Shape Lives, Build Your Career: Join University Housing!

Passionate about making a difference? Join our team of hundreds impacting the lives of thousands of students! Be a Residence Life Coordinator, empower residents, and hone leadership skills. Or excel in Operations, ensuring smooth daily functions. Diverse roles in marketing, events, and technology await too!

Why Us?

  • Make a Difference: Witness your positive impact on student success and growth.
  • Grow Your Career: Access training, mentorship, and advancement opportunities.
  • Thrive in a Team: Be part of a diverse, supportive, and collaborative environment.

Ready to empower residents and build your career? Explore our open positions and discover how your passion can make a difference at University Housing!

University Housing Student Employment

University Housing employs 300-450 student employees, annually. Typically, 200 students are working for us at any one time. Open positions are constantly updated on our application. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, keep checking back. We would love to add you to the team! If a hiring manager is interested in setting up an interview, they will reach out via your UWM email address. All student employees of University Housing are expected to abide by the rules and regulations outlined in our Student Employment Handbook.

University Housing uses a universal employment application for all positions. Please visit the virtual interview application to view a list of open positions and to apply.

Summer Employment for University Housing

Some University Housing Summer Employees may be eligible for free summer housing, when availability allows. Any summer student employee who doesn’t live in free housing is eligible for a temporary $1.00/raise, to help offset the costs of summer housing options. For more information about the requirements for free summer housing, download the Summer Employment Terms and Signature Page.

Custodial & Maintenance Positions
Carpet Crew
Housing Student Custodian
Electronics Technician Assistant
Key Shop Assistant
Mechanic
Operations Assistant (Facilities)
Painter
Apply
Office Assistant Positions
Housing Ambassador
Media Programmer
Media Technology/Media Coordinator
Student Mailroom Assistant
Student Purchasing Assistant
Residence Life Assistant
Apply
Outreach & Design Positions
Graphic Artist
Outreach Assistant
Apply
Security Positions
Security & Service Desk
Apply

Become a Resident Assistant (RA)

Looking to become a Resident Assistant? The RA job is unlike any other opportunity on campus. You are able to live among your peers, plan events, be a member of a team, and help residents develop the skills they need to be successful at UWM.

Resident Assistants assume responsibilities for providing student assistance through peer counseling, developing and implementing educational and social events for residents, enforcing University Housing policy, and assuming the role of maintaining a safe living learning environment in the residence halls.  A Resident Assistant is expected to be dependable and exhibit leadership while remaining sensitive to the needs of others.

Some of the essential functions that RAs provide are:

  • Develop an open and honest personal relationship with each resident (approximately 32-72) in their community, maintaining appropriate boundaries, and serving as University resource person.
  • Be a role model for the student/resident community by maintaining a positive attitude with students and staff, demonstrating a commitment to diversity and inclusion, and showing a genuine interest in working within the student’s best interests.
  • Develop a community atmosphere conducive to effective studying and appropriate social relationships, as well as promote student development through events and outreach.
  • Be on duty in the residence hall during evenings and weekends when specified (approximately 1-2 nights per week). This includes: assessing and appropriately responding to emergency situations, dealing effectively with potential problems and/or security situations, developing community and building relationships with residents, and performing security-related functions as assigned.
  • Coach and advocate for residential students’ academic success.
Resident Assistant Position Description

Position:     Resident Assistant (RA) for Residence Halls  

Supervisor:   Residence Life Full-time Staff Member 

Scope: To work with students within the residence halls (Cambridge Commons, Sandburg Hall, and RiverView) in a paraprofessional capacity. Resident Assistants assume responsibilities for providing student assistance through peer counseling, developing and implementing educational and social events for residents, enforcing University Housing policy, and assuming the role of maintaining a safe living learning environment in the residence halls. A Resident Assistant is expected to be dependable and exhibit leadership while remaining sensitive to the needs of others. Resident Assistants must also maintain an acceptable level of academic performance. 

Minimum Qualifications for all RA Candidates: 

  • Must have full-time student status of 12 undergraduate or 8 graduate credits at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at the time of application and will be expected to maintain this minimum while employed as a Resident Assistant.
  • By the date of hire, Resident Assistants must have an accumulation of 24 credits or two semesters completed on campus.
  • Resident Assistants will maintain good academic standing with the University including both a semester and cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5.
  • Must not be on contractual status of Probation or above during the academic year of application.
  • Should possess initiative, responsibility and good judgment as well as the ability to act independently, with little or no supervision while performing a variety of tasks.
  • Participation in student teaching co-opportunities are strictly prohibited while serving as a Resident Assistant.
  • RAs must fulfill full academic year contract, unless hired for Spring Semester.

Preferred Qualifications for RA Candidates: 

  • Demonstrated qualities and experiences of leadership.
  • Adequate experience and knowledge of a resident community, obtained either at UW-Milwaukee or another institution.
  • Previous experience in customer service, living in the residence halls, and leadership positions.

