Associate Director, Housing Assignments

Position Summary:
The Associate Director of Housing Assignments is part of Housing and Residential Experience in the Student Affairs division at Vanderbilt University and is a leader responsible for the overall management of the incoming first-year student and new transfer student housing assignment processes. This position assists the Director of Housing Assignments and Operations to supervise, coordinate, and implement several assignment processes; the off-campus authorization process; and the Greek house authorization process. The Associate Director also assists with policy implementation and provides direct support to students and families needing help and guidance with housing assignments and the housing assignment process. Reporting directly to the Director of Housing Assignments, the Associate Director of Housing Assignments will partner regularly with Residential Experience; Student Care Coordination; the Center for Student Wellbeing; Student Accountability, Community Standards and Academic Integrity; Student Access; Undergraduate Admissions; and Athletics on student matters as they pertain to their housing assignment. This is a full-time, exempt, onsite role. Need for evenings/weekends may be required.

About the Work Unit:
Housing Assignments and Operations is responsible for occupancy management of Vanderbilt’s on-campus residence halls. Our office works to ensure that students are assigned to housing that best meets their needs through a fair and consistent process. Our team collaborates with various offices inside and outside of Student Affairs including Residential Experience, Housing Facilities, Housing Finance, Student Care Coordination, Center for Student Wellbeing, Student Access Services, and Residential Colleges. In addition, our office works to coordinate numerous logistical efforts including move-in, move-out, and transitions between terms, and is responsible for all aspects of billing within Housing and Residential Experience.

About Student Affairs:
Student Affairs serves a central role in student learning and development at Vanderbilt, advancing the University’s mission of teaching, research, and service. Student Affairs at Vanderbilt cultivates vibrant, inclusive communities that foster a student’s sense of belonging and wellbeing through collaborative partnerships, transformative learning experiences, and an accessible and holistic network of resources. We value connection, belonging, compassion, development, and innovation. Our staff are committed to continued growth in knowledge, awareness, skills, and experience engaging with these priorities in a higher education environment.

Key Functions and Expected Performance:

Supervision and Leadership

• Oversee the hiring and onboarding processes for Housing Assignments staff, including Coordinators and other student workers.
• Responsible for the creation and implementation of competency-based professional development of full-time Coordinator staff.
• Provide oversight and comprehensive learning and development initiatives to enhance staff competencies.
• Foster a collaborative and inclusive team that promotes communication, accountability, and excellence.
• Assist the Director of Housing Assignments and Operations in strategic planning, policy development, and decision-making processes to advance the values and goals of Housing and Residential Experience.

Management of Student Assignment Processes and Occupancy

• Responsible for the completion and oversight of the first-year, transfer, and returning spring student assignment processes.
• Manage the first-year and upper-division student room change processes.
• Assist with the development and implementation of the continuing upper-division student housing assignment process, including various residence hall processes, Greek housing applications, and the unassigned student process.
• Collaborate with Student Access (SA) and Equal Opportunity and Access (EOA) to assist students seeking reasonable housing accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
• Partner with Residential Experience to design and implement applications and room selection processes for living learning communities (LLCs).
• Assist with the management of May and summer session housing.
• Direct occupancy verification and work in collaboration with Housing Finance to ensure accurate rosters and billing.
• Respond promptly to student, family, faculty, and staff requests for housing assistance.

Management and Maintenance of the Housing Database

• Maintain accurate up-to-date housing records, including current rosters for residence halls and Greek houses, off-campus authorizations and addresses, and vacancies.
• Design, build, and test applications and forms to ensure accuracy and functionality.
• Develop and update relevant reports while ensuring accuracy in reported data.
• Maintain and reconcile space inventory to ensure accuracy.
• Develop and provide user training.
• Maximize usage of the housing database to streamline processes and enhance the overall student user experience.

Operational Oversight

• Assist with the management and coordination of move-in and move-out processes for first-year, transfer, international, and upper-division students in collaboration with various campus partners.
• Coordinate with the Student Care Network and academic colleges as needed to manage in term and mid-year student departures.
• Edit the department website to ensure relevant information is accurate and up to date.
• Responsible for entering all student damage billing charges and credits into the housing database.
• Assist with the coordination of transition periods between terms while collaborating with relevant campus partners.
• Assist with activation of break housing registration and vetting of requests as needed.

Divisional Responsibilities

• Serve on divisional committees and working groups to enrich the experience and resources available to staff across the division.  
• Participate in division wide events as needed (Move-In Day, Rites of Spring, Diverse ‘Dores Day, MLK Day, etc.) to support colleagues and ensure these events run smoothly.  
• Maintain an understanding of institutional and departmental financial policies related to areas such as travel, procurement, expense, and time reporting to ensure compliance and proper stewardship of university resources. 
• Demonstrate a willingness to support colleagues across the division in order to encourage the implementation or fulfillment of divisional goals and strategic priorities.

Supervisory Relationships: 
This position has supervisory responsibility for two (2) coordinators; this position reports administratively and functionally to the Director of Housing Assignments and Operations.

Education and Certifications: 
•    A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution is necessary.
•    A master’s degree from an accredited institution is strongly preferred.  A degree focusing in Higher Education Administration or College Personnel Services is preferred.

Experience and Skills:
•    5-7 years of experience in residential higher education is necessary.
•    Experience supervising professional staff is strongly preferred.
•    Experience working with a student housing software database is strongly preferred.
•    Excellent written and verbal communication skills, an ability to pay great attention to detail for accuracy, and an ability to prioritize tasks to meet deadlines is necessary.
•    Strong collaboration and partnership-building skills, with the ability to work effectively with various campus departments and community stakeholders is necessary.
•    Strong organizational skills and the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously is necessary.
•    Experience working with students from diverse backgrounds attending a highly selective institution with a broad range of campus groups, departments and organizations is preferred.
•    Strong problem-solving skills and interpersonal/human relations skills including ability to develop and cultivate professional relationships is preferred.
•    Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a team is necessary.
•    Ability to remain calm, professional, and productive while interacting with individuals displaying intense emotions is necessary.
•    Ability to respond promptly, directly, and effectively to internal and external inquiries and requests for service while managing competing demands is necessary.