The Catholic University of America

A Community Director (CD) is a full-time, live-in professional staff member who plays an integral role in the structure and leadership of Residence Life and has a significant impact on the development, growth, and formation of students at Catholic University. The CD’s primary role is to foster the holistic development of students through active engagement and mentoring of students in the residential educational experience. This position is required to live on campus and participate in an after-hours on-call/on-site duty rotation 24-hours a day, 365 days a year for the department: this is a condition of employment. One year appointment through 6/30/25 with the ability to be renewed. 

Student Support, Development, and Formation: Actively engage in residential neighborhoods to foster a vibrant, student-centered, supportive community that contributes positively to the CUA campus experience. Serve as advisor and mentor for residential students.

• Actively engage in the residence hall communities by attending hall programs, regularly touring the residence halls, participating in community meetings, and engaging in formal and informal interactions with residents during and after normal business hours.
• Assist in the coordination and development of intentional programmatic initiatives and services that positively impact the recruitment, retention and enrichment of students.
• Provide individualized support to students in relation to academic, behavioral, personal and/or social issues and concerns; assistance in adjusting to university life; and in the event of a personal, medical or family emergency.  
• Through collaboration with other university offices, encourage the development of student citizens who are culturally aware and accepting of differences.
• Serve as a student conduct conference officer and assist in gathering information about disciplinary incidents as necessary.
• Assist in the resolution of student behavior concerns, utilizing crisis intervention skills and resources.
• Utilizing best practices to inform decisions, provide leadership to unique communities including, but not limited to, single-gendered housing, apartment or suite style communities and first-year student communities.

Staff Selection, Training, and Supervision: Participate in on-going staff training initiatives; develop strong training programs to support student staff throughout the academic year; serve as primary supervisor for a 6-14 person residential staff, encouraging growth and development in all aspects of their position.

• Train, supervise, and evaluate Resident Assistants and other paraprofessional staff members.
• Assist in the planning and implementation of selection and training activities for Resident Assistants and other paraprofessional staff.
• Remain actively involved with Resident Assistants on an individual and group basis in order to provide appropriate support, feedback, and staff development opportunities, disseminate pertinent information, plan area activities and problem solve.
• Develop goals and objectives for the residential area through collaboration with Resident Assistants.
• Create a plan for community events, strategies, and initiatives that supports Residence Life’s programming philosophy.

Operational and Management Responsibilities

• Participate in and contribute to the maintenance of up-to-date strategic and operational protocols, policies, and practices of the department.  Communicate these protocols, policies, and practices effectively to staff, students and the broader university community, as necessary.
• Maintain a presence in the Residence Hall Office during normal business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) Monday through Friday, and as needed on evenings and weekends.
• Supervise the maintenance of student and informational records essential to assignments, keys and access cards, and other hall operations.
• Open and close residence halls at the beginning and end of each semester in accordance with departmental expectations.
• Communicate verbally and in writing with students, parents, and members of the University community.

Serve in the Community Director on-call/on-site duty rotation 24-hours/day 365 days/year to coordinate departmental response to emergency, crisis, and unusual situations involving students and/or the campus community.

Departmental Leadership

• Routinely seek opportunities to utilize financial resources more efficiently and to identify new and alternative sources to improve financial efficiency and effectiveness (e.g. collaborations with other offices, block booking for entertainment).

• Acquire and maintain a strong working knowledge of related university departments, systems and processes.

• Ensure fundamental policies and procedures are written, established, organized and communicated effectively to students, staff and the campus community.

• Ensure compliance with national, local and University laws, regulations, standards and codes. Implement appropriate compliance measures.

• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with professional colleagues on and off campus.

• Utilize information technology applications, including the implementation of data collection software.

• Maintain a working knowledge of the student development field. Apply and share knowledge to produce fundamentally sound and creative solutions to critical student needs.

• Serve on departmental committees and task forces and assist with University-wide initiatives, including but not limited to, Orientation, Commencement, the critical incident response team, and be active in interdisciplinary initiatives.

• Maintain high visibility and accessibility, and initiate regular communications with the University community, including students, parents, faculty and staff.

• Create goodwill for the University in service to families of students, visitors, patrons, government officials, community leaders and the general public. Assist with the cultivation of positive community relations.

• Contribute to the overall success of the Office of Residence Life and the University by performing all other essential duties as assigned.

Bachelor’s degree required. This is an entry-level position; previous graduate or professional experience in managing residence halls and/or other relevant experience is strongly preferred. Background in faith-based settings, student retention, and student support beneficial. Master's degree preferred. 

Proficiency with MS Office applications (Word, Power-Point, Excel, Access), or experience with similar software is required.