Jobs

Director of Community Life

Position Statement: Director of Community Life

At Tilton School, we believe that education is not just about collecting information—it is about knowing, supporting, and challenging one another in pursuit of meaningful growth. We are committed to developing the necessary skills and sensibilities to do hard things well, which entails fostering resilience, adaptability, and curiosity in every student. To further this vision, Tilton School seeks a Director of Community Life to oversee the student life experience, ensuring that Tilton School students and faculty engage fully and support one another in the pursuit of committed citizenship and useful knowledge to thrive at Tilton, college, and beyond.

As a residential school, Tilton considers the work of faculty broadly, and we engage with students both during and beyond the academic day. The Director of Community Life’s scope will include being a regular presence on campus at meals and community events, weekly evening and monthly weekend supervisory duties, as well as coaching and/or classroom teaching. This position can include housing. 

Impact
This role ensures every student has a safe, structured, and enriching environment where they can grow socially, emotionally, and personally while contributing to a positive campus community.

Opportunities and Challenges

In addition to providing student-centered leadership in fulfilling the duties of this role, the next Director of Community Life will embrace the following opportunities and challenges in moving student life forward at Tilton School:

• Lead and provide vision to the Community Life Office (CLO) and prioritize their professional growth and development. The Director of Community Life will lead a team that collaborates effectively and regularly to support student outcomes. They will continue nurturing an atmosphere of professional and personal growth and will provide unwavering support to the team regarding issues of student leadership, collaboration, communication, self-knowledge, safety, and healthy cultivation of mind, body, and spirit.

• Sustain strategic priorities and guide processes for Community Life and Residential Life teams holistically and comprehensively. The Director of Community Life will possess and demonstrate a strategic habit of mind. While overseeing the day-to-day needs of student life and actively participating in the daily life of school, they will maintain a mindset of learning and apply the skills of change leadership where practices, policies, and processes can be amended or improved.

• Continue engagement with the faculty and adult community and engender trust around practices and policies for students. Faculty, staff, and families are critical partners to the Director of Community Life and their team. The Director will foster open discussions with a talented and dedicated faculty and staff to ensure that clear and transparent practices and policies affecting students and involving adults align with outcomes and consequences that promote goals for student learning and growth.

Key Responsibilities

The Director of Community Life fosters a safe, supportive, and engaging environment for all students outside the classroom. This role ensures that students thrive socially, emotionally, and personally by overseeing residential life, student activities, advising, and campus safety.

Student Experience & Life:

• Develop and lead student orientation and onboarding programs.
• Support student activities, events, and leadership opportunities.
• Collaborate with Student Government and student leaders to ensure student voices shape campus life.

Residential Life:

• Manage residential staff (Dorm Heads, AODs, and student leaders) including training, scheduling, and oversight.
• Establish and communicate clear expectations and support for student life in dorms.
  Coordinate student housing, keys, storage, and late-entry onboarding.

Campus Safety & Emergency Planning:

• Serve on the Emergency Response Planning Team and assist with drills, trainings, and updates to emergency procedures.
• Make timely decisions during emergencies and communicate clearly to students, staff, and families.
• Act as an on-campus administrator in support of AODs and residential safety.
  

Policy & Administration:

• Review and update the Student Handbook and relevant sections of the Employee Handbook.
• Manage student information systems (e.g., REACH) to track leaves, travel, and permissions.
• Maintain discipline records, student files, and policies to ensure a supportive, accountable campus community.

Personnel & Collaboration:

• Support staff onboarding, professional development, and housing assignments to align with residential and student life goals.
• Partner with faculty, staff, and departments to enhance the student experience.

Meet regularly with dorm staff, AODs, and Health & Wellness teams to ensure consistent student support.

Desired Qualifications and Characteristics

The ideal candidate for Tilton’s next Director of Community Life will have a demonstrated history of providing strategic leadership and program development that fosters student well-being and thriving. This position requires an appetite for collaborative decision-making, regular and clear communication, engagement with multiple and diverse community members, capacity building, and, most importantly, a passionate, student-centered approach to leadership. The ideal candidate will also demonstrate sound professional judgment, personal integrity, and resilience when addressing complex, and often ambiguous, organizational challenges.

The most successful candidates will possess many of the following qualifications and characteristics:

• A deep appreciation for the mission, history, and values of Tilton School, along with a strong belief in our philosophy of knowing, supporting, and challenging one another.
• Experience as a student life leader, with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities in both adolescent development and independent boarding schools today.
• A relational leadership style that is optimistic, approachable, and responsive, encouraging students and faculty to take risks in their learning and growth.
• The ability to navigate complexity, manage institutional change, and inspire resilience in students and faculty alike.
• A commitment to diversity, equity, and belonging, ensuring that all students feel seen, supported, and that they matter in their educational journey.
• A growth mindset, understanding that struggle, persistence, and learning from failure are essential components of education and leadership.
• The ability to make compassionate and data-informed decisions, balancing institutional strategy with the needs of students and faculty.
• Strong leadership in student support, faculty mentorship, and crisis management
• Demonstrated ability to lead institutional change, implement policy, and oversee large-scale programs.

For a more detailed overview, please click here.

To Apply 

Electronic materials only, please. If interested, please send the hiring committee a statement of interest, resume, and educational philosophy to employment@TiltonSchool.org with “Director of CLO” in the Subject line.

This search will move quickly and the hiring committee will review credentials soon after receipt.