How to hire an assistant director of residence life

How to hire an assistant director of residence life, step by step

Here's a step-by-step assistant director of residence life hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an assistant director of residence life job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new assistant director of residence life
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your assistant director of residence life job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an assistant director of residence life for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An assistant director of residence life's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, assistant directors of residence life from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents assistant director of residence life salaries for various positions.

   Type of Assistant Director Of Residence Life	Description	Hourly rate
   Assistant Director Of Residence Life	Social and human service assistants provide client services, including support for families, in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work. They assist other workers, such as social workers, and they help clients find benefits or community services.	$15-37
   Volunteer	Volunteers are usually unpaid individuals who render their service to a company or organization. Most of the time, volunteers are skilled in specific areas needed by the organization but prefer to provide free service... Show more	$11-19
   Advocate	An advocate is a voice for the voiceless. It is their responsibility to speak on behalf of an individual or a particular cause... Show more	$12-27

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Residence Life
   • Student Affairs
   • Student Development
   • On-Call Rotation
   • Crisis Management
   • Professional Development
   • Graduate Assistants
   • Student Life
   • Student Conduct
   • Emergency Response
   • Staff Training
   • Community Development
   • Coordinators
   • Learning Communities

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Motivate, train and lead a team of nine ministry coordinators.
   • Provide clinical oversight of family-centered services that include capacity building, needs assessment, program and policy development and evaluation.
   • Organize and implement bible studies for teen boys and teen girls.

   More assistant director of residence life duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your assistant director of residence life job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An assistant director of residence life salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, assistant directors of residence life' average salary in utah is 53% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level assistant directors of residence life earn 59% less than senior-level assistant directors of residence life.
   • Certifications. An assistant director of residence life with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an assistant director of residence life's salary.

   Average assistant director of residence life salary

   $50,614yearly

   $24.33 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level assistant director of residence life salary

   $32,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average assistant director of residence life salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$74,164	$36
   2	New Jersey	$66,115	$32
   3	Washington	$63,544	$31
   4	Minnesota	$60,250	$29
   5	Colorado	$54,666	$26
   6	Illinois	$52,968	$25
   7	Ohio	$51,869	$25
   8	Wisconsin	$50,361	$24
   9	Kansas	$50,141	$24
   10	New York	$50,017	$24
   11	Arizona	$49,053	$24
   12	Oregon	$47,472	$23
   13	Mississippi	$47,285	$23
   14	Texas	$44,558	$21
   15	Michigan	$41,305	$20
   16	South Carolina	$39,047	$19

   Average assistant director of residence life salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Mount Aloysius College	$67,933	$32.66	1
   2	Santa Clara University	$61,188	$29.42	2
   3	Georgian Court University	$59,042	$28.39
   4	Western Washington University	$58,912	$28.32
   5	University of California-Berkeley	$58,263	$28.01
   6	Chatham University	$56,526	$27.18
   7	Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University	$56,356	$27.09	4
   8	Colorado Christian University	$53,766	$25.85
   9	Marquette University	$53,290	$25.62
   10	Upper Iowa University	$52,915	$25.44
   11	North Central College	$52,884	$25.43	1
   12	SUNY Geneseo	$51,625	$24.82
   13	University Of Minnesota Physicians	$49,198	$23.65
   14	Earlham College	$47,969	$23.06
   15	Mississippi State University	$46,993	$22.59	3
   16	Southwestern Oregon Community College	$41,237	$19.83
   17	Fredonia	$37,610	$18.08
   18	University of South Carolina	$36,519	$17.56	7
   19	Kansas State University	$33,336	$16.03

4. Writing an assistant director of residence life job description

   A good assistant director of residence life job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an assistant director of residence life job description:

   Assistant director of residence life job description example

   Employment Status: Staff
   
   Description of Key Responsibility:
   
   1. As a means to support student persistence to graduation, contribute leadership to a vibrant residential environment that fosters academic success, respect, support, and positive human interaction. Strive to know residents individually and intentionally maximize those relationships to support student success.
   
   2. Aid in creating a dynamic and diverse Residence Life team that is committed to the College's values and goals, and works to provide excellent customer service to students and families. Assist the Director of Residence Life in providing leadership, developing strategic initiatives and regularly setting goals and learning outcomes for the Office of Residence Life that support institutional goals. Provide leadership, supervision, and oversight of the professional staff, and participate in the hiring, training, and evaluation of Resident Assistants, Graduate Assistants, and professional staff members. This includes attendance at hiring conferences, management of position postings, resume review, interview scheduling, development and coordination of training schedules, etc.
   
   3. Coordinate and manage all functions of on-campus housing, including:
   
   a. Facilitate the room assignment process for all students (first-year, transfer, returning and graduate students). Maintain accurate housing records and provide occupancy and other appropriate reports. Ensure that all students have up-to-date housing agreements and emergency contact information. Update the housing system to accurately reflect cancellations and student room changes. Communicate with students and parents regarding housing placement, concerns and issues.
   
   b. Collaborate with other offices to ensure that housing procedures run smoothly and are effectively communicated with their offices. Work with the staff in Admissions and Athletics regarding housing assignments, pre-term housing, and other administrative issues. Collaborate with the Dyson Wellness Center staff and Student Disability Services to ensure that housing accommodations for students are effectively addressed.
   
   c. Coordinate break periods and Summer Housing. Ensure that professional and student staffs are properly prepared to facilitate interim sign up and closing procedures.
   
   d. Coordinate campus housing check-in and check-out procedures. Maintain accurate records of keys and occupancy. Train staff on procedures for issuing, replacement, and collection of room keys, and on protocol for room inspections, documentation of condition of rooms, and assessment of room damages. Coordinate damage charges and reporting.
   
   e. Provide collaborative service (maintenance, campus safety) when programs or services require a residential component or cooperation (international programs, orientation, intramurals, College Scholars, Premier, camps and conferences, etc.).
   
   f. Ensure that the Office of Residence Life website provides complete and timely information for current students, prospective students, families, and campus partners.
   
