"Assistant Director of Residence Life"

Located between Atlanta, Ga., and Chattanooga, Tenn., on a 27,000-acre campus just north of Rome, Ga., Berry is an independent, coeducational, liberal arts college with approximately 2,300 undergraduate and graduate students.

From its inception, Berry has pursued a bold and distinctive approach to meeting the challenge of preparing students for life. Our entrepreneurial founder, Martha Berry, understood that intellectual skills and practical skills could be combined to a powerful effect in shaping people known for their work ethic, integrity, resourcefulness, and willingness to serve. She believed in the wisdom of helping students to help themselves, and she used the intensity of a residential community as a potent context for teaching life lessons.

Building on this foundation, Berry today combines challenging academics with character-enhancing and career-building practical experiences. The college's academic programs rival other top residential universities in the region, but its commitment to eight semesters of paid professional development experience is one of a kind. The Berry Compact emphasizes equally the importance of ownership and mentoring - it is what defines our culture and propels our collective success.

Berry College invites applications for the full-time position of Assistant Director who reports to the Director of Residence Life. The position is part of a collaborative team of housing professionals responsible for creating a dynamic living environment that emphasizes the integration of the College's mission of educating the head, heart, and hands.

The Assistant Director (AD) is a live-on masters-level professional who manages the Residence Life Office and offers student and family facing customer service, supervises the Oak Hill Residence student service desk, assists in administering housing assignments, manages a variety of administrative processes (including off campus approvals and emotional support animal registration), maintains a positive relationship with Facilities Services and Custodial Services, and follows up on student concerns (such as maintenance requests, student alerts, or other student issues brought to Residence Life).

The ideal candidate should possess a thorough understanding of the role and purpose of a residential campus, academic preparation and experience in student development, the ability to develop and maintain professional and collaborative relationships with other staff and faculty, excellent interpersonal communication, leadership, and administrative skills. Candidates should possess excellent communication and customer service skills, strong leadership and mentoring abilities, and be able to work independently.

DEPARTMENTAL LEADERSHIP

• Provide exceptional customer service to various stakeholders, including students, families, and campus partners.
• Under the supervision of the Director, mentor and advise Community Coordinators.
• Represent the department on divisional and campus-wide committees.
• Serve as the Director in their absence.

ADMINISTRATION

• Manage the central Residence Life Office, including supervision of office student staff.
• Supervise the student desk staff at the Oak Hill Residences.
• Coordinate biweekly student payroll for all student employees in the department.
• Serve as backup administrator of housing software.
• Coordinate social media accounts and departmental marketing efforts.

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

• Maintain regular communication with staff in Facilities Services and Custodial Services.
• Attend monthly Custodial Services leadership meetings, along with the Residence Life Maintenance Technician.
• With the Director, coordinate semester and summer facility turns.
• Coordinate monthly key audits with Community Coordinators.
• Keep the Director of Residence Life aware of ongoing operational needs (e.g., furnishings, building maintenance).

OTHER DUTIES

• Serve as a conduct officer for Residence Life policy violations.
• Participate in a campus-wide on-call rotation.
• This position has the authority to perform administrative searches for drugs or other prohibited items when approved by the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs (or a designee).
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements:

1. Master's Degree in higher education, counseling, student affairs, or related field.
2. 2-3 years of professional work experience in housing, residence life, or student affairs.
3. Must be able to live in the provided on-campus housing and interact with students and staff regularly. A meal plan is provided with the purpose of dining with students and staff.

KEY COMPETENCIES AND KNOWLEDGE

1. Thorough understanding of the role and purpose of a 4-year residential community in the holistic development of college students.
2. Commitment to fostering an inclusive living-learning environment.
3. Must demonstrate experience in community building, leadership, outreach, and engagement, including experience with culturally, socially, and economically diverse communities.
4. Ability to develop and maintain professional and collaborative relationships with staff, faculty, students, and campus partners.
5. Proficient with Microsoft Office, email, and housing management software. Experience with eRezLife, Maxient, and Jenzabar 1 is preferred.
6. Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including verbal and written communication.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The Assistant Director would work in an indoor office environment, 8 am -4 pm daily. The Assistant Director will be required to work some nights and weekends.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The Assistant Director must be able to lift at least 20 lbs with reasonable accommodations.

Additional Information:

ABOUT BERRY COLLEGE

Berry is a selective independent college of 2,200 students located adjacent to Rome, GA, midway between Atlanta, GA, and Chattanooga, TN. Berry's educational approach deliberately unites challenging academic programs with practical work experience in a residential campus community that encourages faith and emphasizes caring for the needs of others above self. Our mission and values are grounded in the ethic that our founder instilled more than a century ago: "We educate the head, heart, and hands - to inspire leaders of integrity who cultivate thriving communities." Nationally recognized for quality of learning and quality of life, Berry offers first-rate undergraduate degree programs in the sciences, humanities, arts, and human sciences, as well as undergraduate and master's level opportunities in business and teacher education. The College's stunning 27,000-acre campus affords opportunities that cannot be duplicated elsewhere. Berry's ongoing commitment is to provide exceptional educational experiences to talented students from a wide range of social, racial, and economic backgrounds.

COLLEGE COMMITMENTS

Berry College is committed to recruiting and supporting a diverse faculty and staff. As an equal opportunity institution, Berry complies with all applicable laws and provisions prohibiting discrimination in its educational and employment policies. Berry respects the essential dignity of all individuals and accordingly hires and promotes employees without regard to matters of personal identity such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and political affiliation. Berry College is committed to ensuring that facilities, programs, services, and activities are accessible to everyone, including those seeking employment at Berry College. Inquiries about interviews or workplace accommodations are welcome. You can reach out to us at employment@berry.edu or (706) 233-4062.

Application Instructions:

Applicants should submit a letter of application, resume, and the contact information for three professional references. Application review will begin immediately and continue until a qualified individual has been hired.