Assistant Director of Residence Life (2 vacancies)

Assistant Director of Residence Life (2 vacancies)

Salary

$44,518.00 - $57,874.00 Annually

Location

Carbondale, Illinois

Job Type

Administrative Professional

Job Number

2600390

Department

University Housing-SIUC

Opening Date

09/02/2026

Closing Date

10/1/2026 11:59 PM Central

FLSA:

Exempt

Security/Safety Sensitive:

NA

FTE

1.0

• Description
• Benefits

Description

University Housing at Southern Illinois University Carbondale announces an opening for the Assistant Director of Residence Life. This is a full-time, 12-month professional position. This position serves as a member of the Residence Life leadership team and provides leadership for residential education, staff development, student support, and departmental initiatives. Position is live-off and includes a meal plan while the dining halls are open and opportunities for professional development and leadership of departmental initiatives.

Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience, while also considering internal equity.

Examples of Duties

• The Assistant Director provides leadership for residential education and residence life operations while supporting the mission of University Housing.
• Supervise, mentor, coach, and evaluate Hall Directors, Graduate Assistants, and assigned staff.
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings with professional staff to support performance, wellbeing, and professional growth.
• Lead or assist with recruitment, selection, onboarding, training, and evaluation of professional, graduate, and student staff.
• Develop and facilitate staff development opportunities throughout the academic year.
• Support Residence Hall Association (RHA), National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH), Area Councils, Living Learning Communities, and other student leadership initiatives.
• Collaborate with campus partners to promote student engagement, belonging, leadership development, and student success.
• Participate in the professional on-call rotation and respond to student emergencies and critical incidents.
• Mentor Hall Directors regarding student conduct, crisis response, documentation, and student support.
• Lead or serve on departmental committees and strategic initiatives.
• Collaborate with Assistant Directors, Associate Directors, Housing Officers, and campus partners to support departmental priorities.
• Support occupancy management, assignments, conferences, hiring, budgets, orientation, EMS, facilities, maintenance, key management, safety, security, and opening/closing operations.
• Represent University Housing during New Student Orientation and other outreach initiatives.
• Develop and revise departmental policies, procedures, and training materials.
• Coordinate multiple projects while maintaining strong customer service.
• Portfolio assignments and leadership opportunities may evolve based on departmental needs and individual strengths, providing opportunities to develop expertise aligned with professional goals.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Masters Degree in Higher Education, College Student Personnel, Counseling, Student Affairs, or related field.

• Three years or more as a full-time Hall Director, Community Coordinator, or Residence Life professional staff member.

• Experience with Living Learning Communities, RHA, NRHH, or similar student leadership organizations.

• Experience with student conduct administration.

• Experience leading staff recruitment and training.

• Knowledge of student development theory.

• Knowledge of occupancy management and residential operations.

• Experience with StarRez or similar housing software.

• Excellent communication and project management skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Five years of full-time employment of progressively responsible housing or residence life experience.

• Experience supervising student and/or professional staff.

• Residence Life live-in experience.

• Crisis response experience.

Required Documents: Please submit a letter of application, resume/CV, transcripts (official or unofficial), valid drivers license, and three professional references.

Contact: Erik Thomas, erik.thomas@siu.edu

Supplemental Information

Required to work evenings and weekends, as necessary. Participate in University committees and work teams as assigned. Work collaboratively with other assistant directors in the supervision, training, and development of residence life staff. Develop department highlights for newsletter distribution.

Southern Illinois University Carbondale is an R1 Opportunity University with a statewide economic impact of $2.7 billion dollars. We offer 200+ undergraduate degrees, minors and specializations, 79 master's degrees, and 40 doctoral degrees. Our main campus is 1,136 acres, with additional acreage in University Farms, Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center, and other facilities. The university is an essential part of the city of Carbondale and an important contributor to the culture of the entire region. While Carbondale includes many of the amenities of urban life, it retains its small-town flavor. Cost of living is considerably lower in the region than similar areas elsewhere, and many employees commute from nearby counties.

The Southern Illinois region is distinct from the rest of the state, boasting considerable natural beauty including the Shawnee National Forest, many state parks, national wildlife areas, and several lakes beloved for recreation. Local foods are readily available in the area, with a variety of eateries and a growing specialized food truck presence. The area is home to the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, an official wine appellation designation. The wineries extend the cultural reach of the community, hosting live music and continual art exhibits. The campus itself is a microcosm of the area, with a lake and forest on campus, as well as traditional collegiate architecture, quad, and residential halls. Students enjoy outdoor study areas as well as specialized computer labs scattered across campus, including in the three million volume Morris Library. To learn about employee benefits, employee tuition waivers, and find resources about Carbondale and the Southern Illinois region, visit: https://jobs.siu.edu/.

Southern Illinois University Carbondale is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer dedicated to building a community of excellence, equity, and diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, order of protection status, genetic information, marital status, disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation including gender identity, unfavorable discharge from the military or status as a protected veteran. The university will comply with all federal and state nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and affirmative action laws, orders, and regulations.

University employees may be eligible for a variety of State of Illinois benefits. These benefits are administered through the Illinois Department of Central Management Service (CMS). These benefits include: Health Insurance plans (HMOs, OAPs, QCHP and CDHP), Dental Insurance, Vision Plan, Life Insurance, Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D), Supplemental Long Term Disability (LTD), Flex Spending Accounts, MCAP and DCAP, and 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan.

Eligible employees are required to participate in the State Universities Retirement System (SURS). SURS is the retirement administrator for employees in public higher education in the State of Illinois.

Other benefits available to eligible employees include: Generous paid time-off, 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Plans, and Employee Assistance Program.

SIUC also provides extensive tuition benefits for its employees and their families such as: tuition waiver/application fee waiver for the employee and their dependents, a Legacy tuition rate for children of SIU Alumni, and Civil Service Employee Counsel (CSEC) Education Assistance Program (EAP).

For more information please visit: https://hr.siu.edu/benefits/

Employer Southern Illinois University - Carbondale

Address 900 S. Normal Ave

Carbondale, Illinois, 62901

Website https://siu.edu/