   4. Provide leadership, and/or spearhead, major office goals/initiatives (i.e. increased housing numbers, implementation of new housing software, new training initiatives for professional and student staffs, new forms of departmental and staff assessment, creation and implementation of a residence life marketing plan, planning and development of a new residence hall, etc.) as deemed appropriate by the Director of Residence Life.
   
   5. Serve as a resource for promoting and expanding diversity and inclusion on campus. Provide support for programs, curricula, and trainings to build the multicultural competence of student leaders, staff members, and faculty, in particular as they relate to the resident student experience.
   
   6. Oversee the day-to-day operation of the residence halls. Ensure that the physical facilities and residential environment are functional, safe, secure, neat, clean and conducive to a positive academic experience. Collaborate with campus safety, maintenance, and housekeeping, and conduct regular tours of campus residence halls to ensure facility issues are being addressed in a timely and effective manner. Work with maintenance and business affairs to oversee the management of all damage/vandalism billing assessed to students.
   
   7. Represent Office of Residence Life in all matters, including College committees, admission visit days, orientation programs, meetings of higher administration and professional organizations and other on- and off-campus settings. Attending and facilitating residence life staff meetings in the absence of the Director of Residence Life.
   
   8. Monitor and assist professional staff and Resident Assistants in planning and conducting programs, including those that involve other campus organizations and personnel, as well as outside presenters and entertainers.
   
   a. Establish and nourish relationships with faculty members so as to make a positive contribution to the academic mission of the institution.
   
   b. Ensure the recognition of student academic achievement among resident students. Develop systems to have the residence life staff intervene with students who are struggling academically.
   
   c. Manage and account for funds allocated to departmental programming, events, and initiatives to ensure that the departmental programming budget is responsibly managed.
   
   d. Work to maintain a campus culture of involvement, specifically during weekend events. Collaborate with RHA / RHA advisor to a programmatic backdrop to a vibrant residential experience.
   
   9. Serve as an Administrative Hearing Officer as part of the College's disciplinary process. Manage the student conduct database, including processing incident reports, running reports, and overseeing case management. Manage and hear second-tier cases. Ensure that departmental conduct cases are closed at the end of each academic term. Intervene in and document, when appropriate, student behavior which is inconsistent with College policy or disruptive to the campus community. Determine and implement corrective action, which may include mediation, counseling, or referral to the College's student conduct process. Assist students experiencing personal difficulties through consultation and/or referral to other resources.
   
   10. Serve as a contact in a 24-hour duty rotation schedule, including weekdays, weekends and holidays throughout the calendar year. Offer consultation and guidance to Area Hall Directors and Resident Assistants on call. Respond in person when necessary.
   
   11. Respond to unexpected situations such as disputes between students, violations of College policies by students, medical and other emergencies. In cases of illness or injury, ensure that established procedures are followed and that students have access to appropriate care.
   
   12. Perform related duties, projects, and tasks as assigned that contribute to the effective operation of the Office of Residence Life, in particular, and the College in general.
   
   MARGINAL FUNCTIONS
   
   1. Perform routine office functions such as typing, filing and copying.
   
   2. Participate in logistical activities such as delivering materials to and picking up materials from the campus printshop and mailroom, storage areas, vendor facilities and other locations.
   
   OTHER KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
   
   1. Support the College's mission, vision and values, and contribute to the advancement of the College's Strategic Plan.
   
   2. Demonstrate a strong commitment to continuous quality improvement.
   
   3. Demonstrate civil and inclusive behavior when interacting with staff, faculty, students and visitors to the College. Promote a flexible, collaborative and inclusive work and living environment and engage in educational opportunities to increase awareness and understanding of diversity and inclusion.
   
   Education/Training:
   
   Bachelor's degree is required. A master's degree in college student personnel or a related field is strongly preferred.
   
   Experience:
   
   At least three years of professional/progressive experience working with college students in a residential setting. Preferred experience would include management of a facility, supervising others, and organization of the housing selection processes.
   
   Position Summary:
   
   To assist the Director of Residence Life in providing overall leadership and management for the Office of Residence Life. To ensure that campus residence halls are managed so that students can enjoy and benefit from the residential experience. To provide leadership for the student, graduate, and professional staff that make up the residence life team. To coordinate, execute, and maintain all functions related to housing assignments and occupancy management, and to assist in the development of a team that is focused on institutional goals of increased persistence and diversity. Review of applications will begin immediately.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right assistant director of residence life for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with assistant directors of residence life they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit assistant directors of residence life who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your assistant director of residence life job on Zippia to find and recruit assistant director of residence life candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting assistant directors of residence life requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new assistant director of residence life

   Once you've selected the best assistant director of residence life candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new assistant director of residence life first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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