Associate Director For Housing Operations
Manage initial assignment and billing processes for on-campus housing for all RISD students. Ensure that housing processes and procedures support the departmental efforts of equity and inclusion. Analyze data in support of achieving budgetary targets; solve problems related to housing assignment and billing concerns; Manage housing-related processes : residence hall opening / closing, occupancy management, off-campus registration, new student housing selection, Pre-College, and graduate student housing selection. Create and manage all residence life forms, such as opening and closing applications, winter session intent forms, medical accommodation forms, etc. Responsible for managing, maintaining, and continually evaluating Residence Life informational needs and data entry operational processes. Serve as project lead and collaborate with other residence life end users, information technology experts, and external vendors to ensure systems, reports, and entries are effectively designed, modified, updated, tested, and input to meet changing requirements and to support initiatives. Initiate information interfaces, file feeds, and reports, and share pertinent information in a secure, timely, organized fashion.
Responsible for the oversight of essential housing-related functions and for the technological implementation of departmental processes and procedures through the housing management system (HMS) and associated Housing Portal. Build, test, and implement updated forms and business processes within the HMS system that reflect operational needs and capture efficiencies. Create and oversee the selection processes for Academic Year, Summer, Continuing Education Summer Studies, and Pre-College housing. These selection processes shall provide intentional and informed housing placements which promote a safe, supportive, and inclusive living / learning environment for RISD's undergraduate and graduate students living on campus.
The Associate Director for Housing Operations supervises the Department Operations and Communications Coordinator and the Assistant Director for Housing Operations to ensure that technology solutions are student and user-friendly and that instructions for use are clearly communicated to students and families. The Associate Director supports the Department Operations and Communications Coordinator with all front desk operations and services.
Housing Systems Administration Responsibilities
- Act as systems administrator for the Housing Management System (HMS) package, including the Housing Portal, used by divisional and campus partners. Translate user needs into system requirements. Serve as project lead for HMS modifications, new releases, and upgrades. Test modifications / releases; develop training materials / documents for other end users; and generate and audit interfaces, feeds and batch processes.
- Coordinate and manage access to the HMS for Student Life, RISD Dining, Public Safety and other campus partners that utilize the HMS.
- Serve as project lead and collaborate with other Residence Life end users, information technology experts and external vendors to ensure systems, reports, and entries are effectively designed, modified, updated, tested and input to meet changing requirements and to support initiatives. Initiate information interfaces, reports and share pertinent information in a secure, timely, organized fashion.
- Responsible for the maintenance of HMS Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and flat file transfers that feed or receive data to / from external sources. Through error reporting and verification measures, ensure that these APIs and flat file transfers are working as designed.
- Produce standard and ad-hoc reports for Director of Residence Life and campus partners as requested.
- Research and evaluate new and existing tools, systems and trends by attending regular training sessions, HMS Users Conference, and other user group / networking sessions. Train, educate and share knowledge and best practices with others.
- Provide housing and operations-based training and support for the academic year and summer student, professional, and intern staff members.
- Supply data to support in achieving budgetary targets; solve problems related to housing assignment and un-escalated billing concerns (escalated billing concerns are sent to the Director)
Supervision and Training
Provide ongoing training, feedback and performance evaluation for the Assistant Director for Housing Operations and Department Operations and Communications Coordinator.Support the Department Operations and Communications Coordinator in the recruitment, selection, training, and evaluation of the student office support staff.Provide housing and operations-based training and support for the entire department.Housing Selection Processes
Plan, and implement, and manage the student housing selection and assignment processes for Academic Year, Summer, and Pre-College Housing, Continuing Education Summer Studies, and periodic housing selection processes such as Spring Only returns.Responsible for functions associated with housing assignments and billing, including selection processes, direct assignments, and processing cancellations / terminations. Ensure that data is accurately entered into applicable database systems including the HMS and Workday. Maintain occupancy lists and coordinate direct billing as necessary.Work with Disability Support Services, Equity & Compliance, and any other campus partner responsible for granting housing accommodations regarding housing selection and assignments which meet approved accommodations throughout the academic year.Manage ongoing communication with key campus stakeholders regarding housing requirements for specific student groups, including Brown / RISD Dual Degree, First Generation to College, and Experimental Foundation Studies abroad students.Ensure that residency requirements are met, manage the process for determining residency requirement waivers.Communication and Data Support Functions
Communicate regularly with Residence Life staff and students as well as other offices (Facilities, Public Safety, Card Services, Dining Services, Student Accounts, Registrar, Student Life, etc.) regarding changes in housing status or billing of students. Maintain and distribute updated lists, rosters or notifications as needed.Generate and provide standard and ad-hoc queries and reports to various members of the campus community, e.g., vacancy, occupancy, rosters, withdrawals, room selection, etc. to assist with occupancy management, and planning.Respond to a wide variety of sensitive inquiries regarding housing assignment processes, room assignments, arrival / departure procedures and special requests. Maintain the housing waitlist.Additional Functions
Participates in the college crisis response duty rotation as a Student Life on-Call (SLOC) rotation. When on duty, the AD is expected to provide direction and clarification for the duty team, respond to crises, both on campus students and off-campus students, and ensure staff and students comply with our policies and response guidelines, including during non-business and weekend hours. Responsibilities while on duty include collaboration with Providence Police, parents and emergency contacts, Public Safety and other emergency response units in the area. Also, serve as the backup Residence Life representative on the (EOCT) Emergency Operations Command Team.Performs other related duties as assigned.Knowledge / Skills / Experience Required :
Bachelor's degree in or equivalent combination of education and / or experience required.Minimum five years higher education experience, preferably in housing operations.StarRez and Workday experience strongly preferred. Must have experience maintaining data and creating reports. Must possess strong computer skills, be proficient with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and have experience working with database systems.Outstanding written and oral communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively and project a professional image in person, and in writing.Ability to clearly and patiently articulate policies, procedures and practices to colleagues, students, and families.Demonstrated ability to work well under pressure; take initiative and prioritize tasks; problem solve; work both independently and as part of a team.Display exceptional customer service skills; maintain and exercise sound judgment and discretion in handling confidential information; demonstrate cultural sensitivity and work effectively with multiple diverse populations; communicate effectively with individuals with a limited understanding of English.Must demonstrate strong analytical and excel skills. Must possess the ability to critically examine basic financial records to ensure consistency, accuracy and completeness.