Job Description
Position Summary:
The Director of Operations is a strategic leader and operational
architect responsible for driving the technology, process design,
and analytics that power all MBA recruiting and admissions
priorities at Rice Business. Reporting directly to the Assistant
Dean for Recruiting and Admissions, the Director leads the Slate
CRM ecosystem, oversees systems operations, and manages a dedicated
team of CRM and operational professionals.
Special Instructions to Applicants:
All interested applicants should attach a resume and cover letter
in the Supporting Documents of the application, preferably in PDF
format, to avoid formatting issues. Applications submitted without
these documents will not be considered.
Ideal Candidate Statement:
The ideal candidate is an operationally astute, highly focused
leader who excels at translating complex strategy into seamless
execution. This person thrives at the intersection of technology,
process design, and team leadership, bringing a pragmatic and
solutions-oriented approach to every challenge. The ideal candidate
is characterized by exceptional attention to detail and rigorous
project management capabilities, taking pride in designing systems
that run with accuracy and integrity. The candidate is an innovator
and problem-solver equally comfortable crafting creative,
forward-thinking solutions for the Slate CRM environment. The
director is driven to achieve continuous improvement, proactively
works to identify and resolve operational bottlenecks, leverages
technology to streamline processes, and seeks to eliminate friction
between internal stakeholders and prospective students.
This person brings a collaborative perspective to cross-functional
partnerships across Rice Business. The ideal candidate elevates the
technical capabilities of their direct reports, sets high standards
for data integrity and operational excellence.
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 is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to
be performed in-person at McNair Hall on a 5-day in-office schedule
with an 8:30am – 5:00 pm workday. Remote work opportunities will be
assessed and approved on an as-needed basis following the
successful conclusion of the probationary period
This position does include a high volume of professional events
occurring both nights and weekends, along with extensive travel
both domestically and internationally.
Business professional attire is often required, with the
flexibility to shift to business casual on non-event,
external-facing interactions.
Per Rice policy 440 , work
arrangements may be subject to change.
Annual Hiring Range : $97,000 minimum, with hiring salary
commensurate with experience and qualifications. *Exempt (salaried)
positions under
FLSA
are not eligible for overtime.
Minimum Requirements:
- Bachelor’s Degree
- No substitutions permitted
- Four or more (4+) years of CRM and or Data Management/Analysis
- 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 and organization skills
- Ability to multitask and manage deadlines
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to architect complex solutions with interactive mapping
solutions
- Demonstrated experience with the design and implementation of
interfaces for database-driven applications and software such as
CRM systems.
Essential Functions:
- Oversees the strategic management, continuous enhancement, and
daily operation of the Rice Business Slate CRM instance supporting
all residential MBA modalities.
- Directly manages a high-performing team of CRM and operations
professionals. Fostering a team culture of continuous improvement,
technical excellence, and user-centric service
- Serves as the primary senior leadership liaison between the
Rice Business critical stakeholders and seeks to align CRM
workflows with broader institutional goals and user needs.
- Oversees the design and delivery of real-time dashboards,
funnel reports, and predictive yield analysis to inform executive
decision-making and track progress toward enrollment targets.
- Prioritizes and leads the process optimization for prospective
students by auditing and refining the application review
procedures, decision release mechanisms, and event promotion to
maximize efficiency for staff and deliver an exceptional user
experience for prospective students.
- Serves as the Rice Business Slate Captain and commits to
remaining informed of industry trends and norms to continue to
leverage the full scope of the Rice Business CRM system Slate.
- Directs and manages the complete operational framework of the
annual recruitment and admissions lifecycle. Translate strategic
enrollment targets into executable timelines, system milestones,
and technical configurations to ensure seamless execution from
initial prospect intake through application submission, yield, and
matriculation.
- Leads the annual updates, testing, and relaunch of all MBA
program application forms within Slate CRM. Establish rigorous
quality assurance protocols to ensure form accuracy, field logic,
recommendation management, fee processing, and seamless back-end
data mapping across all MBA programs.
- Oversees the operational deployment, scheduling, and
segmentation of automated drip campaigns and marketing touchpoints
across the funnel. Partner closely with RAO leadership and
Marketing to configure dynamic logic, personalized messaging
triggers, deliverability tracking, and campaign performance
analytics within the CRM.
- Serves as the functional innovator for emerging technologies by
researching, piloting, and integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI)
solutions into enrollment management practices. Leverage predictive
models, natural language processing, and advanced machine learning
to automate routine operational tasks, enhance lead scoring,
elevate applicant engagement, and scale team capacity.
- Applies structured project management methodologies to plan,
execute, and deliver operational initiatives on time and within
scope. Map complex business workflows, document standard operating
procedures (SOPs), and lead ongoing process re-engineering to
eliminate organizational bottlenecks and drive measurable
efficiency across the unit.
- Performs all other duties as assigned
Additional Functions:
- Supervises a small operations team to support the operational
needs of the recruiting and admissions office along with additional
needs within the Rice Business community
Rice University HR | Benefits:
https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits
Rice 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 University’s Human Resources Office via email at
facstaffada@rice.edu for support.
If you have any additional questions, please email us at
jobs@rice.edu . Thank you for your
interest in employment with Rice University.