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Responsibilities
THE ROLE
The Residential Life Coordinator (RLC) plays a vital supportive role in maintaining the day-to-day operations of the HomeWorks dormitory and fostering a safe, structured, and empowering living environment for scholars. While the RLC does not directly manage other staff, they are a valued member of the leadership team and help cultivate a culture rooted in intentionality, empathy, and community. The RLC will work alongside the Co-House Directors and the Residential Life Assistant/House Sister to ensure the program runs smoothly on the ground.
Residential Life & Scholar Support
Support scholars with daily routines, including morning wake-up, evening wind-down, and transitions to and from programming.
Reside in the dorm and be on-call as needed overnight to help maintain a safe, collaborative, and growth-oriented living environment.
Build trusting relationships with scholars, encouraging their personal and academic development through proactive communication and support.
Model and reinforce positive behavior by upholding HomeWorks values, house norms and responding consistently and compassionately to issues as they arise.
Support scholars in building life skills, such as time management, conflict resolution, hygiene, and goal setting.
Assist in onboarding new scholars by helping them acclimate to house routines, expectations, and culture.
Help plan and implement engaging house activities and special events.
Support volunteer workshop facilitators with classroom management by setting up materials and encouraging scholar participation.
Help maintain detailed records related to scholar wellness and performance, including medical needs, hygiene, grades and attendance.
House Operations & Safety
Coordinate and complete grocery shopping and restocking of household and first-aid supplies.
Ensure common areas, the kitchen, and shared supplies are organized, functional, and welcoming.
Manage the weekly house calendar in coordination with Co-Directors (e.g., events, meals, and chores).
Coordinate and conduct fire drills and emergency preparedness procedures with the Co-Directors.
Monitor and report maintenance issues in a timely manner to ensure a clean, safe, and functioning living space.
Serve as a bus aide during official HomeWorks transportation, promoting safety and positive scholar behavior.
Academic Support
Assist with study hall supervision and help maintain a focused, supportive academic environment.
Foster a culture of academic excellence, curiosity, and resilience among scholars.
Communicate academic or behavioral concerns to the Co-Directors and work together to ensure timely intervention and support.
Assist with college access for 9th - 12th grade scholars.
Scholar Recruitment
Support recruitment efforts by conducting family outreach, coordinating events like “A Day in the Life” or Open Houses, and helping interview prospective scholars and families.
Participate in admissions deliberations and follow-up communications with applicants and caregivers.
Organization, Team, & Communication
Contribute actively to a team culture that reflects HomeWorks’ mission, vision, and values.
Collaborate closely with the Residential Team, Mental Health Counselors, and Administrative Team to support scholar well-being and house operations.
Attend and participate in weekly house team meetings and scholar house meetings.
Maintain proactive and open communication with Co-Directors and residential team members about house needs, scholar concerns, and emerging issues.
Stay up to date on communication platforms and effectively use tools such as Asana, Google Workspace, Salesforce, and Slack to coordinate and document daily operations.
Adapt to other projects as they arise and help handle incidents in alignment with HomeWorks values.
Participate in professional development opportunities to grow in youth development, trauma-informed care, or residential life best practices.
Follow local and federal laws (i.e. drug & alcohol use, mandated reporting).
The RLC plays an essential role in co-creating a nurturing, structured, and values-aligned residential experience that enables scholars to thrive academically and as young leaders.
Requirements
THE PERSON
You are the perfect fit for this role if you are over-the-moon to contribute to our mission-driven culture with a deep commitment to intentionally build our organization alongside a team with differing personalities, cultures, experiences, and backgrounds. More specifically, you are a:
Culture Builder. You are a relationship-driven community builder who thrives in youth-centered spaces. You are excited and equipped to co-create a joyful, safe, and empowering living environment for scholars. You go above and beyond to support daily routines, reinforce house values, and plan engaging experiences that build our culture of intentionality, empathy, and community.
Supportive, Grounded Role Model. You model emotional maturity, patience, and a calm presence—especially when young people are navigating challenges. You set and hold consistent boundaries while affirming scholars’ dignity and growth.
Growth Mindset. You view every moment—whether a success or challenge—as a chance to grow. You reflect on your practice, invite feedback, and are excited to keep learning about youth development, trauma-informed care, and residential life.
Team-Oriented Collaborator. You’re eager to support and be supported. You understand that no role is too small and that showing up with humility and generosity strengthens the whole team. You check in, step up, and offer help—even when it’s not “your job.”
Efficient and Organized Executor. You manage your time and responsibilities reliably and independently. You take initiative, communicate proactively, and use tools like Google Workspace, Asana, Salesforce, and Slack—or your own systems—to keep track of details and follow through on daily operations.
