Residence Hall Director

Residence Hall Director

Description of Department:

The Department of Residence Life and Housing at SUNY Oswego is a leader in developing a premier residential environment where students are actively engaged in their learning experience. Our environment places student learning and success at the center of all our formal and informal programs, policies, procedures, and physical facilities. Our department encourages collaboration with other students, faculty, and staff in and out of the classroom to enrich the learning experience. Furthermore, our programs are directed to enhance students' capacity and aspirations for growth intellectually, socially, aesthetically, interpersonally, and physically. The Department purposefully and intentionally provides programs and experiences that will offer our residential students a comparative advantage among college graduates. We affirm a commitment to diversity and inclusive excellence in the operations of Residence Life and Housing.

The Residence Life and Housing Department at the State University of New York at Oswego invites applications to fill a full-time Residence Hall Director.

Posting Date: March 24, 2026

Review Date: Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

Compensation: $51,000; (SL-2) plus full New York State benefits package.

Benefit Information: The State University of New York provides an excellent benefit package. This is a United University Professions (UUP) position. Click here for more information on benefits for full-time United University Professions (UUP) professional staff.

Date of Appointment: June 1, 2026

Description of Responsibilities:

Under the direction of an Assistant Director of Residence Life and Housing, the Residence Hall Director (RHD) works within their assigned residential area to create living environments that facilitate positive learning experiences, communities and support the academic mission of SUNY Oswego. RHDs play key roles in the department of Residence Life and Housing (RLH) and the broader campus community.

Situated within the Division of Student Affairs, RLH plays a critical role in furthering the mission and vision of the Division and in achieving institutional enrollment goals through cutting edge business services, direct interface with the holistic needs of students and their families, and nationally recognized residential education practices. RLH works to advance student attainment of General Education learning outcomes with residence hall initiatives organized through a curricular approach to residential education.

RHDs provide leadership to paraprofessional staff and student leaders; partner with students to develop vibrant inclusive communities which encourage student engagement, community contributions, a free exchange of ideas, and the cultivation of skills and knowledge so that students may become citizens and leaders in our increasingly global society; and serve on a variety of department and divisional committees and implementation teams furthering strategic aims. Residence Hall Directors live on campus and are therefore available to staff and students outside regular business hours during crisis situations or other critical times.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Student Engagement:

• Develop and support, based on national best practices, living environments that promote learning and engagement for students in their residence halls and the SUNY Oswego community by creating opportunities that actively engage students in their college experiences.
• Contribute to the development of a culture of student partnership and ownership within each residential community.
• Participate in the creation and implementation of educational programming that intentionally supports the achievement of SUNY Oswego's educational goals for all students.
• Work with residents on individual developmental issues and make referrals as appropriate. Assist students in developing their interests and abilities.
• Assist in the development and implementation of large-scale department programs and campus-wide programs.
• Promote and develop student leadership opportunities. Advise area councils and subgroups and help coordinate the efforts of area councils and student staff toward achieving specific residence hall objectives.
• Direct and assist student staff members in promoting responsible student behavior that benefits individual students and the whole residence hall community.
• Develop, through regular presence on floors and in common areas, a positive image and presence in assigned halls to develop connections with residents and create caring personal and community relationships.
• Provide a safe, comfortable, equitable experience for ALL residents, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic class, (dis)ability, first language, gender, sexual orientation, or any other social or cultural identifier.
• Educate staff and students about SUNY Oswego Code of Conduct, Residence Hall policies, and fire and safety codes.
• Help residents understand their rights and responsibilities as good citizens by explaining and enforcing policies and procedures through educational conferences and other methods. Work to solve community and individual student problems.
• Directly engage in formal assessment design, analysis, report authorship, and presentations of student engagement outcomes in a cycle of continuous, evidence-based improvement.
• Assist in the coordination of on-site and front-line response to crisis situations, including those that are highly complex in nature and may be life threatening.
• Manage and mediate roommate conflicts and collaborate with their Assistant Director and the occupancy team on the room move process.
• Designated as essential personnel by SUNY Oswego, serve in a live-in capacity to provide non-clinical student counseling, student mediation, crisis intervention, and referral services.
• Identify critical issues, assess student behavior, and communicate effectively with their supervisor to formulate response (educational and student conduct) to student concerns.
• Serve in a designated on-call rotation and respond to and follow-up on emergency and management situations as needed. Communicate through duty reports, incident reports, and phone and email notifications as needed.

