Resident Director

WHITMAN COLLEGE

Located in the historic community of Walla Walla, Whitman’s vibrant and beautiful tree-lined campus is home to an intellectually diverse, dynamic, welcoming and supportive community of some 500 staff and faculty serving approximately 1,500 students from the local region and across the globe.  With exceptional students, accomplished faculty and staff, and a fiercely loyal and growing number of engaged alumni, Whitman College continues to build on its national reputation for academic excellence as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country.  

Whitman College is cultivating a community built on inclusion and belonging. We recognize the value of those who can offer historically underrepresented perspectives and encourage applications from those whose background, knowledge, and insights from lived experience can add to the college’s working and learning environment. Whitman College is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer (EEO) .

POSITION PURPOSE

The Resident Director (RD) shares with other members of the Student Affairs staff the general responsibility of supporting the educational aims of the College. They serve as educators and role models while assisting students in their efforts to make full use of the opportunities available to them at the College.

The Resident Director is responsible for all aspects of the supervision, administration, and community development of one or more residential facilities on campus, including supporting educational programming and managing a team of student staff.

The Resident Director position provides tremendous opportunities for leadership development. They provide both a structured professional development environment while requiring independence, judgement, and the ability to adapt and learn quickly.

This position is 0.78 FTE.

PRINCIPLE ACCOUNTABILITIES

Supervision

• Supervise a team of paraprofessional Resident Assistants
• Present and facilitate training and leadership development opportunities.
• Provide ongoing teambuilding and build a sense of group support and learning for your staff.

Community Development and Programming

• Develop strategic goals for learning and development within residential spaces.
• Arrange and facilitate social and academic events and programs.
• Advise student group programming including student hall government.
• Act as a resource for residents requesting program information.
• Organize programming around alcohol and drug education.
• Build a residential environment where residents respect others’ rights and maintain a safe and secure community atmosphere.

Counseling and Referral

• Be generally available to residents and communicate effectively with students, staff, and faculty.
• Be supportive of diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices to best support community members.
• Counsel students concerning personal college concerns and refer to other resources when appropriate.
• Respond to student wellbeing concerns, including those referred through the College’s Care Team, and keep clear records in the College’s care network platform.

Administration

• Inform residents of College functions, resources, and beneficial off-campus agencies.
• Attend Resident Director meetings and facilitate student staff meetings.
• Open and close the hall at each vacation period. Collect and report information on hall maintenance problems.
• Maintain accurate and current hall records, including weekly logs, floor plans, key check-out and inventory, space scheduling, expenditure accounts, incident reports, damage reports, and room condition reports.
• Keep the Residence Life and Housing Office informed as to all room changes and change requests.
• Interpret and enforce College policy in residential spaces.
• Meet with students about student conduct violations when instructed to do so.
• Be responsive to communications including emails in a timely manner.
• Serve on campus committees as requested.
• Represent the College to parents and guests.
  
  

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Must be able to explain and/or demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities to safely perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation. Specifically,

• Ability to support and advance the core goals of diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism
• Ability to build community among residential undergraduate college students
• Ability to stay organized, set attainable goals, and complete projects without reminders
• Ability to facilitate team building, present training material, and speak to large groups
• Ability to be flexible and be comfortable with ambiguity
• Ability to communicate clearly on difficult topics
• Ability to manage email and text communications and respond in a timely manner
• Ability to both work independently and in a team-focused educational environment and be ready to jump in and take on new projects as needed

PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Experience presenting to groups and leading trainings
• Knowledge of Student Development Theory
• Experience with diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism programming, theories, or analysis

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• A Bachelor’s degree
• Experience working with undergraduate residential college communities
• Experience working in Student Affairs

Please note that while the description details both required and preferred qualifications, we want applicants to be aware that they do not need to have all of the preferred qualifications to be considered for this position. If you meet the minimum qualifications and have passion for the work, you are encouraged to apply.

BENEFITS 

Whitman College offers a competitive benefits program that is designed to attract qualified candidates and retain talented employees. Full-time employees enjoy the following benefits:

Medical/Dental/Vision Insurances.

Basic life, accidental death and dismemberment and long term disability insurances with the capability to elect additional voluntary coverage.

403(b) Defined Contribution Retirement Plan with a 10% matching contribution after eligibility requirements are met.

Paid Time Off: 20 accrued vacation days, 12 accrued sick days, 13 paid holidays.

Tuition Remission – Dependent Children

Employee tuition waiver for one Whitman course per semester.

Employee Assistance Program

Learn more about benefits eligibility here. 

ADDITIONAL PERKS, BENEFITS, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• These are live-in positions and come with a 1-2 bedroom/1-2 bathroom residence hall apartment valuing about $11,000 for the year. (spaces vary based on specific hall assignment).
• Position includes a full meal plan (over $5,000 in meal money per year).
• These positions include evening and weekend work and offer a flexible work schedule.
• Includes the option to take one course per semester depending on space available.
• Opportunity to attend and submit proposals for professional conferences.
• These positions have the summer off and  run from early August-early June (exact dates may vary based on position).

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION FOR JOB CANDIDATES

Contact Human Resources regarding requests for disability accommodation in the employment application process.

APPLICATION REVIEW

June 11, 2023

START DATE

August 11, 2023