Director of Residence Services and Student Support

About the Opportunity

Department

Student Life

Location

London Campus

Term

Full-time; permanent

Salary

Up to 80000 per annum

Benefits

The university supports staff maintaining a good work/life balance offer flexible working and parental leaveopportunities an Employee Assistance Programme which provides free confidential advice on both home and work concernsaswell asoptional private medical insurance season ticket loans andbeingpart of the cycle to work scheme.

Reports to

Senior Director for Student Life and Dean of Student in Boston

Start

1 August 2026

With dual reporting to the Senior Director for Student Life in London and the Dean of Student in Boston the Director of Residence Services and Student Support hold co-equal accountability for two distinct but interrelated functions:

(1) residential operations serving approximately 1000 mobility programme students living across multiple residence halls the residential population is exclusively a mobility cohort; and

(2) student support services extending to the full London campus student population including undergraduate postgraduate degree apprenticeship and mobility programme students regardless of whether they live in university accommodation.

The Director supervises the Head of Residence Services and the Head of Student Support. This role requires strategic collaboration across Student Engagement and Academics in London and Student Life throughout the Network to create a seamless student experience in line with Northeasterns goals. The Director ensures operational excellence in mobility housing services alongside strategic oversight of a robust proactive and campus-wide student support function. The Director is also responsible for staff development fiscal management assessment activities and serving as part of the on-call rotation for escalated incidents.

30% Residential Experience and Community Development

• Provide strategic leadership for the residential experience function across the London student population delivered through the Head of Residence Services.
• Set strategic priorities hold the Head accountable for operational delivery and act as the senior escalation point for complex or high-risk operational matters. The day-to-day management of residence halls staff rotas and student-facing processes sits with the Head of Residence Services; the Director provides strategic direction and ensures the function has the capacity and resource to deliver effectively.
• Hold strategic accountability for the health of the following sub-functions: residence life and community development; housing operations and student placement; mobility programme residential provision; and on-call and out-of-hours staffing arrangements.
• Ensure residential provision meets the distinct needs of each student cohort including the specific characteristics of mobility programme students (short duration stays first-time international experience and transition support needs)

30% Student Support Wellness and Case Management

• Provide strategic leadership for the student support function across the full London student population delivered through the Head of Student Support.

• Set strategic priorities hold the Head accountable for operational delivery and support the DSL and relevant professionals in complex or high-risk cases. The DSL role is held by the Head of Student Support; the Director provides managerial backing and ensures the DSL has the capacity and resource to fulfil their statutory responsibilities.

• Hold strategic accountability for the health of the following sub-functions: mental health and counselling; disability support and reasonable adjustments; SpLD advisory services; the SVLO function; the Report and Support platform; and Support to Study processes.

• Ensure provision meets OfS Condition B3 requirements is delivered equitably across all cohorts and that Clery Act and OfS and OfSTED reporting obligations are met.

20% Management Supervision and Training

• Provide leadership supervision and training for the Head of Residence Services and Head of Student Support along with their teams.

• Develop and monitor departmental goals objectives policies and procedures guiding employee performance special projects and initiatives crisis response protocols fiscal planning and strategic assessment of departmental activities.

• Ensure staff are developing professionally and meeting performance expectations.

• Lead employees while actively supporting a positive team culture.

• Provide effective performance management with measurable goals clear expectations and regular feedback.

10% Housing Operations and Management

• Through the Head of Residence Services oversee the full remit of housing operations which operates across two distinct areas.

• First direct management of residential operations for mobility programme students : housing assignments billing cohort arrival and departure logistics and building provider relations. Given the cyclical high-volume nature of mobility cohort arrivals ensure move-in and move-out processes are well-planned well-staffed and deliver a positive first and last impression of Northeastern University London.

• Second housing advisory and referral services for the wider student population including UG PG and degree apprenticeship students seeking private rented accommodation: maintain landlord referral schemes private market guidance and tenancy support resources ensuring students across all programmes have access to safe affordable and appropriate housing options.

• Ensure both strands of housing provision are appropriately resourced meet relevant regulatory and quality standards and are accessible to students who need them.

10% Collaboration and Strategic Partnerships

• Create and sustain productive relationships with colleagues across Student Life and other divisions in Boston and London.

• Collaborate across departments to increase efficiency enhance the student experience and create integrated approaches to student support and engagement.

• Masters degree in Student Personnel Administration Higher Education Education Administration or related field. (E)

• The qualified candidate will possess a minimum of 57 years of progressively responsible supervisory and managerial experience in Residence Life Student Support or a combination of both. (E)

• Experience leading or overseeing student support services including mental health provision disability support or case management in a higher education setting given that this role carries campus-wide student support accountability extending beyond the residential population. (D)

• Experience with UK American and/or international higher education contexts. (E)

• Strategic thinking and planning skills; strong oral written and interpersonal communication skills; and the ability to work collaboratively with faculty staff administrators and students at all levels in a complex diverse and international environment. (E)

• The position requires proficiency in the development and management of budgets knowledge of housing operations including managed residential provision and private rented sector advisory services student development theory collaborative learning residence hall programming building learning communities crisis response case management and staff development. (E)

• Demonstrated ability to lead organisational growth and foster cross-departmental collaboration as well as experience directly related to residence life and wellbeing for students in higher education. (E)

Application Process

Participation in the equal opportunities section is encouraged but voluntary.

Position Type

Additional Information

They can be reached at the following:

However all applications must be made in accordance with the application process specified.

Application process

Applications should be made by 00:00 on the job postings end date (if applicable).

Participation in the equal opportunities section is encouraged but voluntary.

Applications must include a covering letter of no more than one page that addresses the criteria for the role and a full curriculum vitae.

The panel will be shortlisting for this position on a rolling basis so please apply as soon as possible. We reserve the right to close this post before the closing date if we receive a large number of applications.

Please note all employees of Northeastern University London are required to undergo at least a basic DBS check. Our organisation acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard protect and promote the welfare of our students and staff and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities government guidance and complies with best practice and Ofsted requirements. You must adhere to the above if you are offered a role with NU London.

For staffs own wellbeing for part time roles the expectation is if you have multiple roles they should not exceed full time (37.5 hours per week) and for full time roles the expectation is that this will be your only role (apart from intermittent roles).

Applications are welcome from all sections of the community and will be judged on merit alone. We welcome applications from all underrepresented groups including the Global Majority. Candidates must be able to demonstrate their eligibility to work in the UK in accordance with the Immigration Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.