Initiator. You anticipate needs, respond flexibly to emerging challenges, and act quickly to solve problems before they escalate. You’re calm in a crisis and resourceful when plans shift.
Detail-Oriented Doer. You don’t let the small stuff slide—whether it’s tracking a scholar’s allergy, preparing materials for a workshop, or organizing the kitchen. You keep the space running smoothly so scholars and staff can focus on thriving.
Follow Through on Commitments. You are dependable. When you say you’ll do something, you do it—with care and completeness.
Honest Communicator. You communicate transparently and kindly with youth and colleagues alike. You’re willing to ask tough questions, name concerns, and engage in courageous conversations that strengthen the team and build trust.
THE QUALIFICATIONS
Experience as an educator, residential life expert, mental health counselor, or in community engagement, coaching, youth development, or similar roles.
Strong relationship-builder with the ability to inspire and connect with scholars, parents, and staff.
Organized and detail-oriented, with a proven track record of successfully coordinating programs or events.
Committed to cultivating a growth mindset and fostering a positive, inclusive environment.
Experience working with high school students of similar demographic in Trenton, NJ.
Passionate about inspiring young people and building communities centered on empathy, intentionality, and collaboration.
Physical Demands: Must be able to lift 30 lbs while walking up and down stairs.
THE TANGIBLE GOODS
Location: Lawrence/Trenton, NJ
Typical Working Hours (Subject to change and may vary due to emergencies and unexpected situations such as unexpected half-days
Sunday: 4:30pm-10pm
Monday to Thursday: 1:30pm -10pm
Monday to Friday: 6:00am-6:45am/8am (depending on whether you are on morning duty/AM bus route)
Monthly Professional Development Meetings - 12:00pm-1:30pm
Salary range: Expect a compensation package of $75,500 - $85,500, with a salary of $50,000 - $60,000, housing valued at $22,000/year and daily dinners valued at $3,500/year when the program is in session.
Benefits:
Residential housing
Medical, Dental, Vision plan offerings
Life Insurance
Employee Assistance Program
401k plan
Paid Time Off
During the school year - Following our partner school holiday schedules, which is approximately 22 days.
During the summer - returning residential staff get 21 days off.
Please Note: residential staff are unable to take vacation time off while our program is in session and our scholars are staying overnight in the dorm during the academic year.
Smartphone and fully paid wireless plan through Mint Mobile
Professional development and leadership growth opportunities
A rewarding career that positively impacts our amazing scholars
About the Company
THE COMPANY
HomeWorks Trenton, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that combines the public school education with a boarding school experience to equip high school girls in marginalized communities to achieve economic freedom and become community leaders. By providing a space to explore and define their experiences, cultures, and identities, HomeWorks offers our scholars a chance to see that their ideas, visions, and presence are valid and relevant in this world.
The HomeWorks team has been recognized by The State of New Jersey, Princeton University, McKinsey & Company, Echoing Green, Comcast, Hollister, TRESemmé, Camelback Ventures, Barclays, Vital Voices, The Rachael Ray Show and more.
THE CULTURE
Every organization has its particular brand of crazy. We just try to be up-front about ours.
INTENTIONALITY: We are passionate, determined and Type A folks.
We know what each scholar will be doing exactly 3 years from now at 4:30pm on Tuesday. That is because we have spent thousands of hours talking to industry experts and community members to intentionally create our program for our scholars. Every decision is intentional.
We work efficiently, are ruthless in getting things done. We roll up our sleeves and get down to sweep the floors.
We are obsessive about documenting everything so that we can replicate and scale what we are doing to expand our impact. Everything– from lesson plans to field trip procedures– will be added to manuals, put in the shared drive, documented on Salesforce, Asana and more.
EMPATHY: We believe that everyone on our team is a leader.
This means that we take ownership for our own projects. We are deeply committed to a growth-mindset culture and take accountability when we make mistakes.
We believe that our biggest strength comes from having a team with a rainbow of personalities, working styles, backgrounds, experiences, and cultures — and the ability to challenge one another while ensuring everyone feels heard and valued.
Our Co-Founders are our scholars, parents, teachers and community leaders. We work closely with our community to understand how best to grow and build HomeWorks and to invest in our community.
COMMUNITY: We believe deeply in our mission, and are intentional in living our values of intentionality, empathy and community in all we do.
This work - from picking up scholars from school, to construction management for our new campus, to building house culture and planning our development strategy - is more than just work. It is our fight for justice. We are creating a space where our scholars can reclaim power over their cultures, identities and experiences.
We center our scholars and the community, and show up fully in the work. Every day.
We believe in the power and magic of our community in Trenton. By staying within the community, we are fostering a sense of Trenton pride within our scholars.