JOB DESCRIPTION

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills, and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.
UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits, and natural beauty.
Housing and Food Services (HFS) has an outstanding opportunity for a Temporary Residence Life Tech Specialist to join their team.
Housing & Food Services (HFS) supports over 10,000 student residents and operates 40+ dining locations on campus. With a team of over 1,200 staff and students, HFS is dedicated to enhancing student life through teamwork and excellent service.
In Housing & Food Services, our DEIB statement reads: HFS will become an organization that prioritizes inclusive workplace communities, centered on belonging and opportunity for all staff. All HFS staff must accept responsibility to identify and interrupt biases, privilege, barriers, and power dynamics. We challenge ourselves to engage in open dialogue, active listening, and empathic learning.

RESIDENCE EDUCATION PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Manages day-to-day technical operations of Area 01, the Dabble Lab and McCarty Innovation and Learning Lab, as well as supporting the sound lab and gaming spaces in the amenities areas, as well as providing support in the 8 and wood metal shop, including but not limited to supervising student staff repairing equipment, enforcing safety standards, managing resources, and verifying compliance with University policies and maximizing usage of spaces. This position will also supervise a robust tech team of 13 students developing and mentoring their technical expertise and leadership skills.
• Oversees student staff who do performance tuning and maintenance of gaming PCs, consoles, audio gear, imaging equipment and mechanical shop equipment (3D printers, laser cutters, sewing machines) to ensure reliable experiences for casual users, competitive teams and addressing curricular needs and integration.
• Plans and implements in cooperation with amenities team and campus partners, an annual technology refresh cycle for labs and maker spaces, evaluating emerging hardware and software, coordinating purchasing and installation, and maintaining detailed documentation.
• Collaborates with university partners (HUB, UW Athletics, Student Life) to further develop esports programs; coordinate with academic departments to reserve lab space for classes and project studios; and support Living Learning Communities centered on digital arts, maker culture, gaming and engineering.
• Serves as an on-site resource in Area 01 and the MILL, answer student questions and assist with projects to encourage cross-disciplinary learning, having a heavy on-site presence engaging with users and guests in the space.
• Assists with operational needs in the 8 Community Center and the wood and metal shop, provide support to students in managing these locations as well as coordinating with College of Engineering on any needs in the space
• Liaise with student organizations and community partners to co-create tournaments, showcase nights and collaborative demonstrations that foster engagement and experiential learning.
• In collaboration with amenities team and student staff, establishes and maintains assessment strategies for digital media, gaming and maker spaces; analyze usage statistics, satisfaction surveys and learning outcomes to drive equitable access; present data to leadership and committees.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, digital media, industrial design, game development, arts, or a closely related field
• One year of full-time experience managing a maker, fabrication, digital-media, or esports/gaming facility with responsibility for scheduling, budgeting, and technology upkeep.
• Hands-on technical proficiency with a broad toolset, including FDM/SLA 3-D printers, CO₂ laser cutters, entry-level CNC routers, basic wood- and metal-shop equipment, digital sewing/embroidery machines, multi-track audio-recording gear, high-spec gaming PCs/consoles, and VR/AR hardware
• Demonstrated collaboration with Residence Life, K–12 outreach, or comparable student-facing programs, showing an understanding of developmental theory and co-curricular learning models.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with meticulous attention to detail; able to create instructional materials, grant narratives, and technical documentation for diverse audiences.
• Proven ability to partner across departments (e.g., Engineering, DXARTS, Computer Science, Athletics, Conference Services) to design experiential and co-curricular learning opportunities.
• Experience securing external resources—familiarity with basic grant writing, sponsorship cultivation, or revenue-share models for programs and events.
  Equivalent experience may substitute for degree requirement.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in higher education, computer science, engineering, arts, or a closely related discipline.
• Deep knowledge of the collegiate esports’ ecosystem, including competitive formats, broadcast/streaming workflows, and athlete development.
• Successful track record of grant acquisition or auxiliary-revenue growth, especially for maker or media initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience designing, marketing and executing large-scale workshops or experiential events, such as hackathons, maker summits, esports tournaments, or campus-wide showcases involving multi-department coordination and 100+ participants
• Formal project-management credential (CAPM, PMP, or Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt) indicating the ability to deliver complex technology refreshes on time and on budget

PURPOSE

To advance the educational mission of Housing & Food Services, we must provide modern, well-maintained maker, media, and gaming environments that cultivate creativity, community, and career-ready skills for more than 9,500 residential students. Rapid innovation in audio production, imaging, VR/AR, 3-D fabrication, and collegiate esports now outpaces the capacity of existing staff and infrastructure. This new position ensures we meet student demand and institutional goals by (1) stewarding specialized spaces — Sound Lab, Image Lab, VR suite, gaming hubs, McCarty Innovation and Learning Labb, and Dabble Lab, t hrough strategic technology life-cycle management; (2) integrating these resources into living-learning initiatives, academic partnerships, and conference offerings that generate auxiliary revenue and elevate UW’s reputation as a regional innovation hub; and (3) providing expert guidance, interdisciplinary activities, and co-curricular engagement that empower students to create, prototype, compete, and connect. Without dedicated leadership, we risk outdated equipment, underutilized spaces, and missed opportunities for high-impact, experiential learning that differentiates the on-campus experience and directly supports student success.
This temporary position is expected to begin on October 27th, 2025 and expected to run through July 27th, 2026.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serves as a member of the Residential Life Team including participating in staff meetings, trainings, end of the year celebrations and other residence life initiatives
• Meets regularly with IT and assist with additional IT projects as needed
• Coordinates with EHS regular inspections of the space, maintain all safety expectations
• Supports Admitted Student Preview Days & Campus Tours by showcasing the Dabble lab, MILL, and gaming hubs; provide live demos and Q&A to highlight the residential learning experience.
• Participates in staff selection activities and training activities for Residential Life student leaders, office assistants, support staff, community managers, and other positions as needed
• Participates in unit and HFS trainings, meetings, move-in and move-out activities as needed
• Safely operate or supervise activities in environments that require OSHA-compliant personal protective equipment—including respirators, hearing protection, eye protection, and dust-collection controls—during fabrication, woodworking, metalworking, laser-cutting, or chemical‐use procedures in the MILL, Dabble Lab, and The 8 wood/metal shop.
• Provides on-site technical support during extended or irregular hours—including late-night or weekend maker hackathons, esports tournaments, and other special events—anticipating peak usage, equipment troubleshooting, and student supervision needs.
• Maintains an awareness of current issues and developments within the field of recreation, makerspaces, campus partnerships, student wellbeing, and student life.
• Serves on unit-wide committees as assigned.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

SUPERVISION RESPONSIBILITIES

Supervises student employees serving as technical support for multiple maker spaces in HFS.