Job Summary

The Director, Residential Services has primary and direct responsibility for Drexel-managed residential housing and conference occupancy and management of third-party relationships for on-campus residential housing. This position is responsible for cultivating the vision for the residential program (focusing on revenue generation, program development, quality assurance, and customer feedback), communicating the vision to third-party vendors, and managing the relationships with internal and external constituents to execute the strategic vision. The director of residential services oversees the team responsible for housing assignments, serving as a “one-stop-shop” for student/conference information, partnering with the building operations staff to ensure a clean, well-maintained, safe environment, providing timely outreach, and promoting engagement for residents and staff.

This is a Hybrid position with the expectation to work in the office 2-3 days per week.

Essential Functions

• Oversee Occupancy Management (assignments and billing) and Conference Services programs to maximize revenue delivery.
• Develop and implement strategies to improve the margin performance for both programs that positively impact the University’s bottom line, align with the student enrollment and retention goals, and strengthen the Drexel brand.
• Define each constituent group (first year, returning, transfer, internal and external groups) and develop strategies to maximize the opportunities with each population.
• Develop and oversee the implementation of communications plans (informational, promotional, and compliance) to support housing and conference services programs.
• Evaluate and assess university housing occupancy, retention, benchmarking, and trends to make informed projections and room and building assignments to optimize space and maximize net surplus in alignment with student lifecycle management goals.
• Establish and lead the vision for the University Housing team to provide overall direction, coordination, collaboration, and guidance for University Housing programs and services.
• In collaboration with Residence Life, create and support programs that strengthen a sense of belonging among residential students, ultimately supporting the institution’s retention efforts, and improving residential student retention beyond the required two years.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners to create residential communities that utilize best practices in student development and research and create engaging, living and learning environments.
• Assess capacity, gender ratio and distribution, finances, and space utilization.
• Create a system of checks and balances for assignments and billing to minimize error.
• Employ statistical analyses to improve the efficiency of residence hall space use.
• Oversee the housing application, assignment, and billing processes. Review, update and implement Drexel’s 2-Year Residency Requirement and other housing programs’ related to design, policies, procedures and compliance.
• Expand the summer housing program.
• Establish and lead the vision for the Conference Services team to provide overall direction, coordination, collaboration, and guidance.
• Develop a network of potential clients and colleagues in the event and conference industry to enhance the public presence of the university as a conference site as it relates to the strategic plan.
• Develop a high profile by taking an active role in professional associations to understand business market trends, space demands, and growth opportunities.
• Oversee the creation of marketing and communication tools to recruit and retain customers. Cultivate and implement new strategic business revenue opportunities.
• Serve as point of contact for the third-party affiliated residential housing partner(s). Develop a mutually beneficial partnership and work collaboratively with the partner to optimize occupancy, financial results, policies and procedures and customer service. Ensure third-party residential housing partner(s) develop and implement marketing and communications strategies to promote revenue generation.
• Serve as the University escalation contact for service issues related to housing assignments, exception requests, etc. Monitor residential customer feedback trends and review and coordinate with the third-party partners as necessary on action plans. Work collaboratively with the Executive Director, Operations to ensure customer service inquiries are addressed promptly.
• Manage associated operational budgets for the assigned areas.
• Work with Drexel Business Services Finance and Administration to ensure the accuracy of cost center usage for expense and assist with charge-back documentation.
• Prioritize student-led initiatives for inclusion into Business Services’ budget and planning.
• Manage the repository of business continuity plans for unplanned business disruption for related areas.
• Evaluate and assess university housing occupancy, retention, benchmarking and trends to make informed projections and room and building assignments to optimize space and maximize net surplus in alignment with student lifecycle management goals.
• As appointed by the Associate Vice President, Drexel Business Services, represent the department and division on committees and initiatives.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor's degree and 7 years of experience.
• Ability and willingness to work a flexible schedule including nights and weekends.
• Supervisory or management experience.
• Strong administrative and customer service experience.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, and demonstrate initiative.
• Effective communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree
• Progressive management experience, preferably in higher education.
• Experience in university housing or assignments and billing.
• Experience using StarRez.

Location

University City, Philadelphia PA

Additional Information

This position is classified as Exempt, grade M. Compensation for this grade ranges from $75,200 - $112,790. Please note that the offered rate for this position typically aligns with the minimum to midrange of this grade, but it can vary based on the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience, department budget, and an internal equity review.   

We encourage you to explore Drexel's Professional Staff salary structure and Compensation Guidelines & Policies for more details on our compensation framework.  

You can also find valuable information about our benefits in the Benefits Brochure.  

Special Instructions to the Applicant

Please make sure you upload your CV/resume and cover letter when submitting your application.

Review of applicants will begin once a suitable candidate pool is identified.

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