Corporate Engagement Officer at Rice University in Houston, Texas

Job Description:

Special Instructions to Applicants: All interested applicants please attach a cover letter and resume in Pdf format.

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 Ion is a nucleus for innovation in Houston, fostering an inclusive community and culture where entrepreneurs, academic institutions, and corporations come together to solve some of the world's greatest problems. It supports startup businesses at all stages of the innovation lifecycle and provides resources for Houstonians and others seeking to participate in the innovation economy. Academic and corporate partners are integrated into a robust environment of educational events, demonstrations and hack-a-thons. The Ion also includes programming focused on workforce development, job training and digital skills training. The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship leads programming at the Ion.

The Corporate Engagement Officer is responsible for the execution and management of relationships between Ion and companies who wish to be involved with the organization in a sponsorship capacity. The person in this position helps generate leads, cultivates relationships, and creates sponsorship agreements that provide mutual benefit for the corporate sponsor and Ion on a financial, programmatic, and brand level. The Corporate Engagement Office will work with the Ion team to develop and execute a strategy for creating new sponsorship opportunities and ensuring consistent renewals and engagement with long-term sponsors and corporate partners. This includes creating corporate engagement programming and events. They are responsible for creating long-lasting relationships with corporations to create a healthy potential pipeline of partners for both the Ion and Rice Alliance.

The ideal candidate displays confidence and poise and is a skilled communicator and team player with experience in corporate sales or fundraising who has proven success in account management and executing a strategy to secure sponsorships and/or corporate gifts. They should understand how corporate partners are part of a larger strategic vision for an organization and the importance of these relationships and agreements for marketing strategy. The ideal candidate will also have excellent time management and organization skills, is proactive and service oriented.

Proposed Hiring Range: hiring salary commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree
• 3+ years of related experience in sales and account management or fundraising

Skills:

• Ability to effectively communicate, in writing and verbally
• Proficient with business development databases / CRM software tools
• Presentation skills
• Basic financial analysis for reporting and expense accounting skills - will hold a Rice purchasing card and submit expense reports
• Attention to detail
• Basic event planning best practices

Preferences:

• 5 years of related experience in sales and account management, fundraising, or similar function
• Active listening skills
• Ability to multitask
• Experience with or aptitude to learn Hubspot, Salesforce, or other CRM software platform

Essential Functions:

• Generates sponsorship leads via various means (including email, partnership contacts, and industry knowledge) and handles operational aspects of the sponsorship "sales" process, serving as a trusted representative for the organization - coordinating with the Ion team on the delivery of "services"
• Collaborate with marketing team to communicate the corporate partnership story and execute on agreements
• Maintains an active pipeline of prospects
• Maintains sponsor database
• Analyzes prospective sponsor requirements and draws up draft sponsorship agreements for review
• Quotes prices for services outlined in agreements and revises or expands agreement terms to meet sponsor/client needs
• Owns stewardship of existing Ion sponsors, periodically conferring with them to verify satisfaction with service or to resolve complaints
• Maintains documentation with key performance indicators, sustaining the corporate partner relationship through multiple renewal periods
• Fosters meaningful relationships with interested corporations while maintaining the highest level of confidentiality
• Attend Ion and community events as a representative of the Ion and Rice Alliance to deepen existing corporate relationships and develop new corporate prospects
• Provide engaging tours of the Ion for corporate partners and community members
• Builds and maintains relationships with third-party vendors
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions

• Attend events to further develop leads and prospects
• Nights and weekends may be required for networking and events

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.

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