Graduate Program Administrator

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.

Special Instructions to Applicants: 

All interested applicants should attach a cover letter and resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.

Position Summary:

The Graduate Program Administrator provides administrative and operational support for the Smalley-Curl Institute and its components, which currently include: the Applied Physics Graduate Program, the Rice Quantum Initiative (RQI), the Rice Center for Quantum Materials, a summer colloquium for students and postdocs, and several endowed postdoc and student fellowships. This position reports to the Institute Program Manager and works in a matrix with the institute Directors and Executive Director. The Graduate Program Administrator will also assist the senior personnel in various tasks related to the five-year-long NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program that started recently. NRT administration constitutes half of this position’s work, and it includes recruitment and retention, course instruction management, organization of workshops, annual symposia and outreach events, and creating and maintaining a website for the NRT program.

Ideal Candidate Statement: 

The ideal candidate has excellent time management and communication skills, is detail-and service-oriented and has experience with media and maintaining websites. 
 

Workplace Requirements

This position is primarily on-site, with some remote work allowed on an ad-hoc basis.  Duties are to be performed in-person at the Smalley-Curl Institute offices. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range: This position has an expected maximum salary of $60,000.

*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime. 

This position is funded by a grant, soft and/or restricted funds. Continued employment is contingent on the renewal of funding. 

Minimum Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree 


• 1+ years in a similar administrative role

Skills: 

• Ability to work well under pressure and manage projects simultaneously 


• Good organizational and time management skills 


• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office suite 


• Ability to work independently and as part of a team to meet expected deadlines and schedules 


• Strong client service orientation and attention to detail 


• Excellent written and verbal communication skills 


• Attention to detail

Preferences:

• Related experience working at Rice University and/or higher education 


• Two years of experience, or more, providing advanced administrative and/or program support 


• Experience managing graduate student enrollment and degree progress. 


• Experience with Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, or other publishing software 


• Experience with managing website and social media content. 


• Familiarity with Asana, Drupal, and Oracle Cloud Fusion software


• Aptitude to learning new systems and applications


• Self-starter who takes initiative, has a ‘can do’ attitude, is resilient, and is adaptable to change

Essential Functions:

• Administers the daily operations of assigned program(s) with general guidance of a faculty member or a senior staff member


• Provides support to faculty, staff and students as relates to the program


• For academic programs, will assist with graduate student recruitment and admissions, student records, curriculum support, coordinating the accreditation process, managing scholarships and fellowships, and monitoring student progress. 


• Edits and maintains websites related to the academic program and to the institute; creates and curates content for website and social media sites


• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions:

• Conducts research, analyzes data, identifies trends and develops reports


• Recommends and implements outreach plans, including communications, events, marketing, conferences, etc.

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits-overview

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity at all levels.  It considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.