What are the responsibilities and job description for the Program Manager position at Rice University?
Job Description
Special Instructions to Applicants:
“All interested applicants should attach a resume 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
Reporting to the director of the Baker Institute Center for the U.S. and Mexico (CUSMX), the Program Manager directs the administrative operations of the center, including all budget and financial operations. In addition, the position provides comprehensive support to the director and CUSMX fellows and scholars for center research, events, communications, human resources, and financial activities. Working closely with the institute's finance and development team, the Program Manager assists annual budget planning, handles purchasing and reimbursement processes for the research team, and supports the development and implementation of research projects and partnerships including post-award accounting and compliance.
Founded in 1993, Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy has established itself as one of the premier nonpartisan public policy think tanks in the country. As an integral part of Rice University, the Baker Institute has a strong track record of achievement based on the work of its fellows, scholars, Rice faculty scholars and staff. The institute collaborates with experts from academia, government, the media, business, and nongovernmental and private organizations.
Ideal Candidate Statement
The ideal candidate will have demonstrated competency in managing administrative functions for a major research center, program or initiative as well as experience managing a research team and building connections with relevant individual and organizational stakeholders.
Workplace Requirements
On campus position: “This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in-person. Per Rice policy 440 , work arrangements may be subject to change.”
Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University
Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires 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.
If you have any additional questions, please email us at jobs@rice.edu . Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.
Special Instructions to Applicants:
“All interested applicants should attach a resume 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
Reporting to the director of the Baker Institute Center for the U.S. and Mexico (CUSMX), the Program Manager directs the administrative operations of the center, including all budget and financial operations. In addition, the position provides comprehensive support to the director and CUSMX fellows and scholars for center research, events, communications, human resources, and financial activities. Working closely with the institute's finance and development team, the Program Manager assists annual budget planning, handles purchasing and reimbursement processes for the research team, and supports the development and implementation of research projects and partnerships including post-award accounting and compliance.
Founded in 1993, Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy has established itself as one of the premier nonpartisan public policy think tanks in the country. As an integral part of Rice University, the Baker Institute has a strong track record of achievement based on the work of its fellows, scholars, Rice faculty scholars and staff. The institute collaborates with experts from academia, government, the media, business, and nongovernmental and private organizations.
Ideal Candidate Statement
The ideal candidate will have demonstrated competency in managing administrative functions for a major research center, program or initiative as well as experience managing a research team and building connections with relevant individual and organizational stakeholders.
Workplace Requirements
On campus position: “This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in-person. Per Rice policy 440 , work arrangements may be subject to change.”
- Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.
- Bachelor’s Degree
- Two years of related experience in an administrative role in an office environment.
- 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
- Strong verbal and written communications skills
- Strong client service orientation and attention to detail
- Strong data analysis skills
- Bachelor’s Degree in management, accounting, or finance or a policy-related field such as political science or economics
- Three or more years of relevant experience in an institution of higher education or policy research organization connected to U.S.-Mexico relations
- Prior experience developing and managing annual budgets
- Knowledge of constituent database software, especially Blackbaud CRM, and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, especially Oracle
- Interest in and familiarity with issues of U.S.-Mexico binational relationship and/or U.S. foreign policy
- Strong verbal and written communication skills in Spanish
- Administers program operations for the Baker Institute Center for the U.S. and Mexico (CUSMX), ensuring efficient, effective and productive operations
- Manages CUSMX budget and financial operations in coordination with the institute’s finance office, including annual budget planning, purchasing and reimbursement processes for the CUSMX research team
- Plans and implements CUSMX events in coordination with institute’s events office, including facilitating speaker invitations, travel and honorariums, drafting event materials, selecting event vendors, and assisting the execution of workshops, lectures and conferences
- Provides administrative support to CUSMX researchers on sponsored research proposals, including post-award accounting of grants and contracts
- Responsible for CUSMX-branded print and digital communications, including website content and promotional materials
- Develops and implements strategies related to outreach, events, communications (including management of social media accounts and the center podcast), development, partnerships and fundraising / funding (including managing Mexico Forum memberships).
- Assists CUSMX director in strategic planning and analyzing metrics to ensure center goals are met
- Supports HR processes for the CUSMX team and manage the center’s student interns as needed
- May assist with fundraising and development activities
- Assists with the onboarding and training of CUSMX staff
- May assist the director in reviewing CUSMX publications
- Performs all other duties as assigned
Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University
Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires 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.
If you have any additional questions, please email us at jobs@rice.edu . Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.