Supervision and Leadership:

• Directly supervise and facilitate the development of a team of student staff members, including Resident Student Staff (RSS) and Student Operations Staff (SOS ), to enhance student learning through engagement, encourage student-led programs, ensure the sound operation of the residence halls, and facilitate annual programming initiatives.
• In designated buildings, supervise a Graduate Assistant Hall Director.
• Complete periodic performance appraisals of student staff. Work collaboratively with their supervisor to create and implement individual, and group training programs, residential floor and hall meetings, and staff retreats for student staff members.
• Assist supervisor in implementing major departmental initiatives aligned with Residence Life and Housing strategic and program plans.
• Develop strategies to successfully lead a team of student staff members in fulfilling hall priorities. Lead weekly staff meetings to discuss hall activities, explore student ideas and concerns, facilitate team development, provide motivation and direction to the staff, and discuss ideas to improve the living-learning environment in the hall.
• Constructively manage personnel issues and conflicts, respond to job-related issues, and recommend appropriate solutions for the team. Provide student staff with support, leadership, guidance, and mentorship.
• Assume leadership and implementation of responsibilities for collateral assignments as approved by RLH leadership.
• Serve on department and/or division committees in member or chair roles and lead major department initiatives designed to further student learning and development.
• Actively contribute to department-wide meetings, assessment retreats, and department retreats to continuously improve the residence hall living and learning climate.
• Participate in department, division, and institution professional development and growth opportunities to maintain current knowledge of student development and student learning research, theory, and practice that best serve the needs of students. Develop scholar-practitioner practices to create and share knowledge with colleagues.
• Contribute time and talent to all department-wide staff recruitment, selection, and training activities.

Administrative Responsibilities:

• Facilitate the opening and closing of assigned residence halls at the beginning and end of each semester as well as during break periods. There are evening and weekend commitments outside of traditional business hours and consecutive days of work Sunday-Sunday during times of campus opening and re-opening (August and January), professional training (August and January), student staff training (August and January), and closing of residence halls (December and May).
• Utilize position and leadership roles to maximize both the academic and residence hall retention of students. Participate in the development of communication plans and in the implementation of on-campus housing communication strategies.
• Work with graduate and/or undergraduate staff to ensure the efficient and effective functioning of residence hall front desk operation.
• Develop a thorough understanding of the occupancy management system and provide assistance to students as they navigate room changes and other occupancy processes.
• Work cooperatively with other University offices such as the University Police, Auxiliary Services, Dean of Students Office, and other administrative and academic departments in response to day-to-day functioning of the halls.
• Address safety concerns, custodial, and maintenance concerns by submitting work requests, and coordinate promotion of services and resources.
• Identify, report and advocate for maintenance concerns throughout the building and residential complex. Respond to facility emergencies. Make recommendations for facility improvements; monitor and assess response to electronic requests for maintenance and/or custodial services submitted for the assigned community.
• Develop and refine a mutually supportive relationship with custodial employees assigned to the residence hall in conjunction with the supervising janitor. Oversee building recycling operation.
• Conduct regular (at least twice weekly) tours/inspections of assigned residence hall communities.
• Partner with the sustainability office to build a diverse sustainability community, facilitate information sharing about sustainability practices and performance, and create incentives for continual improvement toward sustainability.
• Oversee the hall operations, including student staff scheduling, office hours, security rounds, distribution of mail, and room access (keys/codes). Coordinate administrative, student staff development, and programming budgets for the assigned residential area. Monitor student staff and student leader expenditures. Oversee allocation of hall programming budget.
• Communicate, explain, and enforce procedures, rules, and regulations of the University to residents and staff. Participate in the student conduct process by serving as hearing officer, complainant, or advisor as appropriate. Maintain Maxient database for student conduct, crisis, and students of concern.
• Assume additional responsibilities as assigned by supervisor or other members of the Residence Life and Housing leadership team.

SUNY Oswego works continuously to create an inclusive environment which respects, embraces, and promotes cultural safety, belonging, civil discourse, cultural humility, and other values and goals outlined in SUNY Oswego's Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Plan. As such, the incumbent is expected to contribute to these efforts and possess communication and interpersonal skills necessary to engage effectively with an increasingly diverse community of students and colleagues.

Job Requirements:

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree at time of hire
• Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in Higher Education or related field
• One year working with college students
• Ability to manage time and prioritize responsibilities effectively
• Familiarity with college student learning and development theories
• Ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.
• Effective interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills.
• Ability to apply learning outcome approaches.
• Skill in crisis intervention as well as in enforcing policies and regulations which pertain to campus life and student development.