Community Director

Department: UL

Classification: Professional Faculty

Job Category: Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: On Site Required

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

Housing & Residence Life (HRL) is an auxiliary organization within the University Life unit of George Mason University. HRL employs over 170 full-time and graduate staff members and over 200 undergraduate student staff members. HRL oversees student housing areas comprised of roughly 6,000 beds within over forty (40) residential facilities, as well as housing the distributed campuses including the Science & Technology Campus and the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation.

HRL is committed to provide a safe and student-centered environment that is inclusive of the global community; dedicated to creating a home that enriches the experiences of our students, staff, and faculty.

About the Position:

The Community Director (CD) is a 12-month, live-in professional staff member responsible for the educational, social, and cultural growth of the individual student and the overall residential community. The primary responsibilities include initiating, implementing, maintaining, and evaluating efforts in the assigned residential area(s) that result in a student-centered community that supports the academic mission of George Mason University. The Community Director is responsible for the overall administration and management of their assigned residential area(s).

Responsibilities:

Supervision and Leadership

• Supervises and leads a team of Resident Assistants (RAs), to manage and guide the Resident Assistants effectively;
• Provides on-going training to Resident Assistants (RAs) and Graduate Community Directors to develop leadership skills and enhance competencies essential to their positions;
• Educates and holds staff accountable to all University policies, Housing and Residence Life policies, and HRL student staff expectations;
• Plans and implements staff development to aid the RAs in creating positive team dynamics that foster collaboration and problem-solving skills;
• Supervises and supports RAs in their administrative assignments, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and completion;
• Provides opportunities for staff to receive feedback on the quality and effectiveness of their work, to support development;
• Formally evaluates the performance of RAs during the fall and spring semesters, to assess effectiveness;
• Leads weekly staff meetings with the RAs in assigned area for team development and information sharing/gathering;
• Conducts bi-weekly one-on-one meetings with RAs for resident and student staff updates and addressing concerns/questions to ensure resident and staff success;
• Develops and maintains staff awareness of campus/community issues through training, programming, individual contacts, and role modeling;
• Recruits, interviews, evaluates, selects, and on-boards student staff candidates for all HRL hiring processes; and
• Supports any Residential Learning Communities (RLCs) in assigned residential area and engage in ongoing collaboration with respective academic and University Life partners.

Student Support and Development

• Addresses incidents of inappropriate behavior in or around the residence halls using an educational and developmental approach;
• Serves as a hearing officer to effectively resolve cases of student misconduct and violations of the Code of Conduct and/or Resident Student Handbook;
• Assists students with academic, vocational and personal concerns to support students in overcoming challenges and achieving success;
• Connects students with on-campus resources when appropriate to help them succeed academically, personally, and/or socially;
• Manages situations involving various psychological, emotional, medical or other safety related incidents in the residential community;
• Collaborates with appropriate campus resources to properly support students and provide adequate resources;
• Participates in the evening, weekend, and holiday duty rotation with other Community Directors, to ensure adequate coverage and support for on campus students in crisis;
• Directly responds to on-campus emergencies and student crises as needed, to ensure student safety and support;
• Actively participates in cultivating an environment that supports the well-being of residential students through various university initiatives, committees, and events;
• Develops and maintains positive relationships with both residents and HRL staff that encourages on-going communication, mutual support, and respect; and
• Supports university-wide initiatives focused on student retention and early intervention efforts.

Community Development and Programming

• Implements the residential curriculum within assigned area to address the developmental needs of specific student populations;
• Designs proactive approaches to involve…