Residence Hall Director - Undergraduate Residence Halls - Residential Life

Primary Position Function/Summary: Responsible for providing leadership, management, and coordination of a residential community in the undergraduate
residence halls. RDs shape the experiences, environment and student success of residential students through the framework of a Residential Curriculum. Additionally, the position works collaboratively with colleagues on campus to support University Housing's mission and vision, and build safe, inclusive communities, through leadership, supervision, and crisis management.

Duties and Responsibilities

Residential
Education and Leadership

• Assume responsibility for the leadership
  and implementation of strategies to achieve the goals and learning outcomes
  of a residential experience. Goals and learning outcomes of the curriculum
  are currently in the areas of Promoting Well-being, Community Engagement,
  Social Responsibility, Lifelong Learning, and Cultural & Identity
  Exploration.
• Provide direct leadership to staff for
  community assessment, community building and the implementation and
  assessment of the curriculum. Assume a leadership role in promoting action
  and advocacy for inclusivity, equity and belonging across all cultures.
• Provide leadership, guidance and support
  to staff, students, and student groups in the development of communities with
  an increased sense of social awareness and sense of responsibility.
• Support the academic mission of the
  university as educators, guiding staff, residents, and student groups in the
  development of communities that support residents' goals for making academic
  progress and expand their knowledge of academic and campus resources.
• Coordinate collaboration and work between
  RAs and other paraprofessional and student hourly positions to implement the
  goals and outcomes of the curriculum. Provide leadership development
  opportunities for members of student groups through structured advising,
  mentoring, and community event planning.
• Educate residents and staff regarding the
  University and Housing policies and developmentally address behaviors,
  informally through conflict resolution strategies, restorative practice, and
  formally through the educationally driven student conduct process.
• Maintain appropriate community standards
  within the undergraduate residence halls.
• Act as a University hearing officer for
  all hall-level violations and some campus-level student code violations
  utilizing an educational and developmental approach.
• Develop intentional collaborative
  relationships with internal and external department and campus partners from
  Student Affairs and Academic Affairs.

Staff
Supervision, Recruitment, Training, and Development

• Supervise and lead paraprofessional staff
  of 8-15 in the implementation of the residential curriculum.
• Set expectations and guide
  paraprofessional staff in development of interpersonal skills, administrative
  tasks, professionalism, and working collaboratively within a team.
• Participate in departmental recruitment
  and selection processes.
• Assist with departmental training, plan
  and implement paraprofessional training, and develop and implement weekly
  staff development for paraprofessionals. Participate in professional staff
  training and development programs.
• Conduct informal and formal performance
  appraisals for paraprofessional staff.
• Supervisors will engage in and implement University Housing's inclusion, culture, and climate initiatives.

Crisis
Response & Management

• Assume on-call responsibilities within a
  multi-residence hall area on a regularly scheduled rotation during the year
  including all University break periods, which may include holidays.
• Respond to in-hall emergencies including
  but not limited to weather, fire, outside emergency responders enter
  building.
• Effectively address and respond to crisis
  or emergency situations, which includes providing guidance to
  paraprofessional staff and students. Provide appropriate post-crisis
  referrals and follow-up with students and staff.
• Remains at or reports to their facilities
  as soon as conditions reasonably permit in the event of severe weather or
  emergency situations when the university may suspend classes or close the
  university. (This position is considered an essential employee.)

Administrative

• Establish and maintain a minimum of 10
  weekday drop-in office hours for residents as part of a flexible, work
  schedule during the academic year. Maintain a traditional 40-hour work week
  schedule during the summer and breaks to work on assigned projects and
  prepare for staff training.
• Maintain availability for evening and
  weekend educational initiatives and contact with students on a flexible
  schedule.
• Coordinate various administrative tasks,
  such as the room change process, fire inspections, and maintaining student
  employment records. Participate on a wide variety of departmental and/or
  university committees, project teams, and work groups.
• Maintain accurate documentation for the
  judicial process.
• Coordinate hall openings and closing
  procedures at various break periods.
• Process requests for funding and
  administer student group and staff administrative budgets including
  maintaining detailed financial records.
• Participate in weekly area professional
  staff meetings, monthly departmental and quarterly all housing meetings as
  well as regular project oriented departmental committee meetings.
• Become familiar with Residential Life
  current policies and procedures outlined in the Residential Life manual.
  Participate in University Housing's overall Conference & Special Events
  operation.
• Respond to day-to-day needs of conference
  groups and staff during the conference season. Collaborate regularly with
  other Housing units on various programs and operations.
• Collaborate effectively with Living
  Learning Community staffs to plan and implement fall orientation, specialized
  educational initiatives and services that complement the academic theme of
  the Living Learning Community (applicable in halls with LLCs).

