Deputy Registrar
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 Deputy Registrar is a critical leadership position within the Office of the Registrar (OTR). Serving on the Registrar's leadership team as second-in-charge, the Deputy Registrar manages, maintains, and safeguards the academic records of all students enrolled at the University, ensuring the accuracy, confidentiality, security, and integrity of those records and the Rice University degree.
The Deputy Registrar provides critical support at the intersection of office operations, technology, business process, and policy. Acting as a big-picture thinker and thought partner, this role contributes to setting the strategic and operational vision for the OTR, while planning, prioritizing, advising, and managing staff and resources in alignment with the goals and mission of the university. This includes, but is not limited to:
Strategic Leadership & Office Management
- Strategic Direction: Serves as second-in-charge and a key thought partner to the Registrar, university leadership, and the community. Assists in setting the strategic direction, operational vision, goals, and priorities for the OTR.
- Operational Excellence & Resources: Directs and oversees the core functions of the office and the Associate Registrars. Monitors operational efficiency, manages applicable budgets and resources, plans for depth and expertise to ensure coverage during absences or turnover, and leads the office in its support for overall student success.
- Policy & Change Management: Assists in the establishment and implementation of OTR policies and practices. Analyzes complex business processes, leads change management initiatives, translates needs into solutions, and ensures adherence to established standards across the office.
Data Integrity, Academic Records, & Degree Clearance
- Records Safeguarding: Oversees the management, maintenance, and security of academic records for a diverse university population (undergraduate, graduate, international, and non-traditional learners), ensuring strict adherence to FERPA and other legal requirements.
- Degree Conferral: Directs the graduation auditing process, degree clearance, and logistical support for commencement operations to ensure the integrity of the Rice University degree.
- Data Analysis & Auditing: Performs highly detailed analyses and routine data integrity audits of student records and academic administration data. Utilizes advanced database query skills (SQL) and tools (Tableau, SQL Developer, etc.) to review, analyze, and correct data consistently.
- Documentation & Continuous Improvement: Creates and maintains documentation on processes and application configurations (including the OTRwiki, monthly task schedules, and annual production calendar). Identifies trends, writes proposals, and implements continuous process improvements for student records reporting.
Technology & Systems Administration
- Systems Management: Assesses and manages current and future technologies to maximize operations, ensuring the optimal use of the student information system (Ellucian Banner 9) and related integrated systems.
- Implementation & Enhancements: Participates in the creation, design, and testing of new software, upgrades, and system enhancements.
- IT Coordination: Coordinates closely with the Office of Information Technology (OIT) on applicable software upgrades, system performance issues, and technical troubleshooting.
- Enterprise Systems Integration & Data Governance: Provides leadership in the integration and interoperability of the student information system (Banner) with enterprise platforms and third-party applications, including API-based data exchanges and identity management systems. Partners with campus stakeholders to ensure secure, scalable, and efficient data flows across systems. Supports the development and adherence to institutional data governance frameworks, ensuring consistency, integrity, and appropriate use of academic data across reporting, compliance, and operational needs. Contributes to the advancement of automated reporting solutions that support institutional, state, federal, and accreditation requirements.
Staff Supervision & Team Development
- Team Leadership: Manages direct reports and their respective teams of exempt and non-exempt staff responsible for the office's functional operations and core services.
- Mentorship & Training: Proactively provides professional development and mentorship. Creates an internal learning program, sets clear goals and objectives, delegates tasks, and regularly reviews team performance.
- Culture Building: Motivates employees to achieve peak productivity and fosters a welcoming, professional environment.
Campus Collaboration & Professional Engagement
- Campus Partnerships: Communicates and presents effectively to senior administration, faculty, faculty senate leadership, and autonomous school-level stakeholders in a decentralized environment. Serves as an OTR customer service representative and backup to other professional staff as needed.
- Committee Participation: Serves as an active participant on committees, working groups, and task forces discussing trends in enrollment, new academic programs, credentials, and academic policies.
- Professional Contribution: Maintains current professional knowledge of student records management and technology; actively participates in and contributes to professional organizations (e.g., TACRAO, SACRAO, AACRAO).
- Communications: Shares responsibility for the content on the Office of the Registrar web pages and other communications; contributes toward the development and editing of website informational text and other communications to communicate policies and procedures.
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.
Annual Hiring Salary: $120,000 to $150,000. Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.
Minimum Requirements:
- Bachelor's Degree
- Seven or more (7+) years of related experience.
