Residence Life Associate Director

Are you passionate about creating vibrant, supportive student communities and leading dynamic teams? We are seeking an innovative and student-centered professional to serve in a key leadership role within Residence Life. In this position, you will play a vital role in shaping the residential experience, mentoring staff, and fostering a strong sense of belonging that supports student success and retention. This role provides leadership within Residence Life, supervising and mentoring Area Coordinators while fostering a cohesive, student-centered team grounded in student development and engagement best practices. As a member of the departmental leadership team, you will help shape the residential experience through oversight of programming, student conduct, safety, and strategic planning, while collaborating with campus partners to develop and implement policies and initiatives. The position also supports living-learning communities, advises student leadership groups, and coordinates campus-wide programming efforts. Additionally, you will play a key role in student support and crisis response, including conduct adjudication in partnership with ORCA, case management, and participation in an on-call rotation, while managing operational and fiscal responsibilities such as budget development, housing operations, and maintaining policies aligned with Board of Regents standards.

To thrive in this role, you will bring progressive experience within a university residence life or housing program, including at least three years of supervision, along with a strong ability to lead, mentor, and develop staff. You demonstrate sound judgment and problem-solving skills, communicate effectively both verbally and in writing, and understand the impact of residential environments on student success through the lens of student development theory. You have experience managing complex situations involving crisis response, budgeting, and risk management, and are comfortable working with relational databases and university systems to support efficient operations and informed decision-making.

Minimum Qualifications:

•Masters degree in Higher Education or comparable academic discipline
•Three years of supervisory experience
•Five years of progressively responsible experience in organizational authority in a residence life/housing program

Position Details:

This is a full-time, exempt staff position complete with both a competitive salary and full employee benefits package. UA provides a generous compensation package that includes retirement options, annual leave, 12 paid holidays per year, tuition waivers for employees and family members, and affordable medical, dental and vision care coverage. New hires will be placed on the UA Staff Salary Schedule, Grade 81, based on education and experience.

Application review will begin on September 18, 2026. Applications received by this date will receive priority consideration; however, the recruitment will remain open until filled.

📃To view the full list of job responsibilities, please click HERE.

☎️If you have any questions regarding this position, please contact Bridget Thimsen, Signers' Business Office, Sr. Human Resources Coordinator at bmthimsen@alaska.edu.

*To be eligible for this position, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without restriction.  Applicants who now or may in the future require visa sponsorship to work in the United States are not eligible.

The University of Alaska (UA) is responsible for providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities throughout the applicant screening process. If you need assistance in completing this application or during any phase of the interview process, please contact the ADA team at ua-ada@alaska.edu.

The University of Alaska (www.alaska.edu) is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access Employer and Educational Institution.  The University is committed to a policy of non-discrimination (www.alaska.edu/nondiscrimination) against individuals on the basis of any legally protected status.

The successful applicant is required to complete a background check. Any offer of employment is contingent on the background check.

Your application for employment with the University of Alaska is subject to public disclosure under the Alaska Public Records Act.

All employees at the University of Alaska are expected to uphold the highest standards of ethics and professionalism when conducting or engaged in university business.

*Each university within the University of Alaska system publishes an Annual Security and Fire Safety Report which contains information regarding campus safety and security including topics such as: campus law enforcement authority; crime reporting policies; campus alerts (Timely Warnings and Emergency Notifications); fire safety policies and procedures; programs to prevent dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking; the procedures the University will follow when one of these crimes is reported; and other matters of importance related to security on campus. The report also contains information about crime statistics for the three most recent calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on campus; in On-Campus Student Housing Facilities; in Noncampus buildings or property owned or controlled by the University or a recognized student organization; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus.  The report also contains fire statistics for any fires occurring in an On-Campus Student Housing Facility during the three most recent calendar years.  

Access to the reports is available at:

UAA: (Addresses Anchorage campus, Aviation Technology Complex, JBER - Elmendorf Extension, JBER - Richardson Extension, Kenai Peninsula College - Kachemak Bay campus, Kenai Peninsula College - Kenai River campus, Kodiak College, Kodiak High School Extension, Matanuska-Susitna College, Prince William Sound College, and Prince William Sound College - Cordova Extension) Online: https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/students/safety. Request a paper copy in person: UAA Police Department Office at Room 114 of Eugene Short Hall on the Anchorage campus / UAA Dean of Students Office at Room 122 of Rasmuson Hall on the Anchorage campus. Request a paper copy by mail: 907-786-1120 or police@uaa.alaska.edu / 907-786-1214 or uaa_deanofstudents@alaska.edu. 

UAF: (Addresses Fairbanks Campus, Bristol Bay Campus, Chukchi Campus, Community and Technical College, Kasitsna Bay Campus, Seward Marine Center, Tok Campus, Kuskokwim Campus, and Northwest Campus) Online: https://www.uaf.edu/orca/files/ASFSR.pdf. Request a paper copy in person: UAF Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability on the 3rd Floor of Constitution Hall. Request a paper copy by mail: 907-474-7300 or uaf-orca@alaska.edu.

UAS: (Addresses the Juneau Auke Bay Campus, Juneau Technical Education Center, Sitka Campus, & Ketchikan Campus) Online: https://uas.alaska.edu/equity-and-compliance/docs/clery/UAS_ASFSR.pdf. Request a paper copy in person: Hendrickson Building, Suite 202 on the Juneau campus. Request a paper copy by mail: 907-796-6371 or emailing uas.clery@alaska.edu.