Area Coordinator

Amherst has taken a leadership role among highly selective liberal arts colleges and universities in successfully diversifying the racial, socio-economic, and geographic profile of its student body. The College is similarly committed to enriching its educational experience and its culture through the diversity of its faculty, administration and staff.

Job Description:

Amherst College invites applications for the Area Coordinator position. The Area Coordinator is a full-time, year-round position. The expected salary range for this job opportunity is: $53,000 to $54,000 per year.

The salary offered will vary based on a number of factors, including but not limited to relevant education, training, and experience, tenure status, and other nondiscriminatory business considerations. Amherst College is pleased to provide a comprehensive, highly competitive benefits package that meets the needs of staff and faculty and their families. Click here for Benefits Information .

The Area Coordinator (AC) will work as part of the Office of Community Living team within Student Affairs, which builds and advances the connection between our students, their environment, and each other. The AC will work to create a residential living and learning experience that enables students to grow their sense of self, improve their individual and collective wellbeing, challenge themselves to learn and grow holistically, and fully engage in the intellectual life of the college.

Under the direction of the Director for Residential Engagement, the AC is responsible for assisting in the development, implementation, and evaluation of a comprehensive residential engagement program. As a front-line student-facing position, the AC will help students develop leadership skills needed to build and create a culture that values equity, belonging, wellbeing, and respect. The work encourages and supports our students to grow and learn academically, socially, and emotionally. The AC implements programs and environmental strategies that promote and center holistic student development that is constructively challenging and supportive. This includes working with and supervising student staff. The AC bases their work in theoretical frameworks and evidence-informed practices. The AC role focuses on both care and accountability for students, and the oversight of programming related to improving the overall experience of our students living in the halls.

The AC role is a full-time, 12-month position. As on-campus housing is a position requirement, the AC is provided a semi-furnished, one-bedroom apartment including all utilities and a partial meal plan throughout the academic year. Amherst College has a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the AC must be able to take appropriate actions to support the college’s efforts to create a respectful, equitable, inclusive, and welcoming learning environment for all.

Hold a collateral assignment designed to delegate and apportion office functions and initiatives. Collateral assignments represent approximately 15% of the Area Coordinators’ work-time. These assignments are subject to change and rotate variably as the needs of the office require.

Serve as a part of the AOC1 on-call rotation. Shifts span 24 hours per day for 7 days during the on-call week. The on-call rotation is joined by two additional after-hours tiers of support for crisis response, after-hours functions, as well as weekend and holiday support. Compensation for on-call service is included in the posted salary.

All staff within the Office of Community Living are expected to support the initiatives and processes of colleagues across the division.

In the event of a campus-wide emergency and/or crisis, live-in staff are considered essential personnel and will be needed to remain on campus and ready to assist.

Summary of Responsibilities:

Residential Engagement

• •Provide direct supervision for the communities that are housed in ten to fifteen residence halls. This work includes the deliberate formation and nurturing of collaborative relationships with community residents and other college constituents to create a socially and intellectually enriching environment.
• •Develop familiarity and build community with students by being physically present in the residence halls, maintain regular contact with residents, participate in and coordinate residence hall events and campus-wide initiatives, and conduct regular walkthroughs.
• •Report and respond to issues in residence halls to improve student learning and understanding. Notice patterns, cause/effect relationships, and calendar-based stressors that might contribute to students’ increased strain.
• •Work with student staff and the broader student community to set and enforce community standards as described in the Community Living Policy, the Student Code of Conduct and other policy documents. Report and intervene in matters of student concern and problematic behavior. Mediate roommate conflicts and disputes. Use trauma-informed techniques to engage in difficult conversations.
• •Effectively plan, implement, and assess high quality residentially-based programs. Work with student staff to assist in the creation of effective programs and encourage students to engage in the intellectual life of the college. Ensure that programming is inclusive and effective.
• •Participate in regularly scheduled individual meetings with student staff and supervisor.
• •Conduct monthly meetings with theme community leadership to help guide programming and identify issues of concern. Liaise with faculty sponsors to build relationships. Advise non-language communities. Responsible for theme community budgets.
• •Serve as a liaison between the Office of Community Living and Facilities to help maintain a safe and effective living environment for students. Ensure that halls are safe and clean, refer students to community standards, and address root causes of issues related to student health and safety.
• •Respond appropriately to student-involved crises based on expertise, skills, ongoing training, and protocol. Effectively use campus and external resources to address issues. Seek consultation, when appropriate, from campus administrative on-call systems and other departments.
• •Coordinate and conduct room and building inspections to assess and determine any necessary damage, billing charges, and ensure timely response to work orders and safety concerns.
• •Assists Student Affairs partners with responsibilities and development of content for New Student Orientation.

Leadership Development

• •Assists Community Living in the recruitment, hiring, training, supervision, leadership development, and evaluation of student staff.
• •Monitors performance and provides ongoing feedback (including the progressive discipline process) for student staff to improve their performance and develop skills and expertise.
• •Collaborate with Community Living leadership and campus partners to mentor student staff in the development, implementation and evaluation of programming that meets the needs of our diverse student population.
• •Plans, implements, and evaluates a comprehensive ongoing staff development and training, including in-service training that is responsive to the needs of student leaders and addresses emerging issues and/or gaps in training.

Care and Accountability

• •Conduct community standards meetings with students that encourage introspection about behaviors and interdependencies. Utilize motivational interviewing techniques to engage with the student to identify ways they wish to understand or change their behavior.
• •Communicate broadly with a wide array of partners on campus, including but not limited to the Amherst College Police Department, Office of Community Living (especially the Community Safety Assistants), Center for Counseling and Mental Health, Health Center, Wellbeing Education, student groups, and Class Deans. External communication may include parents/g