Skills Required:
- Leadership & Administration: Demonstrated competency in administering complex academic administrative services in a highly decentralized college/university environment, with a strong commitment to high-quality customer service.
- Team Management: Extensive experience managing a team, including hiring, retaining, training, and developing exempt and non-exempt employees; setting goals; delegating tasks; determining appropriate deadlines; and conducting performance reviews.
- Technical & Data Acumen: Intermediate to advanced proficiency in data stewardship, database concepts, and querying skills (SQL). Experience using enterprise software systems, Oracle database querying tools and data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau) to manage, analyze, and report on large data sets.
- Systems Experience: Track record of successful leadership in utilizing and optimizing student information systems, catalog management, classroom scheduling systems, and electronic degree audits. Project management experience is required.
- Policy & Compliance: Extensive knowledge of the legal requirements governing student records confidentiality, including FERPA and related higher education regulations. Ability to interpret, explain, and implement complex academic policies and procedures.
- Process & Change Management: Advanced skills in analyzing and developing complex business processes, translating them into technical solutions, and leading effective project and change management initiatives.
- Curriculum Knowledge: Strong understanding of educational academic curriculum, including the relationship between degrees, majors, concentrations, minors, and certificates.
- Interpersonal & Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Proven ability to work harmoniously and collaboratively with team members, students, faculty, staff, and senior administrators.
- Organizational & Problem-Solving Skills: Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills. Demonstrated ability to meet critical deadlines individually and lead effective teams to meet deadlines with minimal oversight.
- Business Acumen: A high level of business acumen and maturity, including the ability to maintain strict confidence with sensitive student records information.
- Software Proficiency: Advanced-level proficiency with PC computers, including the Microsoft Office suite of standard applications.
Preferences:
- Advanced Degree
- Nine or more (9+) years of related experience.
Skills Preferred:
- Experience and history in participating in professional organizations (e.g., TACRAO, SACRAO, AACRAO) and contributions to the registrar profession.
- Experience and knowledge of current trends and best practices with enrollment reporting to the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) and the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS).
- Experience with enrollment reporting to the U.S. Veterans Affairs Office (VA) and VA funding.
- Experience and knowledge of the process of NCAA student-athlete eligibility, and compliance requirements.
- Experience supporting innovative credentialing and non-traditional academic programs (e.g., micro-credentials, digital badging, and joint-degree programs)
Essential Functions:
- Strategic Leadership & Operations
- Co-leads the development of strategic direction, operational vision, goals, and priorities for the Office of the Registrar in partnership with the University Registrar and senior leadership.
- Oversees day-to-day operations for the Office of the Registrar (OTR) in support of the University Registrar.
- Directs core office functions and manages the Associate Registrars responsible for functional operations.
- Monitors operational efficiency across all sections and plans for cross-training to ensure continuous coverage during absences, illness, or turnover.
- Leads and/or co-leads the development, implementation, and refinement of Office of the Registrar policies and practices, ensuring alignment with institutional academic policy and regulatory requirements.
- Identifies trends, drafts proposals and procedures, and provides relevant training to the campus community.
- Leads the office in supporting overall student success by fostering strong relationships with diverse campus constituents.
- Records Management & Data Integrity
- Safeguards the academic records of all enrolled students, ensuring the accuracy, confidentiality, security, and overall integrity of the Rice University degree.
- Performs highly detailed analyses and routine data integrity audits of student records and academic administration data, correcting data as needed.
- Creates and maintains comprehensive documentation on processes and application configurations.
- Develops and actively implements continuous process improvements and new methods for student records reporting.
- Technology & Systems Administration
- Participates in the creation, design, and testing of new software, upgrades, and system enhancements.
- Coordinates closely with the Office of Information Technology (OIT) regarding applicable software upgrades and system performance troubleshooting.
- Team Leadership & Development
- Proactively mentors direct reports and provides ongoing professional development opportunities for OTR staff.
- Creates an internal learning program and sets clear goals, objectives, and performance measures for the team.
- Fosters a welcoming work environment that values contributions from every team member.
- Campus Collaboration & Professional Engagement
- Communicates and presents effectively to senior administration, faculty, faculty senate leadership, and external campus partners.
- Represents the Office of the Registrar on university committees, working groups, and governance bodies, contributing to and co-developing academic policies, enrollment strategies, and credentialing frameworks.
- Maintains current knowledge of the registrar profession and student records technology.
- Participates actively in professional organizations (e.g., TACRAO, SACRAO, AACRAO) and contributes to the broader academic 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.
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.
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