Director of Student Life

Job Description

Job Description

Salary: $55,000 - $60,000

About the Role

As the Director of Student Life at Mansfield Hall, you will support neurodivergent young adults as they build the independent living, social communication, self-advocacy, and community engagement skills needed for adulthood.

Our students are bright, capable, and full of potential. Many are navigating learning, attention, social, emotional, or executive functioning differences that can make college life and early adulthood hard to manage on their own. They may need support with routines, relationships, medication management, communication, motivation, volunteering, employment readiness, appointments, and the daily responsibilities that come with becoming more independent.

They are not looking for someone to live life for them. They need structure, coaching, accountability, encouragement, and steady support from people who believe they can grow.

That is where this role matters.

You will work directly with students to help them build practical skills for living, engaging, and giving within the Mansfield Hall community and beyond. You will coach students through day-to-day challenges, help them set goals, support their progress, communicate with families, coordinate with service providers, and help staff stay aligned around what each student needs.

This role is about more than managing student life activities. It is about helping young adults practice the skills that make adulthood possible. Students learn how to manage responsibilities, communicate more effectively, build healthier relationships, engage in their community, recover from setbacks, and take increasing ownership of their lives.

You will be a strong fit for this role if you care deeply about young adults, enjoy building community, communicate well with families and teams, and can balance warmth with clear expectations.

As Director of Student Life, you will:

• Provide case management for a caseload of approximately 14 to 17 students, with a focus on independent living, social development, communication, vocational growth, volunteer opportunities, and overall student development.
• Meet weekly with students to support motivation, goal setting, skill development, and progress within Mansfield Halls core areas of Living, Engaging, and Giving.
• Help students build practical routines and skills related to daily living, relationships, appointments, medication management, community participation, and personal responsibility.
• Develop and implement strategies that support executive functioning, self-advocacy, independent living, and pro-social communication.
• Build strong relationships with families and stakeholders, and provide timely updates about student growth, challenges, progress, and supports.
• Communicate proactively when concerns emerge so families and teams can respond early rather than waiting for issues to become larger problems.
• Lead team-based weekly meetings to update staff on student support plans and ensure alignment around Mansfield Halls mission, values, and goals.
• Coordinate with Mansfield Hall Directors, Coaches, school officials, therapists, service providers, campus partners, and other stakeholders to support student progress.
• Facilitate student planning and assessment tools, including BRIEF, Student MAPs, CASI, and Student Development Plans.
• Review student life notes and documentation to ensure accurate daily reporting of student progress.
• Supervise, coach, and develop Life Skills Coaches, including training, support, feedback, and performance accountability.
• Attend weekly Community and Director-level meetings, serve on committees, and provide leadership and training to direct-care staff.
• Participate in recruitment, admissions, marketing, tours, and public-facing activities as needed.
• Participate in the on-call rotation to support continuity of care for students, staff, and community needs.

Youll be a great fit if:

• You take pride in helping young adults build confidence, independence, and a stronger sense of belonging.
• You understand that daily living skills, relationships, communication, emotional regulation, and executive functioning are deeply connected.
• You believe students need both compassion and accountability.
• You can support students without taking over the parts of life they need to learn to manage.
• You enjoy building community and helping students find meaningful ways to engage with others.
• You are organized and able to keep track of plans, appointments, goals, documentation, family communication, and student progress across multiple students.
• You communicate clearly with families, especially when situations are nuanced, emotional, or require early intervention.
• You enjoy coaching staff and helping a team stay aligned around student needs.
• You bring calm to complexity.
• You are comfortable when progress is slow, uneven, or hard to measure right away.
• You believe the goal is not just helping students get through the day, but helping them build skills that last beyond Mansfield Hall.

You might not be a good fit if:

• You are looking for a role focused mostly on activities, events, or student programming without deeper case management responsibility.
• You prefer working only with students and not with families, staff, providers, or outside partners.
• You are uncomfortable holding students accountable when they are struggling.
• You need every day to be predictable.
• You prefer quick fixes over long-term skill-building.
• You find it frustrating when growth is gradual, repeated, or nonlinear.
• You are uncomfortable working in a residential program where student needs may extend beyond traditional office hours.

How We Care for Our Staff

At Mansfield Hall, caring for students starts with caring for the people who support them.

This is meaningful work, but it is also human work. It takes patience, judgment, emotional steadiness, flexibility, and real energy. We do not want staff to feel like they have to carry that alone.

Mansfield Hall offers paid time off, a paid two-week Winter Break, medical insurance options, dental and vision coverage, employer-funded wellness dollars, disability coverage, life insurance, 401(k) retirement savings, meals and drinks during on-site shifts, cell phone and internet support, and reimbursement for required work expenses.

Just as important, we work to build a culture where staff are trusted, supported, and treated as full human beings. We value rest, clear communication, shared responsibility, and a team environment where people step in for one another.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in behavioral sciences or a related field required. Graduate degree preferred.
• Three or more years of experience supporting diverse learners or working in higher education, student development, coaching, residential programming, disability support, behavioral health, social development, independent living support, or a related field.
• Experience supervising, mentoring, or supporting direct-care staff.
• Experience supporting families and stakeholders around student growth, social development, independent living, or academic progress.
• Strong organizational, communication, documentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to build strong professional relationships with students, families, colleagues, therapists, campus partners, community resources, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to support students, families, colleagues, and community partners with professionalism, respect, and care.
• Commitment to creating an inclusive, supportive, and engaging community.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a flexible, student-centered environment.
• Knowledge of social communication challenges, executive functioning differences, ADHD, learning disabilities, autism, and related student support needs is valued.
• Familiarity with Collaborative Problem Solving, Motivational Interviewing, Universal Design for Learning, Social Thinking, or Restorative Justice is helpful.
• Equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered.

Compensation

Pay: $55,000 - $60,000 per year

Job Type: Full-time