"Director of Residence Life and Dining Services"

Summary

MSOE invites applications for a full-time Director of Residence Life and Dining Services to join our Residence Life team. The Director of Residence Life and Dining Services provides vision, leadership, and oversight for the university’s residential initiatives and housing operations. The Director manages the dining services partnership, working closely with the contracted vendor to ensure that food operations meet institutional priorities for student satisfaction, wellness, and community engagement. In collaboration with campus partners, the Director fosters a vibrant, safe, and inclusive living and learning environment by leading professional and student staff and managing residential engagement.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for Residence Life professional staff, including the Associate Director, Community Directors, and Administrative Assistant.
• Oversee departmental planning, budget development, policy implementation, and compliance with university and legal standards.
• Collaborate with division leaders and campus partners to support institutional initiatives.
• Serve as the university’s liaison to the dining services vendor, monitoring contract performance, advocating for student needs, and aligning dining operations with institutional goals.
• Collaborate with the Associate Director to ensure housing operations, facilities management, and occupancy systems effectively support student engagement and residential learning outcomes.
• Lead the design, implementation, and assessment of residence life programming and departmental initiatives.
• Guide staff in fostering inclusive communities, co-curricular engagement, and leadership development.
• Serve as a key responder for student concerns and crises, and oversee a student-centered residence life conduct process that emphasizes education, restorative practices, and compliance with institutional policy.
• Provide training, professional development, and evaluation for residence life staff.
• Partner with faculty and campus stakeholders to integrate learning into the residential experience.
• Provide strategic guidance for off-campus housing partnerships and student support, working with the Associate Director on assignments, compliance, and community standards.
• Lead the department’s on-call crisis response system and ensure effective emergency management.
• Utilize the NaBITA Risk Rubric and serve as an active member of the university’s CARE Team to assess, manage, and respond to student concerns, crises, and behaviors of concern.

Other Duties & Responsibilities

• Actively provide oversight for Office of Residence Life and Dining Services
• Be an active participant in university-wide committees and divisional initiatives
• Represent MSOE at internal and external events

This above list of duties and responsibilities is not all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities as management may deem necessary from time to time.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required, preferably in Higher Education Administration, Student Affairs, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in residence life or related student affairs roles.
• Demonstrated success supervising professional staff and leading large student staff teams.
• Proven ability to design, implement, and assess residential engagement or educational programming.
• Commitment to fostering inclusive, equitable, and supportive residential communities.
• Strong record of collaboration with facilities, dining, and other campus partners.
• Experience in housing operations, crisis response, student conduct, and behavioral intervention, including use of tools such as the NaBITA Risk Rubric and participation on a CARE Team or equivalent.
• Budget management, strategic planning, and assessment skills, with the ability to use data and benchmarking to inform decision-making.
• Experience contributing to housing master planning, enrollment management, and student success initiatives.
• Proficiency with housing management and student information systems (e.g., Jenzabar) and Microsoft 365.

Skills and Abilities

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build effective relationships and work collaboratively with students, staff, faculty, and parents.
• Demonstrated integrity and ability to uphold the highest standards of professional conduct.
• Effective written, oral, and presentation communication skills.
• Ability to lead complex, high-impact initiatives using a systems perspective.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the use of data and numbers to inform decisions.
• Ability to interpret and apply policies, procedures, and safety regulations with sound judgment.

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job the employee is largely sedentary, the ability to move is required. The employee is occasionally required to traverse within their work area as well as other areas on campus.

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role uses standard office equipment, including but not limited to computers, phones, photocopiers, and filing cabinets.