Assistant Director - Housing Contracts and Assignments

Student and Campus Life (SCL) inspires transformation in all Cornell students on their journey of individual, academic and personal evolution. Our division is comprised of leading student affairs experts who support our campus on pressing student life matters including public service, health, wellness, social justice, residential living, food services, sports, recreation, career services, and student activities and organizations including sorority and fraternity life. We provide support and services to roughly 25,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students on multiple campuses in the U.S. and abroad.

Cornell's on-campus living experience is comprised of two systems that operate separately, the Office of Housing and Residential Life (HRL) unit (buildings on North and South campus) within Student and Campus Life and the West Campus House system (residential college system) within the Office of the Provost.

The Office of Housing and Residential Life staff are committed to providing a residential experience of the highest quality for each of our residents. This includes providing a safe, comfortable, diverse, and purposeful living and learning environment aligned with the University's values and learning goals. Through partnerships with University faculty and staff, HRL staff foster students' personal growth, critical thinking, intellectual engagement, and social responsibility that is designed to educate, challenge and develop our students.

*Pillars of our Residential Experience-
*Belonging at Cornell
*Social Responsibility
*Academic Empowerment
*Culture of Care
*Navigating Transitions

The Housing and Residential Life program includes cooperative houses, graduate and professional student housing, Program Houses with focused identity and/or themed living environments, a focused First-Year Residential Experience on North Campus, and a unique upper division and transfer student experience on North and South Campus. Our department serves approximately 8,000 students with a two-year residential requirement. In addition, there is significant faculty engagement in the residential communities, with faculty-in-residence living in the first-year communities and over 110 faculty and community members spread throughout all the residential communities.

The Assistant Director of Housing Contracts and Assignments reports to the Director of Housing Operations and Administration and contributes to the development, implementation, and assessment of Cornell's housing program and residential experience for approximately 9,200 residential students within the Division of Student & Campus Life at Cornell University, which serves a campus of 24,000 students. This position oversees key housing operations, including housing contracts, assignments, and billing processes. The Assistant Director manages all student communication about assignments and the billing process, including the housing selection process, specialty housing, room changes, cancellations, and opening and closing logistics, and oversees all aspects of the exemption process to the live-in requirement for first-and second-year students. Additionally, the role supervises customer service operations across multiple channels, including front desk, walk-in, live-chat, phone, text, and email support, ensuring prompt, high-quality service for students, parents, and campus partners. The Assistant Director leads the hiring, supervision, and professional development of two (2) full-time staff members and several student workers supporting front desk operations. This position also participates in occupancy planning, budget development, tracking, policy adherence, strategic marketing efforts, departmental and divisional committees, liaising with campus partners, and providing after-hours support through an on-call rotation.

Success Factors

• Ability to lead a collaborative, customer-focused team that supports students, families, and campus partners in navigating concerns and enhancing their experience.
• Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize effectively to address personnel and project challenges with sound judgment and diplomacy.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, planning, reasoning, organizational, and project management skills, with an ability to multi-task in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
• A commitment to working collaboratively in a student-centered environment committed to the important values of shared governance, with enthusiasm for supporting a student body that is broadly diverse with regard to gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, and (dis)ability, among other factors.
• Ability to build relationships and maintain trust, assess and balance the needs of various campus partners, and identify and advocate for achievable solutions to high-level situations.
• While position responsibilities vary, all people leaders are expected to foster a culture of belonging and a psychologically healthy work environment by being trustworthy; respecting all individuals; being flexible; supporting work/life integration as well as healthy boundaries; inviting new ideas, alternatives, and perspectives; speaking up and taking action if others are being excluded or treated inappropriately; and recognizing the contributions of others.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in student affairs, higher education, business administration, or a related field, with at least three (3) years of professional experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience in housing operations or residential life leadership roles in managing housing assignments and billing, occupancy planning, financial management, and operational processes.
• Demonstrated success in managing customer service efforts.
• Experience with housing management software systems (e.g., StarRez) and other relevant technologies for a comprehensive housing program.
• Experience with leading and developing teams, including staff recruitment, supervision, and development.
• Strong project management skills with the capacity to oversee multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Demonstrated success in building collaborative partnerships with students, parents/families, and campus partners.
• Demonstrates strong analytical skills and attention to detail, ensuring the integrity and reliability of housing systems and processes.
• Familiar with assessment strategies in housing and residential life, including evaluating program effectiveness, occupancy trends, student satisfaction, and service quality.
• Knowledge of housing policies and the ability to enforce these policies while ensuring a safe and inclusive environment.
• Knowledge of housing and residential life best practices and industry trends.
• Ability to serve on-call and respond to housing operation after-hour issues as needed.
• Ability to occasionally work nights and Weekends (e.g., Opening, Family Weekend, commencement, trainings, etc.).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in a relevant discipline.
• Previous experience managing housing operations in a large, complex university setting, especially within an Ivy League, Big Ten, or similarly competitive institution.
• Demonstrated success overseeing and managing StarRez housing management system and other relevant technologies for a comprehensive housing program.
• Experience working with academic partners and live-in faculty.
• Experience working on cross-departmental teams for large university events (e.g., Move-In, Orientation, Commencement) and collaborating with other departments to support university-wide initiatives.
• Experience in developing strategic marketing and communication plans to promote housing options, increase occupancy, and enhance the residential experience.
• Understanding of student development theory and experience implementing services and programs that support student belonging, well-being, and growth within residential communities.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

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Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience
• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position
• Unique applicable skills
• Academic Discipline

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Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University's heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, and we do not tolerate discrimination based on any protected characteristic, including race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex/gender, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual's genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.

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