Essential Functions: 

  • Develop an open and honest personal relationship with each resident (approximately 32-72) in their community, maintaining appropriate boundaries, and serving as University resource person.
  • Be a role model for the student/resident community by maintaining a positive attitude with students and staff, demonstrating a commitment to diversity and inclusion, and showing a genuine interest in working within the student’s best interests.
  • Develop a community atmosphere conducive to effective studying and appropriate social relationships, as well as promote student development through events and outreach.
  • Ensure that privileged information remains confidential while maintaining accurate records and completing necessary paperwork for University Housing.
  • Be on duty in the residence hall during evenings and weekends when specified (approximately 1-2 nights per week). This includes: assessing and appropriately responding to emergency situations, dealing effectively with potential problems and/or security situations, developing community and building relationships with residents, and performing security-related functions as assigned.
  • Assist in maintaining community standards by working a specific number of hours at the Service Desk or Monitor Station contingent on the needs of the assigned community.
  • Adhere to the University Housing Resident contract and the Resident Assistant Employment Agreement as well as meet all additional expectations as outlined in the RA Manual, training materials, and training sessions.
  • Be available for extensive training prior to each semester (mid-August & mid-January) and participate in on-going staff development throughout the year.
  • Coach and advocate for residential students’ academic success.
  • Actively participate in fire safety training.
  • Facilitate events utilizing the departmental CLASS developmental model; Cultural Understanding, Leadership Skills, Academic Success, Social Connections and Social Responsibility.

Physical Requirements: 

  • Physical ability to handle position responsibilities including touring building and responding to emergency situations promptly (use of stairs and elevator).
  • Must be physically able to move quickly through congested crowd situations and effectively communicate to a large group of people.
  • Ability to communicate effectively by means of a two-way radio system and a telephone.
  • Ability to complete paperwork and read IDs.
  • Ability to respond to duties at any hour and for prolonged periods of time.

Compensation: 

There are some differences based on the size and complexity of residential communities and compensation provided.  The standard base compensation for a Resident Assistant is a single room and board plan valued based on the residential community in which one is placed (approximately a $9000 value) plus a yearly stipend paid in monthly installments.

Living Learning Community Opportunities
Some RAs have the opportunity to live and work within a Living Learning Community. LLCs are “communities within a community” where residents live along side others that share a common interest, studying similar topics, or have decided on the same major. It is a great way for our residents to get to know others who will be in many of their classes, have common interests, and/or participate in events, activities, and field trips together that are related to a common topic of interest. Students in LLCs typically excel more than their peers in social satisfaction, grades, and retention.

Some LLCs have one RA, some have multiple RAs. When selecting an RA for each individual LLC, we are ideally looking for someone who is studying a similar topic to residents of the LLC they are placed in, or have a passion for the topic. However, University Housing must balance multiple priorities during the assignment/selection process.
View List of LLCs
2-Step Application Process
Step 1: Submit an application
Applications are reviewed by two University Housing employees and are checked thoroughly to ensure that applications fit the need and scope of the position. The application is a Qualtrics form, due February 4, 2025 at 11:59PM. Applicants that are deemed qualified will be emailed regarding next steps.

Step 2: In-person interview with professional staff
All applicants chosen will be invited for a 30-minute interview with professional staff. This process allows us to hear, in person, about your values, experiences, and interest in the position. Remember that, while interviewing, you are sharing a piece of yourself with interviewers. Think carefully about how you want to present yourself.
Email bnra@uwm.edu with any questions.

Become a Residence Life Coordinator (RLC)

We are a small team with big opportunities. In University Housing, we want you to find your fit by exploring different focus areas within Residence Life. Residence Life Coordinators (RLCs) are professional positions that will receive the same foundational experience that includes working in all suite-style facilities, adjudicating behavior, advising students, on-call duty rotation, and other administrative responsibilities. However, we believe in offering professionals a place to hone specific skills and interests by offering some specialized RLC roles that focus on a specialty or interest area. RLCs can maintain a traditional experience or explore different things over a few years.

Benefits
Starting Salary: $44,460
2-Bedroom Partially-Furnished Apartment
Covered Parking Garage Spot
Wisconsin State Benefits
Inclusive Live-In Partner Policy – 1 adult, dependents
2 Pets (Registered with the City of Milwaukee)
View More UWM Benefits
Growth
Our Residence Life unit is dedicated to not only providing RLCs with a fulfilling day-to-day work experience but preparing them for competitive mid-level positions. Once a new RLC understands their role, we look to customize their experience by exploring passion areas and offering a range of skill-building opportunities that can further diversify their resume. For example, professional growth may include departmental or divisional committee work, professional conferences, or assessment projects.
Advisement
Each residence life professional staff member advises one of Housing’s student organizations. These organizations focus on building community, providing practical leadership experience, and acting as the student voice within Housing. As an RLC, this is an area where you can have lots of ownership and positive student connections.
View Housing Student Organizations

Residence Life Coordinator Positions

North Tower
North Tower is our largest residence hall, requiring at least two RLCs to split supervision of the upper and lower sections of the tower. These RLCs receive a traditional tower experience while working more collaboratively with their North Tower RLC colleague.
South & West Tower
South & West Towers are traditional towers comprised of our Living Learning Communities (LLCs). These two RLCs will work collaboratively with campus stakeholders and network with faculty and staff in Student and Academic Affairs.
East Tower
The East RLC works with upper-level students in a dedicated, upperclassman tower.
RiverView
RiverView Residence Hall is a stand-alone building located on our South Campus, across the bridge from Cambridge Commons and minutes away from Kenilworth Square Apartments. The RiverView RLC will work with first-year students in an environment filled with opportunities to build a strong South Campus community, new traditions, and neighborhood engagement.
Cambridge
Cambridge Commons is a stand-alone building located on our South Campus, across the bridge from RiverView Residence Hall and minutes away from Kenilworth Square Apartments. Cambridge Commons requires two RLCs to split supervision of the building. The Cambridge RLCs will work with first-year students in an environment filled with opportunities to build a strong South Campus community, new traditions, and neighborhood engagement alongside their Cambridge colleague.
South Campus
The South Campus RLC will oversee the management of the South Campus service desks. The South Campus RLC also works collaboratively with their Cambridge and RiverView colleagues to build community and strengthen the South Campus experience curriculum.