Assistant Vice Provost

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 that 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 are reflected 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 Vice Provost for Academic Affairs provides strategic leadership, operational management, and senior advisory support to the central faculty administrative services at Rice University, acting in close partnership with the Provost's Office. Serving as a key bridge between high-level institutional strategy and operational excellence, this role directs the comprehensive business, compliance, and financial operations of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (VPAA) division. The position serves as Chief of Staff and trusted advisor to the VPAA and other faculty leadership, guiding key administrative milestones, faculty lifecycles, and multi-unit institutional objectives.

Ideal Candidate Statement:

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in faculty affairs, multimillion-dollar budget management, and cross-functional team leadership, combined with a proven track record of driving technological modernization and continuous process improvement across academic units.

Hiring Range: $111,504 to $140,000 annually, depending on experience and qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree required.
6+ years of related administrative, financial, and operational leadership experience within a university setting or complex institutional environment. Additional advanced education may be substituted for a portion of the experience requirement.
Exceptional critical-thinking, problem-solving, and resource-management skills.
Demonstrated capability in cross-functional diplomacy, strategic communication, and executive-level advisory reporting.

Preferences:

Ten+ years of related administrative, financial, and operational leadership experience within a university setting or complex institutional environment.
Proven operational experience working at Rice University with an expert understanding of institutional faculty policies, procedures, and lifecycle workflows.
Demonstrated expertise using and deploying enterprise human resource information systems (HRIS) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, specifically Oracle Cloud.
Advanced experience implementing and administering academic administration tools, specifically the Interfolio suite.
Documented success leading thriving, adaptable teams through major technological shifts, including AI-enabled productivity tools and institutional modernization projects.

Essential Functions:

Strategic & Operational Leadership

Directs comprehensive office operations, compliance, risk-mitigation frameworks, and faculty administration to ensure organizational success.
Acts as Senior Advisor and Chief of Staff to the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, providing data-driven counsel on faculty policies, lifecycle milestones, and strategic resource deployment.
Manages, mentors, and directs divisional staff, cultivating a collaborative, technologically savvy, and high-performing team culture.
Serves as a primary representative for faculty administration at the university level, cultivating partnerships across business, research, and IT sectors to align decentralized academic units with centralized institutional goals.

Financial Stewardship & Multi-Unit Oversight

Manages complex, multimillion-dollar operating budgets and financial planning processes across multiple reporting units, including VPAA, OISS, PWC, OFD, and CAPC.
Partners closely with unit directors to establish, monitor, and align departmental goals with broader institutional objectives.
Leads the development, implementation, and forecasting of annual and multiyear budget plans, leveraging trend reports, variance analyses, and financial modeling to ensure long-term viability.

Technology Modernization & Systems Implementation

Spearheads large-scale systems implementations and other initiatives to modernize faculty administrative processes.
Leads the adoption and management of enterprise academic platforms such as Interfolio products (FAR, FS, RPT, LM, WPP).
Serves as the principal liaison between technical and non-technical stakeholders to build system proficiency, secure institutional buy-in, and design modernized documentation standards that enhance transparency for executive leadership.
Demonstrates familiarity with AI-enabled productivity tools, such as Google Workspace AI (e.g., Gemini, NotebookLM) or similar platforms (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude), and an interest in applying them responsibly to improve workflow efficiency, documentation, and knowledge management.

Process Optimization & Continuous Improvement

Analyzes existing workflows and implements process optimization methodologies to significantly enhance operational efficiency and key performance indicators (KPIs).
Establishes and executes strategic continuous improvement initiatives to streamline the faculty lifecycle without compromising data accuracy or policy compliance.

Executive Support & Faculty Governance

Oversees the review, governance, and approval of complex faculty personnel actions within Oracle Cloud.
Drafts faculty appointment, promotion, and other formal approval letters on behalf of the Office of the Provost and the President.
Coordinates and drafts the official consent calendar for quarterly Board of Trustees meetings.
Directs the annual comprehensive review and editing process for the policy pages of the university's General Announcements.

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