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Job Description / Duties

Reporting to the Area Coordinator – South Residence, the Assistant Residence Life Manager (ARLM) is responsible for the residence environment and the overall atmosphere in their assigned area within South Residence. This will include meeting with students regarding any difficulties they may be experiencing (behavioural, transitional, emotional, and interpersonal) and working with them to develop strategies to respond to their needs. The ARLM will directly manage a team of 6 Residence Assistants (RA’s) and provide oversight to 300 first year residence students. They will work in close partnership with a co-ARLM to manage their residence hall, and in conjunction with other ARLM’s to collectively manage the larger residence area.

This is a live-in, intern-like position, with on-call responsibilities. The ARLM should have an ability to balance competing priorities, be highly organized, and effectively and efficiently manage their time.

Student Engagement and Learning: 15%
• Oversee the delivery of the programs, activities, and services in assigned area as part of the residential curriculum.
• Encourage informal (e.g. event volunteers, committee membership, etc.) and formal (e.g. orientation volunteers, student staff, etc.) involvement opportunities to students.
• Attend programs and community meetings regularly to build relationships with students and remain attentive to community needs.
• Provide responsive programming to identified community needs.
• Advise Interhall Council in the residence community to ensure that programs are appropriately managed and that residents are provided with opportunities to build meaningful communities.

Student Conduct and Success: 50%
• Assist RA’s in setting standards and norms within communities.
• Meet with students who may be experiencing difficulties adjusting to university life. Develop strategies to support these students, and provide referrals to other units.
• Follow up on violations of the Residence Community Living Standards (RCLS).
• Meet with students to investigate and review behaviour, assess level of responsibility and develop outcomes, using punitive, developmental and/or restorative approaches, as appropriate.
• Ensure timely, accurate, and comprehensive documentation of student contact, agreements, outcomes, and plans in the Conduct Coordinator database.
• Refer cases to the Area Coordinator as appropriate.

Staff Supervision and Support: 25%
• Responsible for the direct supervision (coaching & mentoring) of 6 RA’s.
• Assist with the recruitment, hiring, training and the performance evaluation of RA’s.
• Participate in Residence Life Staff (RLS) training by conducting training sessions in collaboration with other members of the Residence Life Management Team (RLMT)
• Consult with the Area Coordinator to address performance issues in a timely manner, particularly related to health and safety.
• Facilitate regular 1on1’s and weekly team meetings with RA’s.
• Hold office hours for drop in for students and staff (alternating between primarily days and evenings to ensure extended office coverage in designated building).
• Attend regular RLMT and ARLMT meetings.
• Encourage idea sharing, team building, and a positive work environment among teammates.

Building Care, Administrative Management, and Communication: 5%
• In consultation with the Area Coordinator, respond to inquiries from external groups (notably parents) regarding policies, procedures, and concerns in the residence area, ensuring compliance with privacy legislation.
• Maintain frequent communication with various partners in Student Housing Services to ensure information regarding student and/or facility issues are communicated and handled in an appropriate manner.
• Oversee budgets related to staff hospitality and student programming.
• Participate in building tours with members of the Facilities & Desk Services team to identify safety, security, housekeeping, and maintenance issues.
• Meet regularly with the co-ARLM to discuss building and team needs.
• Make decisions regarding some aspects of residence administration (e.g. transfers, assignments, etc.) in collaboration/consultation with Residence Admissions and the Area Coordinator.
• Ensure that privacy is maintained with respect to staff, student’s behaviour, and incidents occurring in residence.

Emergency and After-Hours Response: 5%
• Participate in rotating on-call coverage with other ARLM’s.
• Advise student staff on situations that that may be challenging or beyond the scope of their training, experience, comfort or ability (e.g. protocol clarification, maintenance situations, Residence Administration/check-in related functions, student behaviour, etc.).
• Respond to crisis situations as the first-responder from Student Housing Services to assess situations and initiate appropriate procedures or protocols.
• Consult with the Residence Life Manager on-call for any high-risk situations or where additional guidance and support is needed.
• Liaise with Student Housing Desk Staff and Campus Community Police, as appropriate.

Additional Information

To apply, please submit a resume, cover letter, and three references (in one PDF doc) to reslife@uoguelph.ca

Salary: $23440.32 (under review) + vacation pay and living accommodation

Contact Information

Kristin Lennan - lennank@uoguelph.ca