St. Thomas University

• Strategic Planning: Develops, implements, and assesses the strategic plan for residence life (including programming, student staff, student conduct, and at-risk behaviour) that aligns with institutional goals, leading research, and best practices. The ADSSRL ensures that the planning of programs such as Orientation & Welcome Week align with strategic institutional objectives; assists the Director in development, implementation, and assessment of the department's strategic plan.
• Professional Development: Support and develop staff training and professional development opportunities for SSRL team.
• Human Resources: Provides onboarding, support, and performance management to the Residence Supervisors; accountable for the hiring, support, and management of student staff (RAs, RCs, etc.) In partnership with the Director, the ADSSRL, also provides leadership and support with Student Services staff.
• Residence Operations: Accountable for the operation (and process improvement) of residence administration related processes, including but not limited to: budgeting, occupancy targets, applications, room placements, check-in and out processes, communications, and summer conference bookings.
• Residence Recruitment & Retention: Is responsible for developing and meeting occupancy targets. Works collaboratively with Admissions and Recruitment to develop recruiting strategies for residence. Works collaboratively with Admissions and Athletics for residence bursary distribution. Develops strategies to leverage the residence system to support student recruitment such as with youth organizations during summer months.
• Budget: Manages and plans the Residence Life budget, Welcome Week budget, and liaises with Financial Services and Facilities Management on related issues (damage deposits, reconciling student accounts, etc.). Creates and implements strategies to meet occupancy targets by maximizing the use of space in residences, both during the academic year and summer months. Identifies target groups and creates and implements initiatives to increase occupancy by students and external priority groups.
• Critical Incident Response and Management: Ensures that all procedures for crisis response align with best practices; assists and guides staff through crisis response; makes decisions on support plans for students' physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing; communicates with students, parents/family members, staff, and external agencies during and after crisis events.
• Student Conduct: Manages the student conduct system in residence; assists the Director and manages some cases of Non-Academic Misconduct on campus including investigation, mediations, adjudications, and sanctions.
• At-Risk Behaviour: Ensures that safety is a primary focus of the residence and campus communities through evaluation and management of risks related to residence and student life; in collaboration with the Mental Health Coordinator, develops proactive approaches to at-risk behaviour in residence and on-campus; and coordinates responses to at risk behaviour (including alcohol, drug use, sexual violence, etc.).
• Campus-Wide Activities: Leads planning of Welcome Week for the University; plans and oversees regular campus-wide events; creates opportunities for new events, modes of involvement, and ways for students to connect; ensures that transition and campus life events align with strategic goals and best practices for student retention.
• House Committee: Provides training and support to elected student representatives for each house. Acts as primary advisor to House Committee members.
• Food Services Liaison: Serves as the primary University contact with the Food Services Provider, including regular meetings with the food services provider, chairing a food services committee, responding to concerns and complaints, ensuring effective campus-wide communication, and ensuring students with dietary issues can navigating the system.
• Facilities: Works closely with Facilities Management related to management of the residence system.
• Partnerships: Works closely with tri-campus partners to deliver parallel services to students provided by UNB and NBCC (e.g., UNB Security, UNB Residence Life, CSASA, LGBTQIA2S+ Wellness Coordinator, etc.).

On Call

• Not part of regular on-call rotation with Residence Supervisors but does some limited on-call and acts as support to the Residence Supervisors, requiring some after-hours response.
• Limited on-call rotation responsibilities to support Residence Supervisors.
• Is prepared to take calls from University staff and/or external parties (e.g., Fredericton Police; Campus Security) in matters of crisis.
• Acts as backup on-call to Residence Supervisors.

• An undergraduate degree: a master's degree is considered an asset.
• Five (5) or more years of related leadership experience and demonstrated mastery in the following areas: residence leadership, development and implementation of student/client-centric programming and services, human resources management, budget management, and crisis intervention. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Knowledge and foundation in concepts of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Experience in program planning, development, and assessment in a higher education context.
• Experience in student conduct management.
• Experience in trauma informed gender-based violence response, support, and adjudication an asset.
• Experience addressing contentious or sensitive issues or explaining complex information to others, and the ability to use well-developed skills of tact, discretion, and persuasiveness to gain cooperation or agreement.
• Proven skills of mediation and negotiation to deal with controversial and/or sensitive issues, or to counsel others to deal with such issues.
• Ability to carefully communicate the organization's position on specific matters and to use multiple forms of communication and variations in tone and style.
• Ability to articulate policies, procedures, or strategies concerning Student Services and Residence Life.
• Experience negotiating and drafting agreements with internal and/or external clients and suppliers.
• Ability to analyze and develop solutions to problems of a complex nature.
• Knowledge of and experience working with effective residence programming models/curricular approaches and managing complex housing situations.
• Emergency First Aid and ASIST or similar mental health intervention training.
• Experience with residence management software an asset.

Working Conditions:

• Occasional need to work evenings and weekends, which can cause a disruption to personal life. Be readily available to the Residence Supervisors and RA teams regarding direction, assistance, and support.
• Occasional need to work more than 35 hours per week.
• Occasional crisis management requirements can cause disruption to personal life.
• Regular need to pay close attention to students' needs and concerns and to interact with parents/guardians regarding same.

Candidates are responsible for clearly demonstrating in their cover letters how they meet the requirements of the position. All applications are to be received by 4:30 p.m. on the closing date. Please note that the selection process may include testing related to the advertised requirements. Candidates will be advised of any testing prior to the interview.

Offers of employment will be conditional upon a candidate providing proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 (or a valid medical or religious exemption).

An equal opportunity employer, St. Thomas University is committed to employment equity for women, Aboriginal peoples, members of visible minority groups, and persons with disabilities. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

St. Thomas University

Founded in 1910, St. Thomas is a primarily undergraduate university located in Fredericton, NB. With an enrolment of 1,700 students, STU offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Work degrees for undergraduates, in addition to distinctive program opportunities like the Bachelor of Arts (Aviation Stream), the Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqey Bachelor of Social Work, and the Bachelor of Applied Arts. For those interested in post-degree or graduate studies, St. Thomas offers a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Social Work.

Professors are distinguished scholars, authors, and commentators, and provide an outstanding education to their students. STU outperforms the Canadian university average for effective teaching, a supportive environment, student-faculty interactions, and higher order learning (National Survey of Student Engagement). Students report greater gains in critical thinking, writing, and problem solving when compared to the national average (CUSC Survey of First-Year Students). The university holds Canada Research Chairs in global and transnational studies and in physical culture and social life, as well as a health research chair in community health and aging.

Mission

St. Thomas University prioritizes teaching and learning so that each student is prepared for personal and career fulfillment. Through leading programs informed by our humanistic approach and opportunities for experiential education, we offer a robust and inclusive learning community that fosters connections across academic disciplines and emerging scholarly areas. On our beautiful campus, supportive faculty and staff create the ideal place for discovery and possibility. Each St. Thomas student is empowered to think independently, communicate effectively, and act responsibly. Meaningful contributions to the communities we serve locally, nationally, and globally are made today, through our teaching and research, and tomorrow, through the success of our alumni.

Vision

St. Thomas University commits to become the leading choice for students seeking a holistic university student experience.