Organizational and Talent Development Specialist
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 a 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, 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 Human Resources team is seeking an Organizational and Talent Development Specialist to support Rice University’s strategic priorities by organizing, facilitating, and delivering training programs and workshops for new and current employees throughout Rice, either in-person or asynchronous. This role integrates technology, data, and development practices to enhance employee performance, strengthen leadership capability, and foster a culture of continuous learning and accountability.
Ideal Candidate Statement:
The ideal candidate brings experience in training, education, curriculum design and instruction, both in classrooms and in a virtual setting., along with the ability to translate technical or scientific material into engaging learning content for professionals, supervisors and leaders. With excellent facilitation and presentation skills, they effectively lead workshops, training sessions, and team-building activities, fostering a collaborative and inclusive workplace environment, aimed at learning, developing and performing.
Workplace Requirements:
This position is offered as a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work to provide flexibility and support collaboration. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.
Annual Hiring Range: $85,000 to $92,000, with hiring salary 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.
- Three or more (3+) years of experience in a role as a corporate training, coach or similar.
Skills:
- Excellent communication, presentation and public speaking skills; strong organizational and time management skills.
- Strong experience with MS Office (specifically PowerPoint), and e-learning software.
- Demonstrated ability to take initiative and ownership of projects; work independently; manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment; research issues; solve problems; propose solutions; adapt to changing priorities; and meet deadlines.
- Ability to develop engaging training materials, presentations, and solutions using creative approaches, ability to apply adult learning principles to design impactful training and development programs.
- Strong understanding of workplace dynamics with the ability to recommend and facilitate effective interventions; ability to identify development gaps and create targeted, business-aligned solutions.
- Adept at leading team sessions and meetings to drive decision-making, problem-solving, and team effectiveness.
- Experience with workplace assessments (e.g., DiSC, Birkman, StrengthsFinder); certification in assessment tools strongly preferred.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, with a client-service orientation and the ability to build relationships and collaborate effectively across the University while respecting individual needs.
- Ability to interpret data and translate insights into actionable recommendations.
Preferences:
- Experience supporting organizational change initiatives.
- Familiarity with higher education or complex organizations.
- Advanced experience with Oracle Cloud Fusion or similar platforms.
- Certification or training in coaching, facilitation, or instructional design.
Essential Functions:
- Training & Development
- Design, develop, and facilitate instructor-led and e-learning programs and workshops on topics such as leadership, performance, effectiveness, communication and other interpersonal skills.
- Facilitate workshops using assessment such as Birkman, DISc or StrengthFinders, and translating the findings in relevant, actionable solutions and programs for respective groups.
- Provide ad-hoc and planned coaching and guidance to leaders on performance, communication, and team effectiveness.
- Design and facilitate team interventions to align teams with organizational goals; strengthen communication, leadership effectiveness, trust, and team cohesion.
- Support Director of Training and Development with marketing of Rice’s offerings, by crafting and sending general and targeted messages to leadership, managers and employees, updating websites, calendars and plannings, and preparing and conducting presentations for relevant employee groups.
- Delivery for Course Development and Instructional Design
- Using course development philosophies as ADDIE and Adult Learning Theory, develop 4 to 6 complete course per year in fields and areas that have the greatest impact.
- Support the Director Training & Development in conducting needs assessments to ensure the training is focused on the areas needed the most.
- Technology
- Manage and maintain learning management systems (LMS), including course assignments, tracking, and reporting to relevant stakeholders and leadership.
- Support the performance management lifecycle (goal setting, check-ins, evaluations), through training and coaching, ensuring data accuracy and compliance.
- Design, update and run reporting on Performance Management status for effective follow-up.
Additional Functions:
- Facilitation & Collaboration
- Build and maintain relationships with HR partners, leaders, and staff across the university.
- Analyze performance and learning data to inform decisions and continuous improvement.
- Participate in projects as they arise.
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