Assistant Registrar (Operations and Strategy) - Office of the Registrar

Special Instructions to Applicants: All interested applicants must attach a cover letter and a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application in a PDF format. Please note that the applicant tracking system does not convert attachments in Word format successfully.

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, 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 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 Office of the Registrar (OTR) at Rice University supports the educational mission of the university by working with the Rice community to maintain the accuracy and integrity of educational records, provide quality service, and support innovative systems that enhance academic support.

The Assistant Registrar, Operations and Strategy serves as a primary operational architect within the OTR. Under limited supervision, this position bridges the gap between daily record-keeping and long-term strategic improvement. The incumbent directs critical OTR functions in student records management and academic administration, bringing senior-level judgment and technical expertise to complex curricular, registration, and student system projects.

This role acts as a "process engineer" for the office, ensuring that the OTR's production calendar runs flawlessly while simultaneously analyzing and rebuilding processes to be more efficient, transparent, and student-centered.

Operations Strategy & Project Management

• Strategic Planning: Collaborate with OTR leadership to define operational priorities and annual goals. Translate high-level strategic directives into actionable project plans with defined milestones and deliverables.
• Production Calendar Ownership: Own and manage the comprehensive OTR master production calendar. Proactively coordinate with Information Technology, Financial Aid, Admission, and Bursar to ensure critical dependencies are aligned.
• Process Engineering: Lead business process analysis initiatives. Audit existing workflows to identify bottlenecks, reduce manual processing, and mitigate error rates through automation and standardization.
• Cyclical Project Leadership: Direct major university-wide cyclical events in which OTR is involved, ensuring timelines, communications, and system readiness are aligned.
• Change Management: Serve as the functional lead for implementing new operational policies. Ensure that changes to academic policy are accurately reflected in system setups and operational procedures.

Strategic Communications & Knowledge Management

• Communication Campaigns: Design and execute timely, transparent communication plans for the university community regarding registration, grading, academic deadlines, and policy changes, with a focus on clarity, accuracy, and risk mitigation.
• Catalog & Policy Publication: Assist in the production and editing of the General Announcements (University Catalog), ensuring alignment between published policy and operational practice.
• Knowledge Base Management: Serve as the primary editor for the internal OTR Wiki and standard operating procedures. Maintain institutional knowledge and ensure staff have access to current, accurate, and actionable documentation.
• Customer Experience: Oversee the quality of service delivered through the ticketing system, phone, and office chatbot. Analyze inquiry trends and data to identify recurring pain points and recommend systemic solutions to reduce volume and improve user experience.

Student Records & Data Integrity

• Vendor Management: Oversee relationships and workflows with credentialing and transcript vendors (e.g., Parchment Award), ensuring service quality, compliance, and data accuracy.
• Special Populations: Contribute to the registration and record maintenance for visiting students, inter-institutional enrollments, and other non-degree populations.
• Records Security: Ensure all record-keeping practices strictly adhere to FERPA regulations and university data security policies.
• Data Governance: Execute complex data cleanup and integrity audits.

Supervision & Team Development

• Staff Leadership: Supervise assigned professional staff and student workers. Set clear performance expectations, conduct regular evaluations, and manage daily workflow distribution.
• Mentorship: Foster a culture of continuous improvement and professional growth. Train staff not only on how to perform tasks but on the strategic importance of data integrity and service excellence.

Additionally, working as a member of a team, the Assistant Registrar, Operations and Strategy administers and assists with other OTR operations as needed, including business process analysis and improvement, training, office communication, course scheduling, student records management, new student orientation, visiting students, transfer credit, transcripts and verifications, grade petitions, data review/data integrity audits, etc.

Workplace Requirements:

• Ability to work within a fast-paced office environment with changing priorities, critical deadlines, and the need for multitasking.
• Ability to work both autonomously and as a member of a team, with minimal supervision.
• Ability to quickly learn and use new systems, processes, procedures, and complex office functions.
• Office environment; standard working hours, full-time 40 hours per week. Occasional additional hours outside of normal working hours due to regular and seasonal activity.
• On-campus position: This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in person. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

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

Minimum Requirements:

• Education Required:
  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.
• Experience Required:
  Three or more (3+) years of related experience.
  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 Required:
  • Demonstrated experience in an office or administrative environment, preferably experience in records (and data) management, accounting, or another closely related field.
  • Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills; excellent customer service skills.
  • Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with a high degree of accuracy and an uncompromising attention to detail.
  • Experience with PC computers, including intermediate- to advanced-level proficiency with the Microsoft Office suite of software applications; intermediate understanding of database concepts.
  • Knowledge of higher education academic curriculum: the relationship between degrees, majors, and where applicable, major concentrations, minors, and certificates.
  • Experience and understanding of applicable laws, regulations, and policies, including how they are applied within their assigned functional area.
  • A high level of business acumen, professionalism, and maturity, including the ability to maintain confidence with sensitive student records information.
  • Excellent organizational skills and the ability to prioritize work assignments.

Preferences:

• Education Preferred:
  Advanced Degree
• Experience Preferred:
  Five or more (5+) years of related experience.
  Experience in higher education, particularly experience in a college or university Registrar's Office.
  Experience and history in participating in professional organizations (e.g., TACRAO, SACRAO, AACRAO) and contributions to the registrar profession
• Skills Preferred:
  • Technical skill and experience with specialized software tools commonly used in Registrar's Offices, such as Ellucian Banner, Degree Works, Leepfrog CourseLeaf products (CAT, CIM, CLSS), etc.
  • Skill and experience interfacing software tools (SQL Developer, Access, etc.) with Oracle tables and views, formulating queries, form design and reporting, etc.

Essential Functions:

• Manages and maintains the data and corresponding communications within an assigned (Office of the Registrar) functional area, using specialized software and programs.
• Maintains complete current and historical records, both electronic and paper, ensuring the ability to quickly retrieve information, generate reports, and provide additional statistical insights as needed.
• Manages and performs the comprehensive review, maintenance, submission, and changes to records and data within an assigned functional area; ensures timely updates and accuracy across all official documentation (university and office policies, business process documentation, the university's General Announcements, etc.).
• Ensures meticulous adherence to data entry timelines and introduces new innovative methods for meeting deadlines or facilitating the seamless transfer of data to enhance overall efficiency.
• Coordinates the ongoing development, adherence, and maintenance of standards, policies, and procedures; documents business processes, office policies, and procedures; and routinely audits documentation.
• Performs high-detail analyses and routine data integrity audits; consistently reviews and analyzes data and ensures consistent data accuracy.
• Ensures the conformity of record release procedures to the applicable policies and legal requirements governing the confidentiality of student records, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and all other applicable laws and regulations.
• Provides regular guidance, instruction, and direction in response to inquiries and requests for information from the university community.
• Performs all other duties as required.

Additional Functions:

• Has shared responsibility for the content on the Office of the Registrar web pages; contributes toward the development and editing of website informational text to communicate policies and procedures to the university community and beyond.
• Has shared responsibility to make ongoing updates and improvements to Office of the Registrar business process documentation (specifically the OTRwiki, monthly task schedules, and the OTR annual production calendar.
• Serves as a customer service representative for the Office of the Registrar, serves as a backup to other professional staff, and assists in other office functional tasks, as needed.
• Maintains current professional knowledge in the registrar profession, including in the area of student records management and student records technology; researches and suggests options for new technologies to improve efficiency and functionality.