How to hire a residential life director

How to hire a residential life director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step residential life director hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the residential life director you need to hire. Certain residential life director roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A residential life director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, residential life directors 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of residential life directors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Residential Life Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Residential Life Director		$19-45
   Community Advisor	The duties of a community advisor depend on their line of work or place of employment. In universities, a community advisor plays a vital role in helping residing students attain a positive learning and living environment... Show more	$18-52
   Director	Directors work in show business, whether in a film, a television show, or a theatre production. They are responsible for bringing the material to life... Show more	$31-92

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Crisis Intervention
   • Student Learning
   • Student Life
   • Crisis Management
   • Student Affairs
   • Community Development
   • Dorm
   • Residential Community
   • Residential Facilities
   • Strategic Plan
   • Resident Assistants
   • Title IX
   • Staff Development
   • Oversight

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage a residential facility for adolescents with severe autism and psychiatric conditions.
   • Maintain statistical and directional oversight of the residence life disciplinary system.
   • 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.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, residential life directors' average salary in kentucky is 47% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level residential life directors earn 57% less than senior-level residential life directors.
   • Certifications. A residential life director 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 a residential life director's salary.

   Average residential life director salary

   $62,956yearly

   $30.27 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level residential life director salary

   $41,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

4. Writing a residential life director job description

   A residential life director job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a residential life director job description:

   Residential life director job description example

   MORE THAN A JOB... A MISSION
   
   At Lionheart, your work matters!
   You are here with a calling and you are on a mission with us.
   
   OUR CORE VALUES
   
   We are Christ followers passionate about reaching children and families with the Gospel, and out of our calling flows these.
   
   • Intentional Relationships - We focus on cultivating relationships and encouraging others
   • Tenacity - We are brave, resilient, and work with all our heart
   • Heart to Serve - We joyfully serve others with humility and strength
   
   OUR VISION
   
   To see children and families transformed by the Gospel through Christ-centered child care centers across the country.
   
   OUR MISSION
   
   To partner with local churches to operate quality Christian preschool, after-school, and summer programs to reach unchurched children and their families.
   
   REASONS WHY PEOPLE JOIN THE LIONHEART FAMILY
   
   • Personal and Family Wellbeing - Our Total Rewards and Compensation program demonstrates our commitment to support the health and well-being of all our team members.
   • Spiritual Community - Leaders committed to your spiritual growth
   • Personal & Professional Development - Financial Peace University, RightNow Media, and more!
   • Flourishing Culture - Annually certified Best Christian Workplace since 2015
   
   OUR TOTAL REWARDS AND BENEFITS
   
   HEALTH, MEDICAL, PRESCRIPTION AND DENTAL INSURANCE BENEFITS
   
   • Valuable, low-cost, low-deductible medical plan
   • Vision, dental, and disability insurance
   • Employee Assistance Program for mental health
   • Tuition Discounts
   
   FINANCIAL BENEFITS
   
   • Retirements saving with matching 403b plan
   • Competitive PTO, even for part-time staff
   • Annual employee wellness benefits
   • Financial Peace University classes to grow in money management
   
   INTANGIBLE BENEFITS
   
   • Continuing education credits
   • Bi-annual In-Service + monthly staff development
   • Career growth opportunities
   • RightNow Media subscription to stream 20,000+ videos for spiritual, personal, and leadership development
   
   ... and a lot more!
   
   The Academy Director will be responsible for managing all aspects of academy operations and meeting the state licensing requirements as outlined in the Minimum Standards for Child Care Centers. The Academy Director will promote and instill corporate values, vision and goals. The Academy Director will foster and maintain positive relationships with academy staff, key host church staff, parents, students, vendors and the local community while providing strategic leadership and oversight of the academy.
   
