Graduate Housing Administrative Assistant

Position Summary

The Graduate Housing Administrative Assistant provides high-level administrative and operational support to the Graduate Housing department. Reporting to the Senior Operations Manager, this role also serves as backup support during staff absences.

Key responsibilities include coordinating schedules, managing departmental communications, preparing and reconciling expense reports, and supporting event and project logistics. The Administrative Assistant is responsible for maintaining accurate records, processing financial and administrative transactions, and collaborating with other departments to ensure tasks are completed efficiently and on time.

The role also involves monitoring workflow, generating reports, and assisting with special projects as assigned. Success in this position requires strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and excellent written and verbal communication abilities.

Ideal Candidate Statement

The ideal candidate demonstrates strong time management and organizational skills and approaches their work with a proactive, service-oriented mindset. They are a self-starter who takes initiative, maintains a positive "can-do" attitude, and remains resilient and adaptable in the face of change.

Essential Functions

• Under the general direction of the senior operations manager, establishes priorities and identifies and resolves administrative problems
• Researches and/or writes background information for meetings
• Oversees the coordination of complex events and programs
• Composes documents for presentations, communications, and reports; performs substantial research, editing, and fact-checking
• Creates complex reports and spreadsheets
• Oversees and processes a variety of complex financial transactions; produces, monitors, and reconciles budget statements; researches, identifies, and resolves discrepancies
• May assist with capital or special equipment requests and/or vendor selection
• Coordinates complex office moves
• Plans and coordinates routine remodeling and renovations
• Analyzes and reviews materials and extracts pertinent information for briefing purposes
• Performs graduate housing transactional support; coordinates or manages the visa process
• Guides and trains student workers, including scheduling, assigning, and prioritizing workloads; setting appropriate deadlines; and reviewing work for quality and timeliness
• Performs other duties as assigned

Additional Functions

• Occasional front desk coverage
• Maintains student resident files and facilitates the graduate housing agreement to ensure compliance with policies and procedures
• Organizes and files all invoices and financial records for the property
• Oversees departmental petty cash, auditing as needed
• Maintains all life safety practices for all graduate properties
• Responds to the fire alarm panel and other emergency situations
• Performs wellness checks for students and identifies situations that require assistance from Rice University Police personnel
• Facilitates the processing of student applications for graduate student housing and the annual lottery; manages check-in and check-out procedures; processes charges to student accounts for damages and cleaning; and processes deposit dispositions upon move-out and non-return to Graduate Housing
• Ensures proper financial handling guidelines are adhered to by promptly depositing checks and money orders to Rice University
• Processes billing invoices for department approval and researches billing inquiries
• Promptly resolves billing questions and issues between vendors and the graduate department
• Remains current and knowledgeable about all Fair Housing laws and regulations to ensure effective practices
• Performs a variety of clerical support functions for Graduate Housing
• Maintains student accounts in management software; performs data entry and all bulk functions as needed
• Creates reports on occupancy, availability, and demographic data to effectively plan for future prospective students
• Implements a complete marketing program to make potential students aware of available amenities and differences between various graduate properties
• Acquires and maintains knowledge necessary to suggest and recommend how facilities, equipment, and services may best accommodate student needs