Community Director

WHITMAN COLLEGE

Located in the historic community of Walla Walla, Whitman’s vibrant and beautiful tree-lined campus is home to an intellectually diverse, dynamic, welcoming and supportive community of some 500 staff and faculty serving approximately 1,500 students from the local region and across the globe. With exceptional students, accomplished faculty and staff, and a fiercely loyal and growing number of engaged alumni, Whitman College continues to build on its national reputation for academic excellence as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country.  

Whitman College is cultivating a community built on inclusion and belonging. We recognize the value of those who can offer historically underrepresented perspectives and encourage applications from those whose background, knowledge, and insights from lived experience can add to the college’s working and learning environment. Whitman College is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer (EEO).

POSITION PURPOSE

The Community Director (CD) shares with other members of the Student Life staff the general responsibility of supporting the educational aims of the College. The CD serves as an educator and role model while assisting students in their efforts to make full use of the opportunities and resources available to them. This role oversees the supervision, administration, and community development for a number of residential facilities and may lead broader initiatives within Residence Life and Housing. 

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

Supervision (25%)

• Supervise a team of paraprofessional Resident Assistants.  
• Present and facilitate training and leadership development opportunities. 
• Provide ongoing team building and develop a sense of group support and learning for your staff.
• Provide mentoring and assistance to junior professional staff (Resident Directors).
• Participate in paraprofessional staff recruitment and hiring processes.
• Coordinate and guide group efforts on strategic special projects.

Community Development and Programming (20%)

• Develop strategic goals for learning and development within residential spaces. 
• Arrange and facilitate social and academic events and programs.
• Advise student group programming including student hall government. 
• Act as a resource for residents requesting program information.
• Encourage alcohol and drug education programs.
• Encourage residents to respect others’ rights and maintain a safe and secure community atmosphere. 
• Lead substantial projects and programming initiatives for all on campus students.

Counseling and Referral (15%)

• Be generally available to residents and communicate effectively with students, staff, and faculty. 
• Be supportive of diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices to best support community members. 
• Counsel students concerning personal college concerns and refer to other resources when appropriate.
• Respond to student wellbeing concerns, including those referred through the College’s Care Team, and keep clear records in the College’s care network platform.
• Participate in an on-call rotation to assist other junior professional staff in the event of a crisis or unexpected significant concern.

Administration (15%)

• Inform residents of College functions, resources, and beneficial off-campus agencies. 
• Attend Community Director/Resident Director meetings and facilitate student staff meetings.
• Open and close the hall at each vacation period. Collect and report information on hall maintenance problems.
• Maintain accurate and current hall records, including weekly logs, floor plans, key check-out and inventory, space scheduling, expenditure accounts, incident reports, damage reports, and room condition reports.
• Keep the Residence Life and Housing Office informed as to all room changes and change requests.
• Interpret and enforce College policy in residential spaces.
• Meet with students about student conduct violations when instructed to do so.
• Be responsive to communications including emails in a timely manner.
• Serve on campus committees as requested.
• Represent the College to parents and guests.

Co-lateral Assignment (Up to 25%)

• Community Directors may have an additional “co-lateral” assignment, which may change from year to year as assigned. These assignments are typically larger programs or responsibilities either internal to Residence Life and Housing or paired with another partner office.
• For 2026-2027, one Community Director will have the co-lateral assignment of co-leading the Peer Academic Leaders (PALs) program. This program is jointly led by the Residence Life and Housing Office and the Dean of Students Office. It oversees 9 student Peer Academic Leaders residing in first-year spaces for the Fall 2026 semester.
• Other previous or current co-lateral assignments include working on the College’s student conduct team, advising sorority and/or fraternity life, and supporting Housing Operations technology. New projects may be introduced annually.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

Must be able to explain and/or demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities to safely perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation. Specifically,

• Ability to support and advance the College’s core goals of diversity, equity, inclusion, antiracism, and access.
• Ability to build community among residential undergraduate college students.
• Ability to stay organized, set attainable goals, and complete projects without reminders.
• Ability to facilitate team building, present training material, and speak to large groups. 
• Ability to be flexible and be comfortable with ambiguity.
• Ability to communicate clearly on difficult topics while being empathetic.
• Ability to manage email and text communications and respond in a timely manner.
• Ability to work both independently and in a team-focused educational environment and be ready to jump in and take on new projects as needed.

PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Experience presenting to groups and leading trainings.
• Knowledge of Student Development Theory.
• Experience with diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, antiracism, and accessibility programming, theories, or analysis.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's Degree.
• 2+ years of post-college professional experience.
• Experience working with undergraduate residential college communities.
• Experience working in Student Affairs. 
• OR a combination of relevant education, training, and experience. 

Whitman College values diverse pathways to acquiring skills and knowledge and encourages applicants to demonstrate how their background aligns with the role.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s Degree in a related field.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license and meet one of the following criteria: be at least 18 years old with 2 years of driving experience and complete a driver improvement course, OR be at least 19 with 3 years of experience and successfully pass a motor vehicle report (MVR) check.

Please note that while the description details both required and preferred qualifications, we want applicants to be aware that they do not need to have all of the preferred qualifications to be considered for this position. If you meet the minimum qualifications and have passion for the work, you are encouraged to apply.

BENEFITS

Whitman College offers a competitive benefits program that is designed to attract qualified candidates and retain talented employees. Benefit offerings and eligibility described reflect current offerings and may be subject to change in accordance with College policies and plan documents. Full-time employees enjoy the following benefits:

Medical/Dental/Vision Insurances.

Basic life, accidental death and dismemberment and long term disability insurances with the capability to elect additional voluntary coverage.

403(b) Defined Contribution Retirement Plan with a 10% matching contribution after eligibility requirements are met.

Paid Time Off: 20 accrued vacation days, 12 accrued sick days, 13 paid holidays.

Tuition Remission – Dependent Children

Employee tuition waiver for two Whitman courses per semester.

Employee Assistance Program

Relocation assistance for eligible employees. 

Learn more about benefits eligibility here. 

ADDITIONAL PERKS, BENEFITS, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

• These are live-in positions and come with a 1-2 bedroom/1-2 bathroom residence hall apartment.
• Position includes a full meal plan (over $5,000 in meal money per year).
• This position includes evening and weekend work and offers a flexible work schedule.
• Includes the option to take one course per semester depending on space available.
• Opportunity to attend and submit proposals for professional conferences. 
• This position is eligible for all other full-time benefits afforded employees at Whitman College in accordance with the current benefits plan. 
• Community Director positions are tremendous opportunities for leadership development. They provide both a structured professional development environment while requiring independence, judgment, and the ability to adapt and learn quickly.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION FOR JOB CANDIDATES

Contact Human Resources regarding requests for disability accommodation in the employment application process.

APPLICATION REVIEW

Priority application review will begin on April 5 and continue until the position is filled. 

START DATE

August 2026