Director of Residence Education
Summary of Position
The Director of Residence Education provides strategic leadership for housing and programs, fostering a safe, inclusive, and engaging four-year residential experience that supports student retention, holistic development, and academic success in alignment with Allegheny College’s Strategic Pathway. This position is responsible for the design, execution, and continuous maintenance of a robust residential curriculum, ensuring it highlights the educational benefits of the residency requirement. The Director provides hands-on supervision and mentorship to the professional Residence Life team and oversees the recruitment, training, and management of a 55-person student staff. Critically, this role collaborates with key campus partners—including Academic Success, Athletics, and Operations—to deliver integrated, high-quality services grounded in a comprehensive student development philosophy.
—
Key Responsibilities
- Professional Staff Leadership, Supervision, and Mentorship: Provide direct supervision, performance management, and ongoing professional development to the full-time professional Residence Life staff, ensuring equitable administration of College policy.
- Residential Curriculum Strategy and Assessment: Lead the design, implementation, and rigorous assessment of the comprehensive Residential Curriculum, utilizing data to demonstrate learning outcomes and measure the impact of the four-year residency model.
- Budget Management and Fiscal Planning: In consultation with the Dean for Student Life, manage and monitor the department’s operating and programming budgets, overseeing purchasing, expenditure approval, and long-range capital planning for residential resources.
- Student Staff Development and Talent Pipeline: Direct the recruitment, selection, comprehensive training, and ongoing performance management for approximately 55 student resident life staff members, ensuring high standards for mentorship and service delivery.
- Campus Collaboration and Integrated Services: Serve as the primary departmental liaison for strategic campus partners (e.g., Academic Success, Operations, Athletics), ensuring integrated services and collaborative support for student retention and experience.
- Crisis Management and Dean-Level On-Call Response: Serve in an escalated, year-round administrative on-call rotation to provide high-level response and critical incident management for campus emergencies and complex student conduct matters.
—
Experience and Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred
- 4-7 years of related professional experience required
—
Required Knowledge
- Knowledge of FERPA and other applicable privacy laws and regulations.
- Knowledge of residence education models and student development theory.
—
Required Skills and Abilities
- Advanced supervisory skills.
- Strong listening and communications skills.
- Ability to manage potentially stressful and crisis situations.
- Ability to hold meetings for 60+ minutes.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues.
- Ability to be adaptive as needed when working with students.
Compensation
Starting salary will be competitive, based on the candidate’s qualifications and experience.
Expected starting salary: $50,000.00 full time, exempt
—
The Hiring Process
Please submit a cover letter, resume, and provide contact information for three references to the Office of Human Resources, Allegheny College, 520 N. Main Street, Meadville, PA 16335 or by e-mail to employment@allegheny.edu. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. An offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check.
—
ALLEGHENY COLLEGE
Allegheny College, founded in 1815, is one of the nation’s oldest and most innovative four-year colleges where multidisciplinary learning breaks the conventional mold. It is one of the few colleges in the United States with a unique requirement to choose both a major and minor for graduation, to provide students with a cross-disciplinary path in the sciences and humanities for educational depth and intellectual growth. Located in Meadville, Pennsylvania, Allegheny College is one of 44 colleges featured in Loren Pope’s “Colleges That Change Lives.” In its 2025 rankings, U.S. News & World Report recognized Allegheny College as one of the country’s 100 top national liberal arts colleges — and including in the top 25 Undergraduate Teaching, Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects, First-Year Experience, and Senior Capstone.
Allegheny’s undergraduate residential education prepares students for successful, meaningful lives by promoting students’ intellectual, moral, and social development and encouraging personal and civic responsibility. Allegheny’s faculty and staff combine high academic standards and a commitment to the exchange of knowledge with a supportive approach to learning. Graduates are equipped to think critically and creatively, write clearly, speak persuasively, and meet challenges in a diverse, interconnected world. Allegheny College is deeply committed to creating an inclusive community that actively challenges racism, sexism, heterosexism, religious bigotry, and other forms of bias (see Allegheny College Statement of Community).
Allegheny College is an Equal Opportunity Employer with a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity. The College does not discriminate, and will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, creed, national/ethnic origin, ancestry, veterans, handicap or disability as those terms are defined under applicable law, or members of other underrepresented groups.
Allegheny College is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation, contact the Office of Human Resources
Visit the Allegheny College Web Site at www.allegheny.edu
posted: 10/14/2025