Senior Manager, Campus Life

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The Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus is a pioneering research center in Ashburn, Virginia, where scientists pursue fundamental questions in the life sciences. Our integrated teams of biologists, computational scientists, and tool-builders innovate research practices and technologies to solve biology’s deepest mysteries. HHMI launched Janelia in 2006, establishing an intellectually enriching environment for scientists to do creative, collaborative, hands-on work. We share our methods, results, and tools with the scientific community.

Summary of Role

This is a role for someone who wants to run a physical, people-facing operation personally, not manage it from a dashboard. You lead by being visible on campus, known by residents and colleagues, and trusted by a small team to make good calls without needing everything spelled out.

Janelia Research Campus recruits some of the best scientific talent in the world. Housing and transportation are often the first things a new resident experiences. Campus Life makes that experience effortless, remarkable, and personal, and as Janelia grows, this team's work becomes more visible, not less.

You will direct Campus Life operations across housing, shuttle service, resident and community events, and the art and furniture that shape how campus feels. You will partner across Facilities, Campus Operations, and outside vendors to keep services running smoothly, and you will step in personally when a resident situation gets complicated.

You will also sit on the Campus Operations leadership team, bringing operational insight and analysis to strategic decisions, and represent Campus Life in cross-campus planning.

What You Will Actually Do

• Housing operations. Direct day-to-day operations for 340+ residential units: reservations, resident agreements, occupancy, and payroll deductions, and the systems that keep it all running accurately. You partner with the cross-functional teams housing depends on, and you step in personally on complex or sensitive resident situations.

• Resident services and community. Oversee move-ins, move-outs, key management, housing tours, and resident communications. Guide your team's planning of events, from family favorites to campus-wide gatherings that make Janelia feel like a community, not just a workplace.

• Team leadership. Lead, coach, and grow a small team. Distribute work thoughtfully, set clear expectations, remove obstacles, and invest in cross-training so the team has real depth.

• Transportation. Oversee the daily shuttle service between Janelia and Arlington: contract oversight, vendor relations, billing, and rider issue resolution. Keep service levels ahead of ridership as it evolves.

• Furniture, artwork, and vendor coordination. Oversee purchasing, vendor administration, and furniture logistics, including procurement, installation, inventory, and donations. Monitor the campus’s existing art program, including the permanent collection, temporary displays, and sculptures. Partner closely with Facilities and apply sound aesthetic judgment that stays true to Janelia's look and feel.

• Budget planning and financial oversight. Build and manage the Campus Life budget, forecasting for housing, transportation, events, and furniture spend. Track actuals against plan, flag variances early, and make the case for resourcing.

• Analysis and reporting. Deliver occupancy, financial, and operational reporting to senior leadership, including the annual housing market survey. Analyze housing trends, service levels, and program performance, benchmark against peer institutions, and turn findings into recommendations.

What We Are Looking For

• Hands-on by choice. You would rather walk the property and know the residents than run the operation from a dashboard.

• Big picture and small details, at once. You can hold budget and staffing strategy in one hand and a resident's move-in date in the other.

• Trust, quickly. You build credibility fast with people at every level, from a new resident to senior leadership.

• Steps in without losing the thread. You are comfortable jumping into a task personally when the team needs it, without dropping the longer-term priorities.

• Wants to build a team, not inherit one. You see developing people as part of the job, not a distraction from it.

• A negotiator's instinct for vendors. You know a fair shuttle contract or furniture agreement from a weak one, even though Legal drafts the language.

• Hard conversations, well done. You can hold a resident or vendor accountable without burning the relationship.

Nice to Have

• Experience with lease administration, compliance, or property management systems.

• Comfortable with AI tools: streamlining vendor and purchasing workflows, organizing data, or automating routine tasks. No deep expertise required.

What This Role Is Not

• A back-office role. You produce real financial and occupancy reporting, but the job lives on campus and in front of residents, not behind a screen.

• A strategic sourcing or procurement role. You negotiate and manage vendor relationships day to day, but Legal drafts the contracts and broader sourcing decisions sit elsewhere.

• An entry point into people management. This is a senior post. You are expected to already know how to build and run a team, not learn it here.

Practical Details

This role is based on Janelia Research Campus in Ashburn, Virginia, on-site given the nature of the work. You will report to the Chief of Campus Operations. We are looking for a bachelor's degree (a master's is preferred) and 5+ years of operations or hospitality management experience, ideally including residential, property, or housing operations.

Physical Requirements

Remaining in a normal seated or standing position for extended periods of time; reaching and grasping by extending hand(s) or arm(s); dexterity to manipulate objects with fingers, for example using a keyboard; communication skills using the spoken word; ability to see and hear within normal parameters; ability to move about workspace. The position requires mobility, including the ability to move materials weighing up to several pounds (such as a laptop computer or tablet).

Persons with disabilities may be able to perform the essential duties of this position with reasonable accommodation. Requests for reasonable accommodation will be evaluated on an individual basis.

Please Note:

This job description sets forth the job’s principal duties, responsibilities, and requirements; it should not be construed as an exhaustive statement, however. Unless they begin with the word “may,” the Essential Duties and Responsibilities described above are “essential functions” of the job, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

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Compensation and Benefits

Our employees are compensated from a total rewards perspective in many ways for their contributions to our mission, including competitive pay, exceptional health benefits, retirement plans, time off, and a range of recognition and wellness programs. Visit our Benefits at HHMI site to learn more. 

Hiring Pay Range

Pay Type:

The posted range reflects HHMI’s good faith estimate of the anticipated hiring salary range for this role at the time of posting. Actual hiring compensation is determined by a candidate’s qualifications, experience, and internal equity.

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