Professional

• Function in a unique department-centered
  and area-centered environment where in-depth collaboration and teamwork are
  extremely important and highly valued.
• Demonstrate self-awareness, respect, and openness when working with individuals from different backgrounds and perspectives in serving the campus community.
• Demonstrate a wide range of interpersonal
  skills to build and sustain an inclusive community.
• Maintain an effective working relationship
  with supervisor, co-workers and other University Housing staff. Remain open
  and receptive to constructive feedback.
• Demonstrate excellent communication
  skills.
• Demonstrate quality decision making and
  evaluative skills, including taking responsibility for actions and decisions.
• Demonstrate a positive attitude toward the position, the Department of
  Residential Life and University Housing.
• Demonstrate leadership and support of
  inclusive and equitable practices. Fulfill expectations for assigned
  committees and projects.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree. Candidates with a Bachelor's degree in progress at the time of application may be considered. A successful candidate will have completed the Bachelor's degree at the time of beginning of employment.
• Experience in residential life, campus housing, student affairs, or a related field (e.g., higher education, counseling, social work). Experience may be gained through professional roles, graduate assistantships, internships, or relevant
  student leadership positions and will be evaluated based on relevance and demonstrated skills.

• Master's degree in College Student Personnel, Student Affairs, Higher Education, Counseling or related field.
• Work in residential life or campus housing. Candidates with supervision experience, successful community building strategies, conflict mediation skills, interpersonal skills, knowledge of residential curriculum and sound decision-making and evaluative skills are strongly desired.

• A working knowledge of student
  learning and student development, inclusive community building, and/or
  residential curricular models.
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues and students while working with all individuals in an inclusive manner.
• Ability to receive, consider and integrate constructive feedback to improve performance and/or strengthen professional practice.
  
  

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

• This position requires the staff member to live within the same residence hall in which they work.
• Position requires travel around campus throughout the day for meetings.
• Position requires the individual to be able to respond to duty related crisis calls within and around residence hall environments where there are lots of students and sometimes high demand situations.
• Position requires the ability to multi-task and move around campus effectively in a busy and unpredictable environment.
• Position involves light lifting of office/programming supplies weighing upwards of five pounds (5 lbs).
• Work will take place in office and residence hall environments including but not limited to student common and meeting spaces and various administrative offices/spaces on campus.
• This position also includes night and weekend responsibilities.

This is a 100% full-time Academic Professional position, appointed on a 12-month basis. We intend to make multiple hires for this search with expected start dates between April 6, 2026 and June 29, 2026. The salary range for this position is $43,888.00 to $48,888.00 per year.

Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (Central Time) on June 28, 2026. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. When submitting your application, include a cover letter, resume, and the names, phone numbers and email addresses for three (3) professional references. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, please contact reslifejobs@illinois.edu. Sponsorship for work authorization is not available for this position.

This search will remain open, and applications will continue to be reviewed until June 28, 2026. Multiple hires will be made for this search. Interviews and hires may occur before the close date, however all applications received by the close date will receive full consideration.

For questions regarding the application process, please contact Illinois Human Resources at 217-333-2137.

At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - the state's flagship public university and one of the world's leading research institutions - every staff member helps shape what's next. Founded in 1867, Illinois is home to a vibrant community of 59,000 students from all 50 states and 129 countries, supported by 15 colleges and instructional units, more than 20 research institutes, and one of the most comprehensive student service ecosystems in the nation.

Whether you're empowering first-generation students, fueling breakthrough innovation, or strengthening communities across Illinois and beyond, your work here has a far-reaching and deeply meaningful impact. The university offers a highly competitive benefits package designed to support your well-being, growth, and financial security. Join a top 10 public university that has launched over 330 startups and continues to redefine excellence - where the Illinois Value Proposition ensures that your contributions are recognized, your potential is nurtured, and your career can thrive.

Champaign-Urbana is a welcoming community offering the best of both worlds: active city living paired with easygoing affordability. Learn more at: Champaign-Urbana

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position; however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.

This position is intended to be eligible for benefits. This includes Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, a Retirement Plan, Paid time Off, and Tuition waivers for employees and dependents.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Accommodations may also be requested on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions, or religion. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodation portal, or by contacting the Office for Access & Equity at 217-333-0885, option #1, or accessibility@illinois.edu.

Requisition ID: 1034180

Job Category: Education & Student Services

Apply at: https://jobs.illinois.edu