Role Overview

Sodexo is seeking a Manager, Resident Experience 1 (Resident Director - RD) for New Mexico State University (NMSU), located in Las Cruces, NM.  The Resident Director (RD) is a premier, full-time, professional "live-in" leadership role managed by Sodexo Campus Services in direct partnership with NMSU Housing and Residential Life. Reporting directly to an Associate Director, the Resident Director orchestrates daily operations, leads student development initiatives, and manages facilities for a thriving community of 300 to 600 students.

RDs champion inclusive, academically supportive spaces while directly mentoring a substantial student staff footprint. Operating within a collaborative team structure, RDs lead distinct specialty portfolios by either shaping the foundational first-year experience or driving engagement across our diverse upper-class, family, veteran, non-traditional, and affiliate housing.

Comprehensive Compensation & Live-In Perks

Sodexo pairs a competitive corporate benefits package (including comprehensive health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off) with an industry-leading live-in perks package designed to support your personal life and well-being:

Pet-Friendly Living

Bring your furry or non-furry companions! This position features a fully supportive pet policy, allowing you to maintain approved domestic pets in your campus residence.

Partner & Family Welcome

We believe in full inclusion. The department proudly extends a partner- and family-friendly policy, providing spacious accommodations that comfortably support your loved ones.

• Premium Housing: A completely rent-free, 2-bedroom apartment or single-family home with all utilities, high-speed internet, and streaming television services entirely covered.
• Complimentary Campus Parking: One premium campus parking space provided to you annually at no cost.
• Dining Privileges: Enjoy one free meal per day in the campus dining center throughout the active academic year.
• Connected Technology: A company-provided smartphone for your professional use and seamless on-call coordination.

Key Responsibilities

1. Staff Mentorship & Leadership Cultivation (35%)

• Directly supervise, evaluate, and inspire a dedicated student staff team of 10-20 Resident Assistants and Resident Activities Planners.
• Spearhead area recruitment, hiring, and performance management workflows to build a highly accountable, cohesive team environment.
• Design and execute innovative training curriculum that targets core professional competencies, preparing your student staff for future career paths.
• Champion departmental specializations by guiding major collateral projects (e.g., Staff Selection, Training, Social Justice Initiatives, Welcome Week, or Social Media Marketing).
• Advise and elevate student leadership bodies (such as RHA/NRHH) to maximize student governance, event execution, and community advocacy.

2. Community Innovation & Curriculum Execution (20%)

• Deliver an intentional residential curriculum and community development model tailored specifically to the unique demographics of your assigned area.
• Manage and reconcile programming budgets used to fund dynamic educational, recreational, and family-oriented campus activities.
• Cultivate specialized housing ecosystems, including Living Learning Communities (LLCs), Greek Life housing, Veteran programs, or family housing.
• Build strong interdepartmental bridges across NMSU (including the Dean of Students and Academic Affairs) to align the living experience with student retention success.

3. Crisis Management & Restorative Adjudication (20%)

• Navigate crisis and conflict situations with calm, decisive action, providing immediate assessment, intervention, and referral support during medical or mental health emergencies.
• Serve as a vital leader in an after-hours on-call rotation, ensuring safety and emergency response continuity for the entire campus housing footprint.
• Adjudicate student conduct cases as a primary hearing officer, enforcing NMSU and housing policies utilizing educational, restorative justice practices.
• Maintain ironclad alignment with safety regulations, executing precise communication protocols with the University Police Department (UPD) during critical events or policy violations involving minors.

4. Facility Management & Occupancy Operations (15%)

• Act as the primary operational liaison to Facilities and Services, managing maintenance tracking, environmental standards, and physical asset upkeep.
• Drive occupancy workflows using modern database systems, leading accurate check-in/out protocols, room inventory tracking, and contract updates.
• Partner directly with maintenance supervisors to coordinate structural turns, guaranteeing spaces are immaculate and move-in ready for fall arrivals, summer conferences, and orientations.

5. Administrative Leadership (10%)

• Govern financial allocations with precision, tracking and reconciling area-specific operational funds.
• Represent the housing department on university-wide committees and task forces, ensuring student and family housing needs are advocated for at the institutional level.

Position Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• Experience: 1–2 years of active experience within Residence Life, Student Activities, or campus housing operations (undergraduate Resident Assistant roles or graduate assistantships are fully credited).
• Duty Rotation: Proven experience participating in an on-call emergency response rotation or crisis protocol.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced Degree: Master’s degree in College Student Personnel, Higher Education Administration, Counseling, or a related discipline.
• Leadership: Documented success supervising staff, running hiring processes, or advising large student programming organizations.
• Operations: Experience coordinating facility maintenance or managing apartment-style/non-traditional family residential models.
• Conduct Frameworks: Direct experience handling student behavior adjudication or crisis de-escalation.

Incentives

What You'll Do

Staff Mentorship & Leadership Cultivation (35%)

Community Innovation & Curriculum Execution (20%)

Crisis Management & Restorative Adjudication (20%)

Facility Management & Occupancy Operations (15%)

Administrative Leadership (10%)

What We Offer

Compensation is fair and equitable, partially determined by a candidate's education level or years of relevant experience. Salary offers are based on a candidate's specific criteria, like experience, skills, education, and training. Sodexo offers a comprehensive benefits package that may include:

• Medical, Dental, Vision Care and Wellness Programs
• 401(k) Plan with Matching Contributions
• Paid Time Off and Company Holidays
• Career Growth Opportunities and Tuition Reimbursement

More extensive information is provided to new employees upon hire.

What You Bring

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree preferred in a related field.
• Experience: 1–2 years of active experience within Residence Life, Student Activities, or campus housing operations (undergraduate Resident Assistant roles or graduate assistantships are fully credited).
• Duty Rotation: Proven experience participating in an on-call emergency response rotation or crisis protocol.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced Degree: Master’s degree in College Student Personnel, Higher Education Administration, Counseling, or a related discipline.
• Leadership: Documented success supervising staff, running hiring processes, or advising large student programming organizations.
• Operations: Experience coordinating facility maintenance or managing apartment-style/non-traditional family residential models.
• Conduct Frameworks: Direct experience handling student behavior adjudication or crisis de-escalation.

Who We Are

At Sodexo, our purpose is to create a better everyday for everyone and build a better life for all. We believe in improving the quality of life for those we serve and contributing to the economic, social, and environmental progress in the communities where we operate. Sodexo partners with clients to provide a truly memorable experience for both customers and employees alike. We do this by providing food service, catering, facilities management, and other integrated solutions worldwide.

Our company values you for you; you will be treated fairly and with respect, and you can be yourself. You will have your ideas count and your opinions heard because we can be a stronger team when you’re happy at work. This is why we embrace diversity and inclusion as core values, fostering an environment where all employees are valued and respected. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to individuals regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation, military status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. If you need assistance with the application process, please complete this form.

Qualifications & Requirements

Minimum Education Requirement - Associate’s Degree or equivalent experience

Minimum Management Experience - 2 years   

Minimum Functional Experience - 1 year