Assistant Director, Admission

Job Description

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 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s 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, lecture 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 Rice’s 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 is an admission officer at Rice University, a highly selective research institution in the heart of Houston, Texas. Reporting to a Deputy Director, this individual will manage projects that have a defined scope and moderate levels of complexity. Such projects may include, but are not limited to, recruitment programs and outreach, counselor engagement, staff training and development, and coordinating the file review process.

Ideal Candidate Statement:
The ideal candidate will have knowledge of Rice University and/or experience in a higher education environment.

Workplace Requirements:
This position may be offered as a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work to provide flexibility and support collaboration, with a minimum of three days on campus after the six-month probationary period. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Travel required.

Hiring Range: $58,000–$60,000 annually, dependent on experience and qualifications, full-time exempt.
*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.*

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree
  + In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis, may be substituted
• 2+ years of experience working in a college or university admission office, or as a high school college counselor or teacher
  + In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis, may be substituted

Skills:

• Interpersonal skills that demonstrate professionalism, relatability, and collegiality
• Familiarity with the multiple work areas of a modern admissions office, including CRM systems, reporting and analytics, recruitment, evaluation and selection, marketing and communications, access and institutional excellence, on-campus programming, staff training, budget management, and staff development
• Proficiency in using admission and enrollment data to make data-informed decisions, measure and assess progress toward strategic goals, present data, and revise practices as needed
• Strong verbal and written communication, presentation, and customer service skills
• Strong reading comprehension and ability to make distinctions among competitive applicants
• High level of proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Ability to present meaningful information that helps inform decision-making
• Familiarity with whole-file application evaluation

Preferences:

• Experience with project management
• Experience evaluating applications for higher education admission

Essential Functions:

• Works with other members of the admission staff on projects related to recruitment, evaluation and selection, marketing and communications, access and institutional excellence, on-campus programming, alumni engagement, staff training, budget management, and staff development, as assigned
• Collaboratively works with the supervisor on year-over-year planning, process improvement, and project management
• Manages a specific recruitment territory and engages in all aspects of recruitment, evaluation, selection, yield, measurement, and planning to ensure the development of a geographic pipeline to Rice
• Conducts informational sessions
• Establishes and maintains strong relationships with high school students, counselors, families, and community-based organizations
• Evaluates applications and makes recommendations on selection utilizing the committee-based evaluation process
• Maintains confidentiality in all aspects of the work
• Ensures compliance with federal and state laws concerning college admission, FERPA, and other applicable regulatory expectations
• Responds to inquiries in a timely manner, providing accurate information
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University