Hall Director Job Description

• Position Description
• Responsibilities
• Required Qualification
• Preferred Qualifications
• Employment Dates

General Position Description

Reporting to the Associate Director (AD) for Residential Life, the Hall Director (HD) supports the Office of Residential Life and Housing in its mission to create an enhanced on-campus living experience. The Hall Director provides supervision and performance evaluation of a RA staff, runs staff meetings and trainings, oversees all programming and budget related functions, responds to student counseling and crisis concerns, and informs students of and holds them accountable for college policies. All Hall Directors participate in a 24/7/365 emergency on-call rotation during evenings, weekends and holidays. This is a live-in position (with varying hours depending on the time of year), requiring both day and evening responsibilities and a minimum of twenty hours of office availability per week. The HD, depending on assigned area, will have additional opportunities to work with one of the following specialized areas: Special Interest Housing, Pre-College Programs, Senior Experience, Transfer Time, or HD Duty Coordination.

Residential Life & Housing organization chart

Responsibilities (differ between residence halls)

Staff Development

• Supervise the Resident Assistant (RA) staff
• Initiate and implement on-going training and development activities for student staff 
• Serve as a coordinator, motivator, and resource person to encourage student staff to take ownership of their community
• Prepare student staff to facilitate community standards meetings with their students and review and/or update these standards throughout the academic year
• Facilitate weekly RA staff meetings
• Hold one-on-one supervisory meetings with each RA (a minimum of once every other week)
• Oversee programmatic initiatives by tracking programs, providing resources and identifying program opportunities for staff.
• Assist AD with budget management to ensure timeliness in tracking, spending, and vendor payments
• Provide an active and visible presence at student events and meetings beyond business hours
• Attend and be active in building, area, and College functions
• Enforce progressive disciplinary procedures with student staff in partnership with your AD

• Respond to all emergency situations in a calm and responsible manner, exercising common sense and good judgment
• Participate in the on-call duty rotation as a first, on-site responder following the duty protocol for Barnard College:
  • Schedule determined during August and January trainings
  • On call begins August 17, 2013 and ends May 31, 2014
  • On call hours are 5pm to 9am weekdays, 24 hours during holidays, weekends, and when the department is closed
  • When on- call, HDs must be within five minutes from campus to respond to any incident
• Document a range of community situations by completing timely and thorough online incident reports
• Be familiar with, communicate, and enforce policies and procedures in a positive fashion
• Understand campus and community resources and provide such information to residents
• Follow all other procedures as outlined by the Office of Residential Life and your supervisor

• Engage in conversations and trainings focused on allowing HDs to better understand their own identities
• Challenge oneself to achieve a greater awareness of people’s perceptions while maintaining appropriate sensitivity and awareness of cultural norms, diversity, and diversity education
• Exhibit effective listening and intervention skills that demonstrate an understanding of, a sensitivity to, and an appreciation for diversity
• Be open to feedback as part of regular supervisory meetings as well as formal evaluation periods
• Recognize personal limitations
• Understand limitations of the HD role and seek appropriate resources
• Take responsibility for personal decisions
• Role model appropriate behavior at all times including, but not limited to, monitoring online self-content and upholding university policies

• Know the student staff and be aware of their personal, social, and academic concerns
• Refer residents to the AD when there is a perceived need for professional attention
• Work with the AD to make appropriate referrals
• Be visible, available, and approachable to the student staff and area residents
• Mediate conflicts between roommates and suitemates when necessary
• Uphold the established standards of confidentiality

• Serve on one departmental committee (to be determined during HD Training). The Residential Life committees are: January RA Training, RA Recruitment and Selection; HD Recruitment and Selection, Recognition and Appreciation; In-Service Training; and the Evaluation and Assessment Committee.

• Respond to all Residential Life and Housing related email and messages within 24 hours 
• Develop and facilitate training sessions during August and January Training
• Under the direction of the AD, assist with the resolution of conduct violations in an educational and timely manner
• Track and maintain the programming calendar for the residence hall area; ensure programming updates are sent to the AD as required
• Attend and actively participate in weekly all HD staff meetings
• Participate in weekly supervisory meetings with the AD
• Conduct thorough monthly walk-through of building(s) to report outstanding facilities and maintenance issues
• Participate in interviews and file review during staff selection
• Take leadership in the August Check-in and May Check-Out processes
• Act as liaison with Barnard College Facilities Office to assist with room and facilities issues
• Complete a minimum of 20 office hours per week to carry out aforementioned responsibilities
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Enrollment in a graduate program in close proximity to Barnard College, not to exceed 16 credits per semester (including internship credits)
• Knowledge of principles associated with residential community development programs
• Ability to work with a diverse student and staff population
• Ability to attend and participate in all staff related trainings and orientation programs
• Available to work a minimum of 20 hours a week: flexible day and evening hours

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior residential life experience
• Previous supervisory experience
• Strong interpersonal, communication and leadership skills
• Propensity to work independently and interdependently within a team
• Ability to exercise initiative and sound judgment, and to make decisions as appropriate
• Ability to manage multiple projects and responsibilities

Employment Dates

The position begins August 5, 2013 and ends May 31, 2014.  Note: This is a one-year position (during the academic year) with possible extension to summer and future semesters based on yearly performance evaluation.

•  HD Fall move-in: Weekend of August 3, 2013
• HD Training: Monday, August 5 – Friday, August 16, 2013
• RA Fall Training: Saturday, August 17 – Friday, August 23, 2013
• Spring Return: January 14, 2014
• RA Spring Training: January 17-21, 2014