Associate Director, Staff Administration

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.

Position Summary

The Associate Director of Staff Administration oversees all daily staff-related administrative operations within Rice Business while working collaboratively with the Chief Business Officer (CBO) on all strategic matters. Reporting directly to the CBO this role supports strategic direction and provides all operational oversight for the full lifecycle of staff administrative actions ensuring alignment with institutional policies regulatory requirements and the priorities of the business school.

As a key member of the Business and Operations team the Associate Director manages complex administrative processes in close coordination with the universitys Human Resources division and the CBO. This position functions as the primary liaison to Rice HR and serves as the subject matter expert on human resources policies guidelines and procedures for the school. The role leads all staff position management activities including posting reclassification and updates; supports the annual merit processes; manages personnel reporting and recordkeeping; and ensures accurate and timely execution of all HCM transactions.

The Associate Director is responsible for processing offer letters and direct hires guiding leaders through employment actions and ensuring consistent compliant and efficient execution of personnel processes. Serving as the central hub for staff administrative needs this position ensures operational continuity mitigates risk and strengthens the infrastructure that supports Rice Business staff.

Through strategic oversight and disciplined execution the Associate Director of Staff Administration plays a critical role in advancing operational excellence and supporting the success of Rice Business personnel.

Ideal Candidate Statement

The ideal candidate is a confident and poised administrative leader who demonstrates executive presence sound judgment and exceptional attention to detail. With substantial experience in complex administrative and/or human resources functions this individual brings deep operational knowledge and the ability to manage personnel processes with precision and discretion.

A proactive self-starter the successful candidate effectively prioritizes competing demands while maintaining accuracy and efficiency. They collaborate seamlessly across teams and guide senior leaders with confidence professionalism and well-informed counsel. Known for resilience and creative problem-solving this individual approaches challenges with composure and a solutions-oriented mindset.

Committed to high-quality service and aligned with Rice Business values of attentiveness responsiveness and kindness the ideal candidate strengthens operational excellence through disciplined execution.

Workplace Requirements

Rice Business primarily delivers residential classes and activities taking place almost daily between 7 am and 10 pm. We value a highly collaborative and community-based culture with expectations to provide in-person support and services to all members of our community. Remote work options are limited. Most employment activities are required to be performed in person and on campus. This in-person approach is central to the successful achievement of our research and academic missions.

This position may be offered as a hybrid role following the successful completion of the probationary period. The position may combine both in-office and remote work to provide flexibility and support collaboration. The schedule for the position necessitates a minimum of 4 days in the office per week.

PerRice policy 440 work arrangements may be subject to change.

This role is classified as an Essential Remote Position. During declared emergencies or crisis events the incumbent is required to continue duties remotely to ensure business continuity. Employees in this role must remain accessible to leadership support critical departmental functions and maintain operations until normal on-site activities resume.

Hiring Range:Minimum $85000 annually commensurate with experience

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

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelors Degree

• Four or more (4) years of related work experience

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

Skills:

• Excellent planning organization and analytical skills

• Strong interpersonal written and verbal communication skills

• Ability to exercise sound judgement innovative and creative program solving

• Consistent ability to take initiative to achieve the goals and objectives set by leadership through implementation

• Familiarity with administrative and HR principles and guidelines

Preferences

• Experience working in a central administrative office position (such as Human Resources Payroll Finance etc.)Experience working in non-profit/higher education settings

• Experience with Oracle-based or similar ERP systems

• Strong attention to detail

• High levels of overall organization accuracy and time management

• Willingness to take charge of assignments and follow through with minimal supervision

• Ability to work with a high level of confidentiality and take initiative to improve processes/policies

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite

• Demonstrated experience in the use of human capital management (HCM) systems

• Excellent problem-solving and project management skills

• Ability to manage many concurrent tasks with varying priorities with minimal oversight

• Displays good judgment in dynamic situations

• Excellent customer service orientation with a track record of tact courtesy discretion and respect for confidential information

Essential Functions

• Manage all Rice Business staff administrative needs via iO in coordination with central human resource colleagues/departments.

• Provide compensation and appointment guidance/recommendations to CBO as requested; gather analyze and explain relevant data.

• Work with hiring managers on staff recruitment and appointment processing.

• Track and monitor staff FWAs.

• Oversee staff onboarding and offboarding procedures in alignment with Rice Business policy and best practices including exit interviews; consider and propose retention strategies and continuity plans based on related data.

• Prepare and distribute staff merit letters annually.

• Maintain expert-level knowledge of iO; provide iO guidance to Rice Business managers as appropriate.

• Ensure reliable and accurate staff labor costs are tracked and communicated to Finance.

• Division HCM approver for staff and student as applicable.

• Maintain database of all staff JDs personnel files and salary info.

• Work cross-functionally with university-level Human Resource colleagues to ensure open lines of communication and clear distribution of information related to staff development and engagement resources.

• Oversee the interpretation implementation and compliance with policies and regulations.

• Organize manage and complete special projects within the department

• Maintain staff listserv and other confidential Rice Business staff-related details to support a robust employee experience to celebrate anniversary dates probationary check ins and offboarding conversations.

• Support the execution of marquee staff events such as Rice Business Gives Back Annual Staff Awards Day etc.

• Monitor external and internal website resources to ensure communicated information is updated consistently which includes the staff directory staff administration webpage etc.

• Work consistently with suppliers for inventory needs as it relates to Staff Awards Staff Excellence and other marquee events.

• Serve as the advisor for the Rice Business Collective the staff volunteer organization.

• Refresh the blueprint for onboarding and offboarding processes throughout the Rice Business staff community.

• Supervise Administrative Operations Specialist who provides assistant to day-to-day tasks owned and coordinated by the Associate Director

• Organize plan and facilitate professional development initiatives/sessions on an ad hoc basis to support critical business needs throughout the division.

• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions

• Manage data input and record keeping of staff journey

• Analyze existing documents and policies to consider possible improvements.

• Consistent and frequent contact with the Chief Business Officer

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.