Assistant Dean of Business Operations at Rice University in Houston, Texas

Job Description:

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 Assistant Dean for Operations works closely with and supports the Dean in directing and managing critical priorities, initiatives, and activities that advance the Dean's agenda. This individual oversees key support staff and operations of the Dean's office to manage the finance, human resources, and academic operations for the School of Natural Sciences. They collaborate with the Associate Deans and other senior administrative staff, including department administrators, and advises faculty leadership regarding program implementation. They serve as a representative of the school at the university level and manages a team of individual contributors and managerial staff to accomplish the essential functions of the position.

Workplace Requirements: - This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in-person at Rice University. Per Rice policy 440 , work arrangements may be subject to change

This role is classified as essential and may require a remote work presence to effectively fulfill its critical functions during times of an emergency

Hiring Range: $130,000 - $150,000. This is an exempt (salaried) position under FLSA that is not eligible for overtime.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree
• 8 years of related experience, including leading teams and/ or supervising staff to manage operations in a complex organization

Skills:

• Strong project management skills and ability to contribute to and lead a multi-functional team
• Exceptional organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to identify and understand complex issues and opportunities, synthesize data, and develop appropriate solutions taking account of available facts, constraints, and probable consequences
• Experience with budgeting and financial administration in an academic or research setting
• A track record of working effectively with and influencing other stakeholders in a large organization
• Ability to catalyze new approaches to improve results by transforming organizational culture, systems, or services

Preferences:

• Master's degree
• Academic administration experience
• Experience working at Rice University
• Experience leading organizational change to improve results by transforming culture, systems, or programs/services.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and Google Workspace (Google Docs and Google Calendar) and familiarity with Box File Systems, Interfolio, and Oracle Cloud

Essential Functions:

• Serves as the administrative leader of the school and as a strategic partner to the Dean
• Oversees Natural Sciences finance, human resources, academic teams, and operations
• Maintains effectiveness of the organizational structure and programs to ensure success, development of employees, and appropriate use of staff resources
• Works closely with departmental staff leadership on HR, finance, and academic-related issues.
• Advises the Dean and departments on the organization and training of departmental staff
• Ensures compliance with university policies and procedures
• With the support of school finance staff, leads the oversight, planning, and development of multi-year budgets and financial actions and reports that ensure responsible use of resources and inform decision-making and strategic commitments
• With the support of the school human resources team, oversees human-resources-related functions for school personnel, including faculty hiring, promotion and tenure, and faculty reappointments
• Oversees the school's administrative academic processes, including but not limited to interfacing with departments in curricular matters and space allocation.
• Works closely with the offices and departments of the Provost, Budget, Controller, Human Resources, Registrar, and Vice Provost of Academic Affairs
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions

• Oversees the staff support provided to the Dean and Associate Deans
• Reviews business actions including facilities and IT needs, contracting, insurance, legal, and compliance matters
• May oversee post-award research-administration personnel
• Represents Natural Sciences on various university-wide committees

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 and 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.

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and the full inclusion of all qualified persons in the workplace. This commitment includes providing reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities. For applicants with disabilities who require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact Rice University's Disability Resource Center at 713-348-5841 or adarice@rice.edu for support.

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