Residential Manager

Overview

Who We Are:

National Louis is a 135+ year old university that has been grounded in the values of innovation, access, excellence, and equity from its inception. As an institution, we believe in providing access to educational opportunity and that education is our greatest lever for social and economic mobility. We are a student-focused community that is committed to continuous improvement and superior student service.

We believe that through education we are able to empower change and build healthy communities. Our hard-working community is based on collaboration and respect for all team members and students.

What You Will Do:

The Residential Life Manager is responsible for the daily operations, oversight, and quality assurance of residential living within the PACE program. This role provides direct supervision and leadership to the Residential Life Assistants (RLAs), serving as the key point of communication and coordination between the Assistant Director and residential staff. The Residential Life Manager ensures that RLAs are effectively implementing residential support, maintaining operational standards, and providing consistent student supervision and guidance across living environments.

This position manages a caseload of students and oversees the delivery, scheduling, and documentation of Independent Living Services (ILS) sessions during the 30-week academic year. The manager ensures that service delivery meets program expectations, residential policies, and student support needs.

During the summer session, the Residential Life Manager collaborates with the Recruitment Manager to oversee the Summer Experience Program and other Path to PACE initiatives, ensuring operational continuity when students are not in the academic session. Operational responsibilities during the academic year also include an on-call component, such as:
Carrying the weekend emergency phone and responding promptly to student or staff issues. Adjusting RLA schedules and ensuring adequate staffing coverage. Serving as the primary contact for emergencies, coordinating communication with families and internal/external support partners, and following established response procedures. Reviewing and managing weekend incident reports and behavioral concerns, determining next steps and ensuring proper documentation per policy.

The Residential Life Manager ensures consistent structure, safety, and service delivery across residential operations year-round. This is a full-time, 12-month position with weekday and weekend on-call responsibilities during the academic term. The position is based at the University Center Chicago, with midday, evening, and some Saturday hours required. Some work at the NLU Chicago campus may also be required for staff meetings.

About NLU's PACE Program:

Path to Academics, Community and Employment (P.A.C.E) is a three-year, post‑secondary certificate program designed to meet the transitional needs for young adults with multiple intellectual, learning and developmental disabilities.

P.A.C.E. at NLU Students

• Learn, work, and play in the vibrant city of Chicago
• Live in apartments at University Center in the heart of downtown
• Gain real life work experience during their community based internships
• Successfully travel independently using public transportation
• Are involved in a variety of clubs and student life activities
• Make meaningful connections with the Chicagoland community by participating in service learning projects

• Oversees day‑to‑day residential operations for PACE students, ensuring consistent implementation of independent living expectations, policy adherence, accurate documentation, resource coordination, scheduling, and adequate staffing coverage within the residential environment.
• Provides direct supervision and guidance to Residential Life Assistants (RLAs), ensuring staff performance meets program standards. Conducts performance monitoring, coaching, and accountability in areas such as apartment upkeep, budgeting, meal preparation, cleaning, shopping routines, and roommate dynamics.
• Manages a caseload of students and oversees the delivery, scheduling, and documentation…