House Director (HD) 

Open Positions

Stanford Summer Session is hiring 12 full-time House Directors for the 2024 Summer Quarter. House Directors live in the dorms, oversee the daily operations of Stanford campus residence halls, supervise undergraduate Summer Resident Assistants (SRAs) for University Level or High School, design and implement programs, attend to student crises, and manage the residence hall budget, among other duties. They are the senior staff members living in the residences and, as such, shape the culture of the residential experience. The House Director position begins with a hire date of May 1, 2024 for online, asynchronous training.  Beginning Sunday, June 9, 2024 at 3pm through Sunday, August 18, 2024 at 5pm, the House Director position will be located on the Stanford campus.

Summer Session Overview 

The Summer Session office at Stanford University is responsible for administering the Summer Quarter – Stanford’s fourth academic term. Each summer Stanford welcomes approximately 1,250 visiting high school, undergraduate, and graduate students who come to campus and enroll in courses as part of Summer Quarter. Students participate in either Summer Session for University Level students or High School Level students. Students may live on campus or commute. Program participants come from across the U.S. and around the world with international students comprising approximately 35% of the visiting population. University and High School Level students attend classes together, but live in separate residences on campus, each with distinct residential staff. Summer Session is responsible for staffing all undergraduate residence halls and for coordinating co-curricular and social activities designed to support student needs and build a sense of community on campus.

University Level Program Overview

Stanford Summer Session admits around 530 visiting undergraduate and graduate students for the Summer Quarter. These students enroll in courses and share living space with approximately 1,000 Stanford students who elect to stay on campus during the summer months. Visiting students complete a selective admissions process to participate in the program. These students enroll in 8 or more units; Stanford students may take courses as well or engage in on- or off-campus research or employment opportunities. 

Summer Session students are academically focused and also eager to experience Stanford’s campus life and culture. They come to campus expecting to participate in a residential based community and engage with other visiting students and current Stanford students. Every Summer Session residential community provides vibrant programs to engage students in Stanford culture, enrich their academic experience, create social and community connection, and promote health and well-being. Summer Session also offers programs that span the residences and bring together different residential populations for academic and social programming. 

SRAs are assigned responsibility for a specific dorm that houses a particular population of students. Most dorms include a varying ratio of visiting and matriculated Stanford students. One dorm will exclusively house the International Honors Program which brings college students from around the world to live on campus and participate in the program. 

Visiting students will leave campus at the end of 8 weeks; most Stanford students will stay on campus for 10 or more weeks. All Summer Session students and staff have access to campus services and recreational facilities. 

High School Level Program Overview

Stanford welcomes approximately 550 high school students each summer – approximately 450 residential and 100 commuter students. High school students attending Summer Session are among the world’s most academically advanced high school students. Although these students are mature for their age, they rely on Summer Session Summer Resident Assistants for High School to aid in their transition to college life and the many freedoms and responsibilities that come with attending college. The High School SRA team will orient new students to the Stanford campus and academic life, offer relevant programming and support to facilitate this transition, help build community among the student cohort, and help the students who are struggling with this transition.

Position Description

House Directors oversee the daily operations of the residences assigned to them. They are the lead senior staff member living in the residences and, as such, shape the culture of the residential experience. HDs report directly to the Assistant Director for Residential Experience for their program. HDs indirectly report to the other Assistant Director for Residential Experience and the Associate Director for Residential Experience and Curriculum Management. HDs are valued members of the Summer Session team and are considered professional staff members during the summer.

The House Director position is full-time, contingent, residential, exempt, and tasked at 40-50 hours a week. The position is not subject to the overtime provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act. This is not a standard 9-5 office position, and includes significant evening, weekend, and on-call hours. House Directors live in a standard room in the residence complex for which they have direct oversight.

Essential Functions

Role Model and Leadership. As HDs are highly visible within the Stanford summer community, House Directors are expected to conduct themselves professionally, both in and out of the residence, at all times.  All staff should model respect for all people and work together to build a community based on equity and inclusion.

Supervision. House Directors supervise four to ten Stanford undergraduate students serving as residential staff (SRAs). Each HD works to ensure residential staff are completing their responsibilities and balancing their time appropriately. HDs are responsible for the training and professional development of their staff, ensuring consistent coverage of the residence, and reviewing and approving semi-monthly timecards. As supervisors, HDs work with appropriate staff to resolve questions regarding timecards and availability within their residence hall. HDs will conduct a midsummer and final evaluation of all direct reports. House Directors will participate in and/or lead weekly staff meetings, house meetings, house staff meetings, and other meetings as assigned. 
Student Oversight and Crisis Management. HDs will manage high-level student concerns and assist in ongoing student case management. HDs will refer to appropriate campus resources when necessary. 

Program Development. HDs will take the lead in the development of programming by their residential staff. These programs are academic, social, and co-curricular in nature. HDs should encourage their student staff to develop programs based on resident and community needs and staff interests and passions. House Directors may have an additional individual and small team assignment that benefits the operation of the program at large.

On-Call. HDs serve as Senior Staff On-Call, sharing weekday responsibilities with other HDs and serving approximately two to three weekends during the program. The Senior Staff On-Call responds to urgent and emergent situations for all residences of their respective programs, referring matters to the Assistant Directors for Residential Experience as appropriate.  While Senior Staff have an on-call rotation, as live-in staff members it is expected that HDs are easily accessible and on campus for the duration of the summer. 

