads staff meetings for the Residence Life team and departmental stakeholders as needed;
• Communicates information between upper management and subordinate employees and vice versa;
• Serves as a member of the Housing & Residence Life Leadership Team, supporting the mission and strategic goals of Housing and Residence Life, University Life, and George Mason University;
• Ensures adherence to legal and university policies and procedures and undertakes disciplinary actions if the need arises;
• Uses various styles, techniques and communication methods to establish working relationships across Housing & Residence Life in order to successfully share information, feedback, and collaboration across the department and between staff and upper management;
• Participates in the HRL Senior Duty on-call rotation with other members of the Housing & Residence Life Leadership Team to provide support for emergencies and critical incidents involving residential students and facilities;
• Actively supports and complies with all university policies, department regulations, vision, and goals;
• Serves on university and division committees and completes other projects and tasks as assigned by the Director of Residence Life;
• With the Director, contributes to the strategic direction of Residence Life and assumes the responsibilities of the Director in their absence or when deemed necessary; and
• Develops and executes annual spring and summer professional staff training and development to prepare staff for academic year operational needs. 

Administration

• With the Director of Residence Life, defines and supports efforts connected to assessment for departmental and University Life goals and objectives through partnership with the HRL Assessment Analyst;
• Develops and implements policies, procedures, schedules, and forms as needed in collaboration with the Director of Residence Life, Associate Director, and other HRL leadership;
• Oversees residence hall budget allocation, purchases, and reconciliation affiliated with the residence hall staff through collaboration with the Assistant Director staff;
• Serves as essential personnel and responds to emergencies and crisis situations that occur within the residence halls and/or on campus as part of the HRL Senior Duty rotation;
• Delegates or covers assigned Assistant Director responsibilities in the event of an Assistant Director vacancy; and
• Assists in the recruitment and selection of HRL staff through participation in search committees. 

Collaborations and Partnerships

• Develops and maintains effective working relationships with all Housing and Residence Life staff;
• Assists other members of the Residence Life team as necessary, including being cross trained/cross functional for essential Residence Life processes to provide additional support/back-up as needed;
• Provides consultation as appropriate to those departments concerned with Residence Life related issues and works collaboratively to build and maintain relationships across the department, division, and campus;
• Works closely with other University Life units to support on-campus students for retention, access, and support to leading to graduation;
• Engages in ongoing communication with campus stakeholders (Disability Services, Access, Compliance, and Community, Office of Student Conduct, etc.) directly involved in the development and review of residence hall policies and practices;
• Works with campus partners involved in residence hall crisis response protocol (Mason Police Department, Counseling & Psychological Services, Student Support and Advocacy Center, etc.) to support students in crisis through collaborative efforts and follow-up as needed;
• Consults with students, staff, faculty, administrators, parents, and outside agencies as appropriate regarding student welfare issues;
• Serves as the Residence Life representative in the planning and implementation of administrative processes for opening and closing including early arrival check in, fall opening, winter and spring closing from the Residence Life perspective;
• Cultivates and manages collaborative relationships with internal and external partners to initiate, manage, and develop strategies to work toward departmental, divisional, and university goals; Participates in departmental, divisional, and university-wide committee and work stream opportunities;
• Serves as one of the primary advisors for Student Staff Voice to support student staff through issues that impact the HRL student staff; and
• Serves on committees dedicated to student crisis monitoring, engagement, and campus community safety as the Residence Life representative to ensure collaborative efforts for more holistic student crisis and campus safety support. 

Residence Life Programming

• In partnership with Assistant Directors in Residence Life, defines objectives and goals for Residence Life programming covering Recruitment & Selection, Staff Training & Development, Partnerships & Academic Engagement, and Student Engagement by providing mentorship and guidance to Assistant Directors. The primary focus areas are Training & Development and Partnerships & Academic Engagement;
• Responsible for the planning, design, and execution of undergraduate and graduate student staff training and development initiatives in collaboration with internal and external partners to ensure a residential experience that aligns with departmental, divisional, and university goals;
• Provides leadership and support for various committees and working groups dedicated to First-Year and Upper-Division Learning Communities and associated initiatives to ensure a residential learning experience that aligns with departmental, divisional, and university goals;
• Provides direction and collaboration to the Residential Student Support shared services team to support residential students in crisis through collaborative efforts and follow-up as needed;
• Provides direction and collaboration to the Community Standards shared service team to develop strategies, processes, and initiatives to provide a developmental environment for residential students experiencing the conduct process; and
• Develops assessment opportunities for Training & Development and Partnerships & Academic Engagement to evaluate and improve program effectiveness. 

Unit and Division Support/Service

• Occasional nights and weekends including on-call responsibilities, events, and emergencies;
• Attends regularly scheduled HRL and University Life meetings; and
• Performs other related duties as assigned by the Director of Residence Life;

Required Qualifications:

• Master's degree in related field or equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Progressive experience in leadership and supervision of professional staff;
• Progressive professional experience typically obtained in 4+ years in Residence Life;
• Experience effectively managing critical incidents;
• Experience collaborating with campus partners and stakeholders;
• Experience providing effective guidance to other professional and support staff;
• Knowledge of student development, staff development, and current trends in the field of Housing and Residence life;
• Effective verbal and written communication skills;
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and the ability to navigate complex challenges;
• Ability to oversee and manage departmental budget;
• Ability to collaborate with university partners and academic units to ensure robust and effective residence life programming, including curriculum for residential learning communities; and
• Ability to set and communicate priorities for team.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Progressive experience typically obtained in 5+ years in housing & residence life or a related higher education field;
• Experience in Residence Life at a four-year institution; 
• Experience with student housing software (e.g., StarRez) and Conduct software (e.g, Guardian, Maxient, etc.);
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple simultaneous projects; and
• Demonstrated skill in building professional relationships.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for Associate Director of Residence Life at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide resume and cover letter for review.

Posting Open Date: October 15, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  October 29, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes