Posted: Apr 21, 2026
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Associate Director, Admission

Rice University - Houston, TX
Full-time
Salary: $65,500.00 - $69,000.00 Annually
Application Deadline: May 4, 2026
Admissions & Recruiting

Position Summary:

The Associate Director is an experienced admission officer at Rice University, a highly selective research institution in the heart of Houston, Texas. Reporting to a Deputy Director, this individual will manage projects with a high degree of complexity, scope, and visibility.

Ideal Candidate Statement:

The Associate Director will manage advanced functions that correlate with their supervisor’s content area. Such functions may include but are not limited to managing major programs and outreach, international student recruitment, staff training, and development, coordinating the file review process, etc. These functional areas may require delegating responsibilities and monitoring the work of other team members. The associate director will interact with senior leadership to influence strategic decisions related to their work.

Workplace Requirements:

This position may be offered as a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work to provide flexibility and support collaboration, with a minimum of 3 days on campus after a six-month probationary period.  Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.  Travel required.

Proposed Hiring Range:

$65,500-$69,000 annually, dependent on experience and qualifications.  *Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.

Minimum Requirements:

  • Bachelor'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
  • 3+ years of experience working in a college or university admission office or as a high school college counselor or teacher

Skills:

  • Interpersonal skills that demonstrate professionalism, relatability, and collegiality
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively on high-level, complex projects
  • Familiarity with the multiple work areas of a modern admissions office, including CRM systems, reporting and analytics, recruitment, evaluation and selection, marketing and communications, access and institutional excellence, on-campus programming, staff training, budget management, and staff development
  • Proficient in using admission and enrollment data to make data-informed decisions, measure and assess progress toward strategic goals, present data, and revise practices as needed
  • Strong verbal and written communication, presentation, and customer service skills
  • Strong reading comprehension and ability to make distinctions among competitive applicants
  • High level of proficiency in MS Office suite and Google suite
  • Excellent organizational and time management skills
  • Ability to present meaningful information that helps to inform decision making
  • Familiarity with whole-file application evaluation (experience with committee-based-evaluation desirable)

Preferences:

  • 5+ years of experience in a highly selective university or college admission office
  • In-depth project management experience, from creation to implementation
  • Strong writing skills desired

Essential Functions:

  • Works with other members of the admission staff on projects related to recruitment, evaluation and selection, marketing and communications, access and institutional excellence, on-campus programming, alumni engagement, staff training, budget management, and staff development as assigned
  • Collaboratively works with supervisor on year-over-year planning, process, and project management
  • Independently and collaboratively manages projects with a high degree of complexity, scope, and visibility
  • Utilizes data to measure team success and help articulate the team’s effectiveness
  • Manages a specific recruitment territory and engages in all aspects of recruitment, evaluation, selection, yield, measurement, and planning to ensure the development of a geographic pipeline to Rice
  • Conducts informational sessions
  • Establish and maintain strong relationships with high school students, counselors, families, and community based organizations
  • Evaluates applications and makes recommendations on selection utilizing the committee-based-evaluation process
  • Maintain confidentiality in all aspects of the work
  • Ensures compliance with federal and state laws concerning college admission, FERPA, and other applicable regulatory expectations
  • Responds to inquiries, timely providing accurate information
  • Performs all other duties as assigned