Finance and Business Manager

Special Instructions to Applicants:All interested applicants should attach a cover letter and resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.

About Rice:

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston Texas Rice University is ranked among the nations top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio and a residential college system which supports students intellectually emotionally and culturally through social events intramural sports student plays lectures series courses and student government. Developing close-knit diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rices culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name RICE Responsibility Integrity Community and Excellence.

About George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing

The George R. Brown School of Engineering ranks among the top 20 undergraduate engineering programs (US News & World Report) and is strongly committed to nurturing the aspirations of faculty staff and students in an inclusive environment.

We seek greater representation of women minorities people with disabilities and veterans in disciplines in which they have historically been underrepresented; to attract international students from a wider range of countries and backgrounds; to accelerate progress in building a faculty and staff who are diverse in background and thought and we support an inclusive environment that fosters interaction and understanding within our diverse community.

Position Summary:

The Department of Bioengineering is seeking a Finance and Business Manager to oversee the departments financial and business operations including budgets sponsored research portfolios and compliance programs. This role requires advanced financial expertise sound judgment and the ability to develop and implement efficient scalable processes that support both daily operations and long-term goals. The Finance and Business Manager manages the departments core accounting and finance staff research administrators and serves as the primary liaison to central administration while providing strategic guidance to faculty and leadership. This position performs complex finance functions with programmatic impact on the institution and plays a key role in ensuring the departments financial stability research continuity and administrative effectiveness. The manager will work closely with the Executive Department Business Administrator department chair faculty and staff to support a high-volume research-intensive academic unit.

Ideal Candidate Statement:

The ideal candidate is an experienced finance professional with strong research administration and post-award expertise. They work independently in a fast-paced environment provide strategic financial guidance and lead staff with clarity and accountability. Skilled in financial planning compliance and process improvement they partner effectively with faculty and central offices to support the departments operational and research goals.

Workplace Requirements:The position entails work on Rice Universitys campus with the potential for some remote work/flexible work arrangements.PerRice policy 440work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range:$75000 - $80000

*Exempt (salaried) positions underFLSA are not eligible for overtime.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelors degree
• Three or more (3) years of related finance experience including independent financial analysis budget development and compliance oversight in a complex administrative or research setting.

Skills:

• Proficiency in financial analysis budgeting forecasting and compliance monitoring
• Familiarity with sponsored research administration or financial operations in an academic or nonprofit setting
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to work independently prioritize tasks and manage deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Effective interpersonal and professional communication skills to interact with faculty staff and central administrative units
• Experience interpreting and applying institutional policies procedures and external regulations
• Comfort with financial systems and reporting tools; proficiency with Microsoft Excel and other Office applications

Preferences:

• Experience managing thepost-award lifecycleof research administration including award setup budget monitoring compliance oversight financial reporting and closeout
• Working knowledge of pre-award processes including proposal budgeting and sponsor guidelines to ensure alignment and continuity with pre-award teams
• Familiarity with federal state foundation and industry sponsors (e.g. NIH NSF ARPA-H DOD CPRIT) and their post-award requirements
• Proficiency in preparing and reviewing complex financial reports projections and reconciliations across grant and departmental accounts
• Experience mentoring or training finance and research staff in best practices for post-award management
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; able to navigate institutional financial systems (e.g. Oracle Cloud) and work effectively under tight deadlines
• Advanced Microsoft Excel and Word skills for financial analysis and documentation

Essential Functions:

• Manages day-to-day financial operations for the Department of Bioengineering including complex reconciliations transaction approvals and oversight of departmental and sponsored funds
• Leads the post-award administration of federal foundation and industry-sponsored research projects ensuring compliance with sponsor and university policies
• Develops complex budgets multi-year forecasts and financial reports to support departmental planning and faculty decision-making
• Reviews and advises on high-level transactions identifies variances and recommends strategic or corrective actions
• Supervises finance and research staff providing training guidance and support to ensure consistent and accurate post-award management
• Serves as liaison to central administration (e.g. Research Administration Finance HR OISS) and represents the department in resolving financial and administrative issues
• Evaluates existing financial and administrative processes; recommends and implements improvements to increase efficiency and strengthen internal controls
• Participates in departmental strategic planning and leads or contributes to special projects and operational initiatives
• Performs other duties as assigned

Rice University HR Benefits: Mission and Values:Mission and Values Rice University

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race color religion age sex sexual orientation gender identity national or ethnic origin genetic information disability or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process please contact Rice Universitys Disability Resource Center at or for support.

If you have any additional questions please email us at. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.