Assistant Director for Residence Life Strategic Initiatives & Student Success

Job Title

Assistant Director for Residence Life Strategic Initiatives & Student Success

Agency

Tarleton State University

Department

Residence Life

Proposed Minimum Salary

Commensurate

Job Location

Stephenville, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

Tarleton State University, a distinguished Doctoral National Comprehensive University, invites applications for the position of Assistant Director for Residence Life Strategic Initiatives & Student Success in the Department of Residence Life. As part of a vibrant academic community dedicated to excellence in teaching, research, and service, this role offers the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to a university that values innovation, collaboration, and inclusive growth. Join us in advancing knowledge and transforming lives—on campus and beyond. Tarleton State University continues to grow its impact across Texas, with four distinct campuses located in Stephenville, Fort Worth, RELLIS-Bryan and Waco, along with a robust online community that extends our reach even further.

 

At the heart of it all is Stephenville, where Tarleton State offers a dynamic environment for faculty and staff. From a lively live music scene and numerous local festivals to rich traditions rooted in the surrounding community, Stephenville provides a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere.

 

No matter where you're located—on campus or online—you are part of a mission that transforms lives and makes a difference across the state of Texas and beyond.

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Important Immigration Information:

A Presidential proclamation issued on September 19, 2025, imposes a $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions filed after September 21, 2025. Please be advised that Tarleton State University will NOT pay this fee. Therefore, if you need immigration sponsorship for your employment, we recommend that you consult with your private immigration counsel at your own expense to ascertain whether your current immigration status would make a potential offer of employment from Tarleton State University subject to this fee. 

  

In addition, on January 27, 2026, Texas Governor Abbot issued a moratorium on the filing of any new H-1B unless approved by the Texas Workforce Commission. Accordingly, if you will now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status this moratorium may affect our ability to employ you should you be selected as the final candidate. 

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The Assistant Director for Residence Life Student Engagement & Retention serves as a cross-functional leader responsible for: Planning and oversight of summer camps and conferences; conduct-process and CARE team support for the Dean of Students; transfer student success efforts; occupancy management in close partnership with Housing Operations and as liaison to Athletics for housing placements and special populations; and coordinated retention initiatives for all students across the campus. supports the assessment and continuous improvement of the department. Support This role advances student belonging, persistence, and success through data-informed strategy, intentional partnerships, and operational excellence. 

 

This is an in-office position, located in Stephenville, Texas. Work hours are generally Monday through Friday 8AM-5PM and may include some evenings and weekends, as needed, to support major student events. Serves as Campus Security Authority (CSA) and is essential to university operations and expected to work during emergency situations.

 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

1) Summer Camps & Conferences (25%) 

• Lead strategic planning, sales pipeline, contracting, risk management, and execution for summer camps/conferences utilizing campus housing, dining, and facilities. 
• Coordinate master calendar, space allocations, staffing models, and service levels; develop and manage camp handbooks and SOPs. 
• Oversee onboarding, training, scheduling, and supervision of student and seasonal staff (check-in/out, desk ops, customer service, emergency response). 
• Ensure compliance with youth protection standards, background check protocols, Clery, Title IX/IX-Adjacency, and insurance requirements in partnership with Risk Management and Legal. 
• Manage budgets, invoicing, and revenue targets; monitor margins and implement cost controls. 
• Conduct post-program assessments and continuous improvement cycles.

2) Off Campus Resources– College Pads (10%) 

• Support with College Pads software that is a vital resource for many of our continuing students. 
• Collaborate with College Pads and Tarleton for the scheduling of the off-campus housing fairs throughout the year. 
• Collaborate with fellow ADs on marketing and communicating with the students about the dates and events. 
• Being a point of contact for the students and preferred partners in communications and follow ups for resourcing College Pads. 

3) Safety, Security, Crisis Management & CARE Team Liaison (25%)

• Serve as a key member of the department's emergency preparedness and crisis response efforts by coordinating incident response protocols, supporting emergency communication processes, and ensuring staff are trained on safety, security, and emergency response procedures.
• Collaborate with Campus Police, Risk Management, Emergency Management, and campus partners to respond to critical incidents, support threat assessment efforts, and participate in post-incident review and continuous improvement processes.
• Serve as the primary Housing and Residence Life liaison to the CARE Team, providing referrals, case updates, and coordinated support for students of concern.
• Partner with campus stakeholders to develop intervention strategies, facilitate timely follow-up, and promote student well-being, retention, and success through a holistic care approach.

4) Transfer Student Success & Transition (10%) 

• Lead a campus-wide strategy for transfer student onboarding, housing access, community-building, and early academic engagement. 
• Partner with Admissions, Advising, Orientation, and Academic Colleges to streamline pathways, credit articulation awareness, and social integration. 
• Implement targeted communications, peer mentoring, and milestone check-ins (30/60/90 days). 
• Support with College Pads software that is a vital resource for many of our transfer students 
• Analyze transfer persistence/stop-out data and coordinate timely interventions. 

5) Occupancy Management & Athletics Liaison (15%) 

• Co-lead occupancy strategy with Housing Operations: forecasting, assignment timelines, room selection, waitlists, exemptions, special populations. 
• Serve as a departmental lead for the StarRez housing management platform, supporting system administration, annual configuration updates, testing, and optimization to align with institutional housing operations and student success goals.
• Build and maintain StarRez workflows, applications, forms, communication templates, room selection processes, occupancy reports, user roles, and business processes to enhance operational efficiency and the student experience.
• Provide training, onboarding, and ongoing support for professional staff, student employees, and campus partners utilizing StarRez; develop training materials, user guides, and standard operating procedures.
• Collaborate with Information Technology, Housing Operations, and campus stakeholders to identify system enhancements, troubleshoot issues, implement upgrades, and support new functionality.

On-Call Responsibility (10%)

• Serve in the Assistant Director departmental on-call rotation.
• Respond to crisis/behavioral emergencies as needed and communicate with leadership team.

Other (5%)

• Represent Residence Life and Division of Student Affairs at university functions and events.
• Manage special projects and committee assignments as delegated.
• Serve as a Campus Security Authority (CSA): document and report crime information; participate in Clery Act training; reference CSA Manual per University Police Department guidelines.

Minimum Qualifications

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in applicable field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Six years of related experience.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of word processing and spreadsheet applications.
• Ability to multitask and work cooperatively with others.
• Collaborative communication skills.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary: Commensurate with experience

Salary Range:

The target base annual salary range is $49,000 up to $53,900 and may be negotiable based on funding availability and candidate experience/skillset in relation to the minimum requirements of this position.

 

We are proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package for full-time and qualifying part-time employees. Our Careers Page offers an overview of the great benefits we offer; for detailed information visit our Benefits Information page.

 

Qualified candidates are encouraged to submit a completed application for consideration. Initial review of applications will begin immediately and continue until position is filled.

Application Procedure:

During the application process applicants have one opportunity to enter the requested information, upload documents and Submit the application. Applicants will not be able to make changes or add additional documents once the application materials have been submitted via "Submit" action.

 

Employment applications must include:

• Completed online application

• Cover Letter / Letter of Interest addressing qualifications

• Curriculum Vitae or Resume

• At least 3 current professional references and their full contact information

 

Applications received by Tarleton State University must have all job application data entered.  Failure to provide all job application data could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application.  “See resume” is not an acceptable entry in the job application.  Incomplete applications will not be considered.

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.