Financial Management. HDs are responsible for managing the budget for their residence hall(s) and overseeing the purchase of materials required for residential programming. As stewards of house funds, they are responsible for ensuring that money is spent in a responsible and inclusive manner. HDs are also responsible for maintaining an inventory of house supplies and proper documentation of all purchases. 

Judicial and Policy Review. HDs serve as judicial/hearing officers for visiting students for violations of University and Summer Session Policies. As such, HDs adjudicate cases, track outcomes, and provide administrative follow-up. In addition, HDs, along with other Senior Staff, create and implement policies that span the residences of their programs. As a live-in professional staff member, each House Director may participate in a Community Standards Committee with other professional live-in staff members. This committee will meet to review lower-level student conduct concerns on a regular or as-needed basis.

Assessment. House Directors aid with staff and program assessment efforts and make recommendations as needed. 

On-Campus Staff Training. House Directors arrive on Sunday, June 9, 2024. Training is scheduled from Monday through Friday from approximately 8:30 am to 6:00 pm each day. HDs are expected to attend in-person and actively participate in training. The following week includes additional work/training commitments and culminates in three days of SRA training. House Directors work closely with their team to design and implement training for ~50 Summer Resident Assistants (University Level) and ~50 Summer Resident Assistants (High School Level). SRA training is from June 19-21, 2024 for approximately 30 hours total with some evening hours. HDs lead their staff teams in training, debrief, and preparation for student arrival for Welcome Weekend (June 22-23, 2024).  
 

Terms of Employment

Program Dates. House Directors will participate in self-guided, asynchronous online training courses beginning May 1, 2024. This training takes approximately 20 hours, which will be compensated at an hourly rate. Beginning Sunday, June 9, 2024 at 3pm through Sunday, August 18, 2024 at 5pm, the House Director position will be located on the Stanford campus.  

Individuals who accept a House Director position must be willing to commit to the full program. We are unable to accommodate requests to begin or end on different dates. 

Living in Residence and Community Dining. Room and board are included with this position and the House Director is required to live in the space provided by Summer Session for the duration of their assignment. They are the senior residential staff member in the assigned residence and address residential concerns. As such, the House Director is required to live in a private room provided by Summer Session which includes a meal plan and shared community bathroom. 

Outside Obligations. The House Director position is designed to be a 40 to 50-hour per week, exempt position, with night & weekend hours. No outside obligations, such as coursework or other employment, are permitted without prior supervisory approval. Failure to disclose outside obligations to Summer Session is grounds for dismissal.

Overnight Away and Guests. We encourage and mandate self-care and time away. Time off and away from campus must be approved by the Assistant Director for Residential Experience. HDs in high school residences may have guests until 1am, but may not have overnight guests in their residence.

Conduct and Policy Enforcement. Each HD will adhere to, administer, and enforce policies and procedures as outlined in the University Level/High School Program Handbooks as well as Stanford University’s Fundamental Standard, Behavioral Agreement, Honor Code, Alcohol/Substance Abuse Policy, and Residence Agreement, and all other applicable University and Stanford Summer Session policies. House Directors must be willing to address, document, and handle disciplinary situations and serve in a position of authority. 

Training and Welcome Weekend. House Directors are required to attend in person and actively participate in all staff training sessions for University Level and High School Level House Directors (June 9-14, 2024, and June 17, 2024) and SRA staff (June 19-21, 2024). House Directors are required to attend in person and participate in Welcome Weekend (June 22-23, 2024) events, which include early morning and evening hours. Failure to attend training in person or participate in Welcome Weekend is grounds for dismissal. 

Background Check. All summer staff must successfully complete a HireRight and Live Scan background check. The background check will be initiated once an offer is extended and accepted. Employment is contingent on successfully passing a background check. In addition, all House Directors will be required to complete a Live Scan fingerprint background check upon their arrival on campus.
 

Employment Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree. Related experience. Must possess a valid driver’s license. 

Preferred Qualifications: Stanford Summer Session seeks House Directors who are enthusiastic about the many opportunities for cultural and educational programs during the summer term. An ideal candidate would have more than two years of related leadership and supervisory experience in Residential Life, Academic Support, Judicial Affairs/Student Conduct, or Undergraduate Education. For High School Level HDs, preference is given to candidates with experience in academically rigorous Secondary School programs.

Compensation: The compensation package for this position includes on-site housing, a full dining plan (19 meals per week), and a total salary of $13,000 to be paid out over 10 weeks. Stanford Summer Session provides an on-call cell phone, and a $25/month cell phone stipend (pro-rated) will be paid via Stanford payroll. Stanford does not reimburse cell phone costs.

Application Details

The application asks for a resume, undergraduate transcript, graduate school transcript (if applicable), and two references. Qualified applicants are invited to interview over Zoom for the position. 

The Summer 2024 application is now open. Deadline for priority consideration is January 24, 2024. 

FAQs / Frequently Asked Questions (2024)

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Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of the job.

Stanford is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We are not able to provide relocation or sponsorship for this position. Thank you for your interest!