Executive Director of Housing and Residential Life

The Executive Director of Housing and Residential Life provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for Loyola Marymount University’s comprehensive housing and residential life program, supporting approximately 3,500 students living on campus. Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Residential Life & Integrated Learning, the Executive Director leads an integrated portfolio encompassing Residential Life, Occupancy & Technology, Facilities Liaison, and Operations, Budget & Customer Service.
The Executive Director is responsible for translating divisional and institutional priorities into a cohesive residential experience that advances student learning, belonging, well-being, retention, and success. The position leads the department’s day-to-day and long-range work; develops and supports professional staff; strengthens housing systems, services, and infrastructure; and ensures effective coordination across residential life, occupancy, technology, facilities, financial operations, and customer service. The Executive Director promotes an inclusive residential environment that supports students across identities, backgrounds, class years, and residential community types.
Working collaboratively across Student Affairs and with Enrollment Management, Facilities Management, Information Technology Services, Public Safety, Finance, Academic Affairs, Mission and Ministry, and other university partners, the Executive Director advances residential communities grounded in LMU’s Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount mission and commitment to the education of the whole person. The Executive Director represents Housing and Residential Life in university-wide planning, strategic initiatives, and emergency response efforts and provides leadership for coordinated communication with students and families on significant matters affecting the residential community.
Position Specific Responsibilities/Accountabilities
Strategic Leadership and Organizational Management
In partnership with the AVPRI provide overall leadership, vision, direction, and accountability for Housing and Residential Life across the Executive Director portfolio.
Lead an integrated management structure across Residential Life, Occupancy & Technology, Facilities Liaison, and Operations & Customer Service, ensuring that functional areas operate as one coordinated housing and residential life organization.
Directly supervise, mentor, and evaluate the Associate Director of Residence Life; Associate Director of Occupancy & Technology; Facilities Liaison; and the leader of Operations & Customer Service, consistent with the approved organizational structure.
Establish annual priorities, performance expectations, service standards, and accountability measures aligned with divisional and university goals.
Lead organizational change, process improvement, staff development, succession planning, and efforts to strengthen a collaborative, responsive, and student-centered culture.
Partner with the AVPRI on strategic planning, institutional priorities, policy development, and major initiatives affecting residential students.
Use assessment, student and family feedback, benchmarking, and operational data to evaluate effectiveness and continuously improve the residential experience.
Develop and manage departmental budgets and resources and exercise sound fiscal stewardship in support of departmental priorities.
Residential Life
Provide strategic oversight for the residential life program, including community development, education, student support, conduct, crisis response, and the residential student experience.
Ensure residential communities are intentionally designed to foster belonging, connection, learning, well-being, accountability, and student success.
In partnership with the AVPRI assist with executive oversight for Living-Learning Communities, Faculty-in-Residence, live in residential staffing model, and other residential engagement initiatives within the Residential Life portfolio.
Ensure effective recruitment, selection, training, supervision, and professional development structures for professional and student residential life staff.
Support consistent approaches to student care, conduct, emergency response, and referral in partnership with appropriate university offices.
Occupancy & Technology
Provide strategic oversight for occupancy management, housing assignments, room selection, vacancies, cancellations, room changes, and related housing processes.
Monitor occupancy trends and housing demand and develop strategies that support effective use of the University’s residential inventory while responding to student needs.
Partner with Enrollment Management and other university leaders to anticipate enrollment, retention, and housing demand and translate projections into effective occupancy strategies.
Ensure strong functional leadership for StarRez and other housing technologies, including workflows, reporting, data integrity, system improvements, and technology-enabled service.
Ensure timely, accurate occupancy reports, projections, and data are available to support executive decision-making and institutional planning.
Facilities Liaison and Residential Environment
Provide leadership and direction for the Housing facilities liaison function, ensuring effective coordination between Housing and university facilities partners.
Establish clear processes for identifying, escalating, tracking, and communicating residential facilities, maintenance, and building-related concerns.
Partner with Facilities Management and other university colleagues on maintenance planning, capital projects, renovations, residence hall readiness, and improvements to the physical residential environment.
Ensure Housing leadership has timely information regarding facilities conditions and projects that affect students, families, staff, occupancy, or residential operations.
Advance a coordinated approach to the physical residential environment that supports safety, functionality, student well-being, and a high-quality residential experience.
Operations, Budget & Customer Service
Provide strategic oversight for Housing's financial and administrative operations, budget development and management, forecasting, customer service, contracts, policies and procedures, communications, and service delivery.
Oversee the development, monitoring, and management of the Housing operating budget, ensuring resources are aligned with departmental priorities and university expectations.
Develop and maintain budget forecasts; monitor revenues and expenditures; identify financial trends, risks, and opportunities; and provide timely financial analysis to support Executive Director and AVP decision-making.
Ensure appropriate fiscal controls and accountability for expenditures, purchasing, contracts, and other financial processes in accordance with university policies and procedures.
Provide leadership and oversight for the Operations & Customer Service function, ensuring effective day-to-day administrative operations and high-quality front-facing support for students and families.
Establish and monitor service standards that promote timely, accurate, consistent, and student-centered responses to students, families, and campus partners.
Ensure housing policies, contracts, procedures, and operational practices are administered consistently and reviewed regularly for effectiveness and clarity.
Lead efforts to streamline processes and improve coordination across Housing functions, reducing unnecessary friction for students and families.
Ensure effective planning and execution of major Housing operational cycles, including opening, closing, transitions, and other high-volume periods.
Use financial, operational, and customer-service data to identify opportunities for improved efficiency, resource allocation, and service delivery.
Assessment, Risk Management, and Continuous Improvement
Develop and maintain meaningful performance indicators for occupancy, service delivery, student experience, residential engagement, operations, and other departmental priorities.
Use data, assessment, benchmarking, and trend analysis to identify areas for improvement and inform resource allocation and strategic decisions.
Ensure departmental practices support applicable university policies, risk-management expectations, emergency protocols, and legal or regulatory requirements in partnership with appropriate university offices.
Lead after-action reviews and continuous improvement efforts following major operational cycles, incidents, or significant residential initiatives.
Prepare reports, presentations, and recommendations for the Associate Vice President and senior university leadership as needed.
University Service and Additional Responsibilities
Support divisional and university initiatives that advance student success, retention, engagement, well-being, and institutional priorities.
Serve on university and divisional committees, task forces, and workgroups as assigned.
Perform additional duties assigned by the Associate Vice President for Residential Life & Integrated Learning or divisional leadership.
Requisite Qualifications
A master’s degree in higher

Skills
Process Improvement, Financial Analysis, Risk Management