Assistant Director, Student Athlete Development & Letterwinner Engagement

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

About Rice:
Boasting a 300acre treelined campus in Houston Texas Rice University is ranked among the nations top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6to1 undergraduate studenttofaculty ratio and a residential college system that supports students intellectually emotionally and culturally through social events intramural sports student plays lecture series courses and student government. Developing closeknit 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.

Position Summary
The Assistant Director StudentAthlete Development & Letterwinner Engagement supports the mission of Rice Athletics and the SOAR Program by leading holistic development initiatives that empower studentathletes to thrive during and beyond their time at Rice. This position serves as a key architect of the SOAR five pillars (career development personal enhancement civic engagement leadership & belonging and letterwinner engagement) assisting with signature programs such as Flight Plan Beyond the Hedges Night of the Owl and the R Association Mentorship Program. The Assistant Director designs and executes experiential programming supports studentathlete leadership development and cultivates strategic partnerships with alumni campus offices employers and community stakeholders. The role also leads efforts to engage and steward letterwinners through mentorship reunions social outings communications and collaborations with Development and Alumni Relations.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelors degree

• 1 years of experience in studentathlete development career services player engagement and/or alumni relations within a college/university athletics environment

  • In lieu of the experience requirement additional related education above and beyond what is required on an equivalent yearforyear basis may be substituted

• Experience in program planning advising and event coordination

• Possess or obtain a valid Texas drivers license within 30 days of hire; maintain a clean driving record

Skills:

• Demonstrated commitment to diversity equity inclusion and belonging

• Excellent communication skills: written verbal and visual

• Ability to advise and mentor student leaders in oneonone and group settings

• Knowledge of student development theory and application

• Strong eventplanning and programmanagement capabilities

• Competence in risk management and student training facilitation

• Comfort using data and metrics for assessment and improvement

• Proficiency with social media platforms and digital engagement tools

Preferences:

• Masters degree in higher education sport management counseling or a related field

• Two (2) or more years of experience in studentathlete development career services player engagement and/or alumni relations within a college/university athletics environment

• Experience in alumni relations development or external engagement in a collegiate athletics setting

• Experience in collegiate studentathlete development and career services

Essential Functions

• Assist in all aspects of the Flight Plan program providing four years of development in NIL education financial literacy career and internship exploration civic engagement personal wellness and leadership

• Serve as a liaison to the R Association and assist in coordinating alumni engagement events reunions and mentorship opportunities to build meaningful connections between studentathletes and letterwinners

• Manage careerreadiness initiatives including internships externships employer visits networking events job postings and the promotion of the SOAR office Career Corner communication

• Help develop and maintain the Preferred Employer Program working with letterwinners and organizational partners to manage studentathlete internships fulltime job listings employer information and recruiting activities for a wide range of industries

• Assist in managing the SOAR Mentorship Program including mentor recruitment studentathlete matching platform management and outcome tracking

• Support and advise studentathlete leadership groups including SAAC PWAA and affinity groups

• Aid in coordinating civic engagement and community service programming connecting studentathletes with impactful service opportunities at Rice and in the Houston community

• Collaborate closely with the Rice Owl Club Alumni Relations and Center for Career Development on strategic student and alumni engagements or fundraising initiatives

• Manage event logistics awards tracking marketing campaigns and social media content for studentathlete development and alumni initiatives

• Collect and analyze data to assess student engagement postgraduation outcomes and program effectiveness; use insights to inform strategy and planning

• Actively recruit and engage alumni preferred employer partners mentors and other stakeholders in the SOAR Network

• Supervise student workers or interns and assist with onboarding new SOAR team members

• Assist in developing a strategic plan to increase the number and variety of alumni engagements

• Perform other duties as assigned in support of the SOAR mission and Rice Athletics departmental goals

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 get in touch with Rice Universitys Human Resources Office via email at for support.

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