Residence Life Manager

Location: Devon House, Marble Quay, and Portsoken. (Zone 1 London). Ocassional site work at Residence Halls (Aldgate, Shoreditch, Spitalfields areas). Minimum of 3 days working in office, up to 2 days working from home.

Benefits: The university supports staff maintaining a good work/life balance, offering flexible working and parental leave opportunities, an Employee Assistance Programme as well as optional private medical insurance, season ticket loans and a cycle to work scheme. Tuition fee remission is also available.

Employees are automatically enrolled in the University’s pension scheme with a minimum 4% contribution. They may also join the Salary Sacrifice plan to make additional tax efficient pension contributions. The University matches 4% as standard, rising to 8% maximum for higher contributions. Employees can tailor their contributions with support from an appointed independent financial advisor.

Direct Reports: Community Supervisors

Reports to: Head of Residence Services

Start: 1 July 2026 or ASAP thereafter.

The role

Northeastern University London (the University) is hiring a Residence Life Manager (RLM) to be based in London, England. Under the supervision of the Head of Residence Services, RLMs are responsible for the day-to-day management of the residential experience for all Northeastern University London students living in university partnered residence halls.

RLMs will directly line manage 2 Community Supervisors (CSs), and collectively oversee the Community Supervisor team, to aid in the management of the Residence Life Program which helps support the physical, emotional, social, and academic needs of approximately 1000 Northeastern University first-year students and/or study abroad students participating across multiple programs.

RLMs will work collaboratively to support the safety and wellbeing of students and contribute to the development and overall success of the students and the institution.

This is an in-person, live-out position that requires staff to work from a campus location. The person in this role will serve within an on-call rotation and will be required to work occasional non-traditional hours (evenings, weekends, bank holidays, etc.).

Duties and Responsibilities

Supervision

• Supervise and support a team of 1-2 live-in Community Supervisors (CSs) and their teams of live-in Community Coordinators.
• Provide developmental feedback and coaching support, and help develop skills in community support, crisis management, conflict resolution and leadership among the Community Supervisor team.
• Lead, engage and motivate employees; actively support a positive culture on your team.
• Provide an effective process for performance management and development that provides measurable goals, clear expectations, and solid direction to each team member.
• Address unsatisfactory employee performance including developing, delivering, and monitoring performance improvement plans.
• Administer and ensure compliant with university policies and procedures.
• Oversee the training, onboarding, and ongoing professional development of the Community Supervisors.

Community & Student Development

• Serve on various university working groups/ committees to improve site specific communication and operations.
• Continuously show innovativeness and develop best practices in relation to the University's residential experience, community engagement, and student support.
• With support from the Community Supervisors, develop training and programming initiatives to aid in the development of the Community Coordinators in areas of programming, crisis management, conflict resolution, and creation of sense of belonging.

Crisis intervention & On-Call

• Participate in an on-call rotation for cases and after-hour emergencies requiring escalation to senior management.
• Be a key member of the University's Case Management team, reporting on students of concern, and showing leadership when planning and responding to any required actions.
• During crises and escalated emergencies, display clarity of thought, clear leadership, and decisive action to achieve clear resolutions prioritising staff and student wellbeing throughout.
• Appropriately manage risk by continual assessment, implementing mitigating factors, and utilising additional resources as necessary. Communicating changes to risk to relevant stakeholders.

Third-Party Accommodation Relationship Management

• Hold overall accountability for the University’s relationship with third-party accommodation providers, ensuring contractual obligations and service standards are being met consistently.
• Conduct regular strategic reviews with provider management to assess performance, address systemic issues, and strengthen working relationships at a senior level.
• Receive and review escalated complaints and unresolved concerns from the Supervisor(s), taking ownership of formal resolutions process and liaising with providers where required.
• Use data and trend reporting from the Supervisors to identify recurring issues, challenge provider performance and drive service improvements that directly impact the student experience.
• Ensure clear processes are in place for issue reporting, escalation and resolution and that ensure both staff and students understand how concerns are managed.
• Represent the University’s interests in any formal discussions with third-party providers.

Global Network & Administration

• Act as key contact point in the development of the Northeastern University Pathway programs in London, working collaboratively with colleagues at other Global Network Sites (Boston & New York).
• Complete administrative tasks as required such as monitoring the shared Residence Life inbox, creating and assigning Global Incident Report Forms for monitoring ongoing case updates.
• Represent Residence Services at yield events and Offer Holder days across the London and Boston campuses.

Other

• Foster a positive work environment with a good team spirit, including with the wider support teams, with student experience at the forefront of all efforts.
• Undertake other duties as assigned by the Head of Residence Services and in the spirit of positive teamwork.

Person specification criteria

To undertake this role, the following should apply – should you not have the experience below, please do highlight where transferrable skills would assist with you undertaking the role.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required. [E]
• Master’s degree in higher education, social work, or relevant field preferred. [D]

Experience:

• Significant experience within Residence Life or aligned student support and/or Higher Education areas. [E]
• Comprehensive understanding of student accommodation and residence hall environments. [E]
• Significant experience responding to and managing risk, reported incidents, and students of concern. [E]
• Experience with supervision, leading teams, and managing diverse groups of staff.[E]
• Experience managing formal performance processes, including setting measurable goals, providing developmental feedback, and delivering performance improvement plans. [E]
• Experience with crisis management, mediation, and conflict resolution. [E]
• Flexibility and demonstrated ability to excel in fast-paced environments. [D]
• Demonstrated ability to identify and mitigate risk, demonstrating sound judgement through decisive actions. [E]
• Experience developing and/or updating processes and procedures as they apply to the operation of a residential life experience. [D]
• Experience managing relationships with third-party providers or external partners, including holding accountability for service standards, contractual obligations, and formal resolution processes. [D]
• Ability to analyse data and trend reporting to identify recurring issues, inform decisions, and drive service improvements. [D]
• Experience communicating and collaborating across multiple sites, teams, or institutions, ideally within a global or multi-campus environment. [D]
• Experience developing programming models, particularly those that reflect an international element of the student experience. [D]

Skills:

• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to connect meaningfully with students, staff, and external partners across a range of backgrounds and cultures. [E]
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce clear reports, correspondence, and documentation for a variety of audiences. [E]
• Confident leadership and people management skills, with the ability to motivate, coach, and develop a team. [E]
• Sound judgement and decision-making under pressure, particularly in crisis or time-sensitive situations. [E]
• Strong organisational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously. [D]
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion and in compliance with relevant data protection regulations. [E]
• Competency in risk assessment and mitigation within a residential setting, including the ability to communicate changing risk levels clearly to relevant stakeholders. [E]
• Working knowledge of both GDPR and FERPA regulations and their practical application in a student-facing environment. [D]
• Ability to represent the university professionally at recruitment and yield events, articulating the residential experience offer to prospective students and families. [D]

Additional Information

Enquiries

Informal enquiries may be made to Jess Coverdale (jess.coverdale@nulondon.ac.uk). However, all applications must be made in accordance with the application process specified.

Application process

Participation in the equal opportunities section is encouraged, but voluntary.

Applications must include a covering letter of no more than one page and a full curriculum vitae (via the 'Apply' button above).

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 this role may require a basic or enhanced DBS check. Please note this role requires an enhanced 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.

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.

We may be able to provide visa sponsorship for this position, depending on the personal circumstances of the applicant.