Residence Life Associate Director

Are you passionate about creating vibrant, supportive student communities and leading dynamic teams? We are seeking an innovative and student-centered professional to serve in a key leadership role within Residence Life. In this position, you will play a vital role in shaping the residential experience, mentoring staff, and fostering a strong sense of belonging that supports student success and retention. This role provides leadership within Residence Life, supervising and mentoring Area Coordinators while fostering a cohesive, student-centered team grounded in student development and engagement best practices.

As a member of the departmental leadership team, you will help shape the residential experience through oversight of programming, student conduct, safety, and strategic planning, while collaborating with campus partners to develop and implement policies and initiatives. The position also supports living-learning communities, advises student leadership groups, and coordinates campus-wide programming efforts. Additionally, you will play a key role in student support and crisis response, including conduct adjudication in partnership with ORCA, case management, and participation in an on-call rotation, while managing operational and fiscal responsibilities such as budget development, housing operations, and maintaining policies aligned with Board of Regents standards.

To thrive in this role, you will bring progressive experience within a university residence life or housing program, including at least three years of supervision, along with a strong ability to lead, mentor, and develop staff. You demonstrate sound judgment and problem-solving skills, communicate effectively both verbally and in writing, and understand the impact of residential environments on student success through the lens of student development theory.

You have experience managing complex situations involving crisis response, budgeting, and risk management, and are comfortable working with relational databases and university systems to support efficient operations and informed decision-making.

• Masters degree in Higher Education or comparable academic discipline
• Three years of supervisory experience
• Five years of progressively responsible experience in organizational authority in a residence life/housing program

This is a full-time, exempt staff position complete with both a competitive salary and full employee benefits package. UA provides a generous compensation package that includes retirement options, annual leave, 12 paid holidays per year, tuition waivers for employees and family members, and affordable medical, dental and vision care coverage. New hires will be placed on the UA Staff Salary Schedule, Grade 81, based on education and experience.

Application review will begin on September 18, 2026
. Applications received by this date will receive priority consideration; however, the recruitment will remain open until filled.

If you have any questions regarding this position, please contact Bridget Thimsen, Signers' Business Office, Sr. Human Resources Coordinator at bmthimsen.

* To be eligible for this position, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without restriction. Applicants who now or may in the future require visa sponsorship to work in the United States are not eligible.

The University of Alaska (UA) is responsible for providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities throughout the applicant screening process. If you need assistance in completing this application or during any phase of the interview process, please contact the ADA team at ua-ada.

The University of Alaska (UA) is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access Employer and Educational Institution. The University is committed to a policy of non-discrimination against individuals on the basis of any legally protected status.

The successful applicant is required to complete a background check. Any offer of employment is contingent on the background check.

Your application for employment with the University of Alaska is subject to public disclosure under the Alaska Public Records Act.

All employees at the University of Alaska are expected to uphold the highest standards of ethics and professionalism when conducting or engaged in university business.

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