Assistant Director, First Year Programs

Special Instructions to Applicants:
All interested applicants should attach a resume and cover letter in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in 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, lecture 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 Director of First Year Programs supports First Year Programs (FYP) under the Office of Student Success Initiatives. The assistant director participates in the planning, implementation, and assessment of Rice’s undergraduate orientation programming while also providing support in the form of advising and training to 33 O-Week Coordinators and two Student Directors.

Ideal Candidate Statement:

The ideal candidate has at least three (3) years of experience facilitating the planning, organization, and execution of undergraduate orientation programs and activities that support the successful transition of new undergraduate students by including parents and family members in the campus community. Experience as a supervisor, including providing guidance and support to student leadership teams, is also preferred.

Workplace Requirements:

This position is exclusively on-site and full-time, necessitating that all duties be performed in person at Rice University. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change. Responsibilities occasionally may require an adjusted work schedule and evening/weekend hours over the summer to meet the needs of program development.

Hiring Range: $58,000–$61,500 annually, contingent upon qualifications and experience
*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree

• 2+ years of experience in a four-year college or university setting, with some previous experience working in orientation or event planning specific to undergraduate students in a postsecondary academic setting

  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education above and beyond what is required may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis

Skills:

• Knowledge of theories including student development, learning, and identity development, and experience applying those frameworks professionally

• Ability to problem-solve and support/advise students in personal and/or academic crisis

• Strong communication and rapport-building skills, and experience collaborating with faculty, staff, students, families, and administration

• Ability to multitask and manage multiple projects with competing deadlines

• Demonstrated understanding of the experiences of students in transition and the strategies necessary to facilitate their success

• Experience and comfort working with diverse student populations, including but not limited to first-generation college students, low-income students, and underrepresented student populations

• Coaching and instructional skills, organizational abilities, attention to detail, and the ability to quickly assess the effectiveness of an intervention
   

Preferences:

• Master’s degree (preferably in college student personnel, counseling, student affairs, or a related field)

• Experience working in orientation or event planning specific to undergraduate students

• Experience employing holistic proactive/intrusive advising strategies

• Experience providing academic support, leadership development, and program development

• Experience supporting student success/undergraduate retention initiatives

• Experience working with faculty

• Experience working at a highly selective college or university

• Familiarity with working in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment

• Ability to work in a collaborative, team-oriented environment

• Ability to create interventions to support diverse learners
   

Essential Functions:

• Responsible for planning, executing, and assessing all components of a comprehensive mid-year orientation and Orientation Week (O-Week) for all incoming first-year and transfer students in collaboration with student and academic partners

• Coordinates the campus-wide elements of Orientation Week, leading college- or university-wide collaborative initiatives for first-year students, including tradition-based programs, new student move-in, and New Families Orientation

• Participates in the planning, organization, and implementation of undergraduate orientation programs and activities, coordinating with Facilities and Planning, campus departments, external vendors, and academic offices

• Communicates and collaborates with residential college Magisters, college coordinators, Wellbeing, academic departments, Campus Life entities, and other campus resources as necessary to ensure students receive comprehensive support, including creating strong communication between First Year Programs and the residential colleges

• Provides advice, support, and mentorship to the Student Directors of O-Week (2) and O-Week Coordinators (33 student leaders) to prepare them to plan and lead O-Week and support the transition of new students

• Develops and facilitates training sessions for student leaders, including comprehensive, ongoing trainings and ad hoc trainings

• Provides support with FYP web, social media, and marketing efforts, and updates materials, forms, etc.

• Assists in creating reports examining student data for trends in performance, academic courses, or other factors that may affect student transition and success

• Participates in department and division assessment efforts

• Completes other duties as assigned
   

Additional Functions:

• Individualized, holistic, developmentally appropriate coaching to assist students in their academic, social, leadership, and interpersonal development

• Assists first- and second-year students in developing roadmaps for their success at the university, using varied strategies to facilitate the identification and implementation of their goals

• Assists in monitoring student academic performance and persistence toward graduation, preparing reports, and maintaining student files as necessary

• Maintains awareness of best practices in proactive/holistic advising, student success coaching, and the higher education/student affairs landscape, integrating these ideas into advising practices

• Assists in developing student success interventions, workshops, and other programs aimed at facilitating the transition to college

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

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 get in touch with Rice University’s Human Resources Office via email at facstaffada@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.