Job Description
The Office of the President seeks an accomplished Executive
Assistant to provide high-level administrative and operational
support to the Secretary to the Corporation and the Associate Vice
President and Chief of Staff to the President. This position serves
as a trusted partner to both leaders, managing complex schedules
and priorities, coordinating meetings and travel, preparing
correspondence and materials, and helping ensure commitments and
follow-up actions are carried through.
The Executive Assistant also supports select Board of Trustees
activities, provides backup coverage for the Executive Assistant to
the President, and contributes to the smooth operation of the
Office of the President.
Ideal Candidate Statement:
The ideal candidate is an experienced executive support
professional who is highly organized, resourceful, and comfortable
supporting senior leaders and managing competing priorities. They
exercise sound judgment and discretion, anticipate needs,
communicate with confidence and professionalism, and take ownership
of their work with exceptional attention to detail and
follow-through. They are collaborative, adaptable, and able to
build trusted relationships with senior leaders, colleagues across
the university, and external stakeholders.
Workplace Schedule Requirements:
This role requires occasional work outside standard business hours,
particularly around Board meetings, commencement, presidential
events, and travel by either principal. The office operates at a
steady pace, with periods of higher activity around key events and
institutional priorities.
Workplace Location:
On-campus position: This is an on-campus position, with the
possibility of occasional remote workdays based on office needs,
workload, and scheduled activities. Per
Rice
policy 440 , work arrangements may be subject to change.
Workplace Requirements:
- Movement: Walk, Occasionally (<33%); Climb Stairs,
Ladders, Inclines, Objects/Equipment, Step Ladders, Rarely/As
Required
Mobility: Sitting, Standing, As Required; Repetitive
Hand/Wrist/Finger Movement, Frequently
Weight: 0-20 lbs.
Sensory: Vision, Depth Perception, Hearing, Touch,
Dexterity, Speech
Environment: Office/Indoor
Computer/Visual: Close visual acuity required for
viewing computer monitors, reading documents, analyzing
information, and performing computer-based work.
Hiring Range: Up to $90,000 annually, commensurate with
experience and qualifications.
*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 may be substituted on
an equivalent year-for-year basis.
- Two or more (2+) years of progressively responsible
administrative or executive support experience, including direct
support of senior leaders.
- Demonstrated discretion and sound judgment in handling
confidential, sensitive, and privileged information.
- Fluency in Google Workspace, including calendar delegation and
management across multiple accounts, shared-drive architecture and
permissions, document collaboration, and spreadsheet functions
beyond basic data entry.
- Demonstrated proficiency with a project- or task-management
platform and the capacity to work in Asana confidently and
independently within the first several weeks.
- Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills, with the
ability to draft correspondence on behalf of others.
- Proven ability to manage competing priorities from multiple
principals, navigate changing demands, determine what requires
immediate attention, and communicate effectively as priorities
shift.
- Strong interpersonal skills and the poise to interact
effectively with trustees, senior university officers, external
partners, and their staff.
- Meticulous attention to detail and consistent follow-through
without prompting.
Preferences:
- Five or more (5+) years of progressively responsible
administrative or executive support experience, including direct
support of senior leaders.
- Experience supporting and liaising directly with a governing
board in any sector.
- Working knowledge of Diligent Boards or a comparable board
portal platform.
- Experience in higher education, a nonprofit governance
environment, professional services, or another complex environment
with comparable confidentiality expectations.
- Experience with enterprise financial and expense-management
systems.
Essential Functions:
Executive Support
- Manage complex, high-volume calendars for the Secretary to the
Corporation and Chief of Staff, proactively resolving scheduling
conflicts and coordinating with senior university leaders,
trustees, external partners, and their staff.
- Coordinate closely with the Executive Assistant to the
President and executive assistants across the university to
facilitate meetings, events, and institutional priorities.
- Prepare executives for meetings by coordinating agendas,
briefing materials, pre-reads, presentations, and other supporting
information.
- Coordinate meeting logistics, including rooms, technology,
catering, and virtual participation; attend meetings as needed to
capture action items, coordinate follow-up, and track commitments
through completion.
- Draft, edit, proofread, and coordinate correspondence,
memoranda, presentations, and routine communications.
- Assist with inbox management by identifying urgent matters,
routing requests appropriately, and tracking items requiring
response or follow-up.
- Coordinate domestic and occasional international travel,
including transportation, accommodations, itineraries, and
supporting materials.
- Prepare expense reports, reconcile procurement-card activity
and departmental charges, and coordinate with office
business-administration staff as needed.
- Maintain appropriate contact lists, distribution lists, files,
and other administrative records.
Board and Governance Support
- Support the Secretary to the Corporation in coordinating the
annual Board and committee meeting cycle and communicating with
trustees, committee chairs, and their assistants.
- Maintain Board materials and information in Diligent, including
posting and organizing materials and managing appropriate access
and permissions.
- Maintain organized and accessible governance files, corporate
records, committee membership and meeting information, and
reference materials, including coordination with university
archives as appropriate.
- Prepare and format Board-related documents, resolutions,
presentations, correspondence, and other materials for the
Secretary's review.
- Support Board and committee meetings through materials
preparation, scheduling, room and catering arrangements, and day-of
logistics in coordination with staff responsible for Board
operations and meeting planning.
Presidential and Office Support
- Provide backup coverage for the Executive Assistant to the
President during planned absences and periods of high volume,
including management of presidential scheduling and meeting
preparation.
- Ensure the President has appropriate materials and background
information for scheduled meetings and provide day-of scheduling
support when providing coverage.
- Assist with presidential correspondence during coverage
periods, including mail, letters for signature, correspondence
tracking, and triage of the President's general email account.
- Provide additional administrative and operational support to
the Office of the President as priorities require.
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.
