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Position Summary:

Rice Business, a premier institution known for its outstanding education and commitment to cultivating the next generation of business leaders, is seeking an experienced leader to serve as the Executive Director of Academic Programs and Student Experience.

In this pivotal role, you will have the unique opportunity to shape and elevate the academic and co-curricular experience of our diverse student body. Reporting directly to the Associate Dean of Degree Programs, you will play a crucial role in the experiential quality of six MBA programs, the undergraduate business major and minor, as well as our specialized master programs. This individual is responsible for providing visionary leadership, strategic planning, and operational oversight to ensure the delivery of high-quality academic programs and a transformative student experience. In addition, this position will lead the student experience and engagement strategy, academic support and advising, budget and resource management, stakeholder engagement, assessment and reporting, and all leadership and staff development for the teams they manage.

This position requires excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to build and maintain strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. Expert skills in consensus-building and conflict resolution, ensuring that all voices are heard and valued in the decision-making process is critical to this role.

If you are a leader with a passion for leading a team into a shared vision of a created future brought to life by the team's efforts, we invite you to join Rice Business in shaping the future of business education.

The ideal candidate for the Executive Director of Academic Programs and Student Experience at Rice Business is a visionary leader with a demonstrated ability to manage managers, inspire teams, and foster a collaborative environment. With a strategic mindset, this individual has a proven track record of developing and executing plans to achieve a shared vision of the future.

This candidate brings an exceptional ability to navigate complex organizational structures and drive change. They are adept at building and leading high-performing teams, empowering managers to excel in their roles and contribute to the collective success of the institution.

Workplace Requirements:

This position is a full-time, in-person, Monday-to-Friday role, with frequent evening and/or weekend commitments. The schedule will allow for compensating days off when working outside of the traditional M-F schedule. An expectation, at minimum, will be one weekend/monthly and one evening/weekly. The primary expectation is to be on campus in alignment with the student academic and programming schedule - flexibility in schedule is available when needed and where appropriate. Travel requirements are minimal, almost exclusively at the discretion of the employee.

Requirements:

• Master’s Degree
  • In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted
• 10 years of corporate and/or higher education professional work experience
  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted

Essential Functions:

• Develop and implement strategies to create a vibrant, inclusive, and supportive community for all students.
• Oversee student organizations, events, and activities that enhance the student experience and foster a sense of belonging.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with faculty, staff, and alumni to enhance the academic programs and student experience. Serves as a key liaison with stakeholders and constituency groups and is responsible for managing external relations (public, donors, industry)
• Meets as needed with faculty teaching in the student program to ensure consistency of policies and procedures.
• Ensure that students have access to robust academic advising and support services. Oversee the development and implementation of academic policies and procedures.
• Develops, maintains, and executes student communication plan for the program and directs outreach, including communications, marketing, and events
• Leads, directs and supervises the administrative functions and activities of the department, including hiring, performance reviews, development, and training. Provide leadership and direction to the staff within the Academic Programs and Student Experience Office. Foster a culture of excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Oversees the annual fiscal budget and manages resources efficiently, including expenditure approval.
• Regularly assess the effectiveness of academic programs and student services. Provide reports and recommendations to the Dean and other stakeholders.
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Preferences:

• Extensive experience in supervising team leaders and/or managers
• Experience with student services at the graduate education level

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

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment 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.

Faculty and staff are expected (but not required) to have completed a full vaccination series for COVID-19 (currently defined as full course COVID-19 Vaccine (typically two shots of a WHO-approved COVID-19 Vaccine or one J&J) and a COVID-19 booster. Rice does not require documentation for COVID 19 vaccination at this time for faculty and staff. More information can be found here: https://coronavirus.rice.edu/policies.