A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

Department Summary:

Michigan Housing is an actively engaged unit within Student Life Auxiliary Services within the Division of Student Life. M Housing serves approximately 11,500 students; 9,100 undergraduate and 2,400 graduate and professional students and their families. Although first-year students are not required to live on campus; historically 96-98% of all new first-year students choose to live on. Currently, the M Housing portfolio consists of 19 residential facilities that include traditional residence halls, apartments, and other living options located in communities on north and central campuses in Ann Arbor. In partnership with Michigan Dining, there are 9 dining halls and 9 retail operations embedded within the residence halls that serve approximately 4 million meals per year. Beginning Fall 2024, M Housing partnered with other units and departments within Student Life to support the residential experience for a small cohort of U-M students on the Marygrove campus, located in Detroit. In Fall 2026, five new residence halls housing 2,300 undergraduate students and a new 822-seat dining facility will open to continue M Housing's strong tradition of providing affordable housing options and services for U-M students. In addition to supporting the academic mission of the University, M Housing creates and sustains vibrant learning-centered residential communities that ultimately enhance the residential experience.

Position Summary:

The Theme Community Program Manager provides oversight and direction to Theme Communities within Residence Education. The Program Manager will work in collaboration with Campus Partners to execute Theme Program operations, liaison between supporting departments and Residence Education full-time staff to provide ongoing development in building theme communities, and works collaboratively with Hall Directors while serving as the primary supervisor of Theme Resident Assistants (RAs).  

In conjunction with the Assistant Director for Academic Initiatives, the Program Manager will oversee maintenance of current and cultivation of new strategic partnerships with campus units and student organizations; development of learning outcomes as part of assessment efforts; leads the selection for student staff and participants; develops and facilitates Theme RA training; and collaborates on marketing initiatives. 
 

Position Responsibilities (primary responsibilities and duties expected in this position totaling 100% allocation):

ResStaff Supervision and Student Support (40%)

• Supervise thematic student staff and student leaders
• Serve as the primary supervisor  for each of the Theme RAs in collaboration with the Theme RA?s Hall Director.
• Hold monthly meetings with Theme RAs/Theme Partners/Hall Directors to connect and support Theme programming.
• Create and maintain Theme guidebooks for staff in Theme Communities to maintain history for the communities during times of staff transition.
• Develop and facilitate yearly Theme RA Training prior to ResStaff Training in August.
• Coordinate training for student staff to ensure preparation to serve students in Theme Communities.
• Develop training outcomes and designs training experiences for staff, concurrent with assessment strategies to measure effectiveness.
• Identify training opportunities to integrate technology into delivery of training and further digital literacy skills.
• Coordinate training programs for the start of each term in addition to preparing staff who begin their positions at off-peak times during the academic year.
• Create ongoing professional development opportunities for staff to further learn about Theme Communities.
• Collaborate with campus partners to create opportunities for Theme Community engagement.
• Collaborate with the Assistant Director for Student Staff Selection and Training in Residence Education to support the selection process related to the Theme RA student positions.

Recruitment and Outreach (30%)

• Support the recruitment, marketing, and selection of a talented pool of student staff for Theme Communities in collaboration with the Assistant Director for Student Staff Selection and Training.
• Plan All Theme events to engage current Theme Community residents and prospective students.
• Attend relevant university-wide admissions events including Campus Days.
• Develop a multi-media recruitment strategy for incoming first-year students and returning residents.
• Maintain and update website information about Theme Communities.
• Create marketing materials for the Theme Communities portfolio.

Data Management (30%)

• Manage the application process and application data for Theme Communities in collaboration with Michigan Housing
• partners and Theme Community Partners.
• Ensure the process is user-friendly and effective.
• Read submitted interests from applicants, and make decisions based on a rubric.
• Maintain communication throughout the application process with applicants and invested stakeholders.
• Manage the theme communities assessment
• Collaborate with program leadership and stakeholders to develop learning outcomes, evaluation, and assessment components to support data-driven decisions.
• Support the communication, process, and interpretation of data collected.
• Create an end-of-year review of Theme Communities based on the qualitative and quantitative data.

Financial/Budgetary Responsibility:

The Program Manager has responsibility and oversight of a budget of approximately 15k in coordination with the Assistant Director of Academic Initiatives

Working Conditions:

Some evenings and weekends are required.

Physical Requirements:

May need to move packages of up to fifty pounds to and from various areas in the community, including shelving units, package storage locations, and mailrooms. The incumbent is required to travel around campus to engage with direct reports, campus partners and students.

Direct Reports:

The Program Manager may supervise up to 15 Theme Resident Advisors.

Other information:

This role may have reporting obligations under Title IX and Clery.

Authorization to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment and applicants for this position will not be sponsored for work visas.

Selected candidates whose start date is 4/1/2026 or after, will not be eligible for the university FY26-27 salary/merit plan unless otherwise notified.

Salary may vary depending on qualifications, experience, and education of the selected candidate.

Relocation will not be offered for this role.

#studentlife

• A Master's degree in Higher Education, College Student Personnel, Educational Administration, or a related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• 1 years supervisory experience in a student environment
• A minimum of one (1) year post-graduate experience in the administration of living-learning/theme programs
• A Minimum of one (1) year of event planning and coordination experience with demonstrated organizational and administrative skills
• Work Authorization: Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without company sponsorship
   

• Experience in the development and implementation of new programmatic housing offerings.
• Experience working collaboratively with campus offices and departments.
• Experience with assessment management.
• Familiarity with Sessions@Michigan, Happening@Michigan, Campus Labs, Advocate and StarRez or equivalent systems.
• The ability to communicate and relate effectively with students, staff and faculty.
• Demonstrated skill in developing and sustaining collaborative and culturally inclusive relationships.
• Considerable leadership experience with supervision, student conduct, crisis response, and ability to develop and implement an organizational vision, strategy and goals.
• Experience creating and maintaining administrative systems.
   

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Position Responsibilities Criteria (leadership and behavioral qualities expected in this position):

Skills:

Interpersonal skills including:

• Strong interpersonal communication skills in both written and spoken formats.
• Capacity to interact and work with different constituent groups including, students, staff, and faculty.
• Ability to create collaborative environments in which all stakeholders are encouraged and empowered to participate and engage constructively.
• Understanding, appreciation, and ability to capitalize on the different perspectives, institutional knowledge, and expertise in the space - balancing leadership, facilitation, and learning from others to strengthen projects and programs.

• Ability to provide constructive feedback to supervised staff.

   

Administrative skills including:

• Experience in program administration and implementation.
• Utilizing knowledge of current trends in higher education.
• Data management - downloading data reports from systems, disseminating data to stakeholders, and verifying data is correctly maintained across platforms.

• Tracking and responding to shared email inboxes.

   

Abilities:

• Ability to build positive relationships with others across all identities.
• Ability to self-direct and prioritize multiple projects using strong organizational skills.
• Ability to adapt to different audiences.
• Ability to lead and support organizational development, leadership development, and change management initiatives.
• Understanding of inclusive frameworks in higher education including student development.
   

This position is included in the bargaining unit represented by the University Staff United (USU), which represents bargaining unit members in all matters with respect to wages, benefits, hours and other terms and conditions of employment.

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.