   The Academy Director will report directly to the VP of Operations and have direct reports from Community Director, Assistant Director, Lead Teachers and all other academy support staff.
   Visionary LeadershipPromote and maintain the vision, mission and core values of Lionheart Children's Academy.Exercise both professional and spiritual leadership and focus to ensure that the goals and vision for the academy maintain priority.Ensure that the culture of the academy is dynamic, inspiring and fun.
   Church RelationsCultivate and develop strong relationships with church partners to maintain their satisfaction and ensure their goals are achieved. Contribute to reports on progress and meet with Regional Director to assess effectiveness. Maintain regular communications with key church contacts with academy updates and spiritual highlights.Assist in marketing efforts to cultivate additional church partners.
   Outreach MarketingDevelop and strengthen partnerships with teachers, educational specialists, school/district administrators, churches and parent/teacher organizations.Produce effective marketing plans and other direct marketing strategies to achieve and maintain enrollment goals.Consistently grow the academy through on-going marketing and promotion of the academy.Work closely with the Regional Director and National Office on production of collateral, social media strategies, web content, etc. for promotion and operation of the academy.
   Staffing & Leadership DevelopmentRecruit, hire, and train exceptional academy staff.Provide leadership to academy leadership and academy staff- including spiritual nurturing, coaching, mentoring, encouragement, educational and professional development - to ensure that they are passionate and joy-filled as they lead others.Be available to Academy leadership, staff, parents and church leaders for resourcing and/or problem-solving.Evaluate and document Academy staff job performance, development plans and compensation recommendations. Collaborate with NO and regional on all HR issues.Actively participate in key professional organizations so as to enrich personal and professional development. Ensure that all staff have the LCA New Employee Orientation and state required training.Travel, as requested, to trainings, staff development events, new academy openings, etc. for support and ongoing training and development.
   General OperationsImplement and oversee all operating standards, processes and systems necessary to effectively operate academy to achieve stated outcomes.Ensure compliance with all licensing requirements and federal and state laws related to academy operations.Conduct annual tuition rate survey in order to adjust tuition rates, based on child care trends in the area.Work with National Office to leverage opportunities to receive competitive quotes from new vendors for products and services.Enforce tuition requirements and resolve problems for non-payment, when necessary.Ensure that information in the faculty, polices, and handbook remains relevant and up to date.Visit classrooms on a daily basis to ensure adherence to corporate and academy goals, standards and objectives.Maintain daily/weekly/monthly checklists for licensing standards compliance.
   Space & EquipmentPlanning for and equipping outdoor areas.Planning for and equipping indoor areas.Arranging for custodial care, maintenance, and repairs.Do playground, bus, and facility inspections to make sure everything is safe and clean.
   EnrollmentInterviewing parents of prospective students.Use the CRM and 1Core daily to meet enrollment and retention goals.Oversee other administrators use of CRM to ensure accuracy.Orientation of newly enrolled students.Familiarizing the parents of newly enrolled students with school policies.Being alert to enrollment needs at all times Update your monthly marketing calendar with both internal and external opportunities.Maintaining an advertising and public relations program to promote enrollments.
   ParentsMaintaining an active system of parent-school relationships.Planning and administering a parent-education program.Planning and administering a parent-participation program.Maintaining an open line of communication between parents and staff.Establishing and maintaining parents' resource library.
   HealthPlanning and implementing a health program for the school.Contacting recognized agencies that are able to help children with special needs.Maintaining a referral system for children who have special needs.
   SafetyPlanning and implementing a safety program for the school.Must have licensing, Health and Fire regulations in good standing .Keeping informed of the school's legal responsibilities and liabilities.Scheduling, conducting and recording fire and storm drills.Assuring that teachers plan activities to teach the children safety on an ongoing basis.Maintaining all vehicles and providing annual training for staff to ensure transportation safety.
   Community RelationshipsWelcoming visitors to the school and arranging for the visits to be pleasant and worthwhile.Being available to community groups for public events that pertain to early childhood and to family life as a whole.Maintaining a liaison with representatives of various branches of local, state, and federal government for the purpose of supporting legislation concerned with education.
   Planning, Budget & ForecastingWork closely with the VP of Operation to follow the Academy's annual financial plan including key outcomes and corresponding budget. Manage weekly/monthly billing using the academy's management software.Collect, post, and deposit tuition payments daily.Collect outstanding tuition and implement academy policies regarding such.Provide weekly tuition aging report to Academy Director.Provide timely and accurate weekly and monthly records and reports - to include bank deposits, billing reports, contact logs and call backs, etc. to Academy Director as requested.Adhere to budgetary guidelines - specifically accounts receivable, labor expenditures and food purchases.
   Background, Experience, and EducationBachelors Degree preferred 2-3 years experience as Academy Director for a licensed child care facility Academic experience with infant, toddler, pre-school and/or elementary teaching Key expertise will include state licensing , marketing, recruitment and staff supervision, operations management and customer service Experience with Microsoft office products, with proficiency in Outlook, Excel and/or other database management or CRM systems
   Critical GiftsSpiritual maturity - committed and passionate follower of Jesus ChristBurning desire to reach children and parents People builder - proven ability to build teams, grow leaders, and create culture Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written Results-driven, self-starter Excellent customer-service skills and the ability to create effective partnerships with churches, families and staff Well-versed in child care accreditation and licensing standards Strong collaboration and teamwork
   Salary - Based on Experience and Education$50,000 - $68,000
   Thank you for your interest in joining the Lionheart Children's Academy team. We look forward to learning more about you.
   
   "But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14 (NIV)
   
   Blessings!
   Talent Acquisition Team
   The Lionheart Children's Academy

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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find residential life directors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting residential life directors 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 residential life director

   Once you have selected a candidate for the residential life director position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize 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 employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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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