Assistant Director - MBA Enrollment Management Operations

Position Summary:

Rice Business is a globally recognized, top-ranked graduate business school distinguished by its rigorous academic standards and a full portfolio of MBA programs, including Full-Time, Professional (Weekend and Evening), Hybrid, Executive, and Online modalities.

Reporting directly to the Director of Operations, the Assistant Director of MBA Enrollment Management Operations supports the daily management of the admissions system, including the current CRM system (Slate) and various related platforms that guide the application journey for prospective students across all program formats. As a member of the newly formed Operations team within the Recruiting and Admissions Office (RAO), the Assistant Director collaborates closely with Rice Business operational stakeholders.

This position also supervises the MBA Admissions Ambassadors program, managing the Rice Business application interview process from an operational perspective across all MBA programs.

The position provides technical expertise to ensure the effective use of technology, systems, workflows, and data throughout the admissions lifecycle, supporting the strategic priorities established by the Assistant Dean and Director of Operations to meet and exceed enrollment targets. The Assistant Director plays a critical role in the applicant assessment journey, providing operational best practices and serving as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in enrollment operations in collaboration with the Director of Operations.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

All interested applicants should attach a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.

Ideal Candidate Statement:

The ideal candidate for this position is detail-oriented, technically savvy, and passionate about improving and creating processes that enhance operational efficiency. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced environment and takes a proactive approach to professional responsibilities. This individual has a strong understanding of graduate management education and exceptional organizational skills to manage competing priorities and high-volume workflows. The successful candidate is committed to operational excellence, service-oriented, collaborative, resourceful, forward-thinking, and capable of working autonomously.

Workplace Requirements:

Rice Business primarily delivers residential classes and activities that take place almost daily between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. We value a highly collaborative and community-based culture, with expectations to provide in-person support and services to all members of our community. Remote work options are limited. Most employment activities must be performed in person and on campus. This in-person approach is central to the successful achievement of our research and academic missions.

This position includes a high volume of professional events occurring during evenings and weekends and may require domestic and international travel as needed.

Business professional attire is often required, with the flexibility to shift to business casual when not participating in events or external-facing interactions.

Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Workplace Location:

This position is exclusively on-site, requiring all duties to be performed in person at McNair Hall on a five-day, in-office schedule with standard work hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Remote work opportunities may be considered and approved on an as-needed basis following the successful completion of the probationary period.

Hiring Range: Commensurate with experience

*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime. 

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree

  • No substitutions permitted

• 2+ years of professional experience in higher education, systems management, and/or operations

  • 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:

• Strong knowledge of enrollment management systems and operations

• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills

• Excellent planning and organizational skills

• Demonstrated creativity, problem-solving, critical-thinking, initiative, judgment, and decision-making skills

• Ability to achieve goals through formal and informal channels while demonstrating diplomacy and tact

• Ability to manage priorities and multiple time-sensitive projects with competing deadlines

Preferences:

• Experience working in enrollment management

• Experience working in application management operations

• Experience working in graduate management education environments

• Experience working with Slate or a comparable CRM system

• Experience supervising student volunteers

Essential Functions:

• Serves as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for application management workflows, guiding prospective student applications from submission through final review

• Supervises Full-Time and Working Professional MBA student ambassadors who facilitate candidate assessments for prospective students

• Manages the prospective student interview process, ensuring interview opportunities are available and coordinating all necessary applicant communications in collaboration with Assistant Directors

• Oversees the incomplete application process, including coordinating communications and driving applications to completion throughout the application cycle

• Supports the creation and maintenance of all CRM forms associated with the application review process

• Serves as the primary point of contact for integrated external systems, ensuring external application requirements are accurately connected to each prospective student’s application file

• Supports the management of term-limited Application Readers as they review applications for completeness and conduct initial evaluations of candidate materials

• Provides operational support during admissions committee meetings and candidate evaluation processes

• Supports internal requests for data, queries, and reports to ensure effective candidate engagement throughout the application process

• Provides operational support to strategic partners during the annual review and implementation of application updates

• Supports the annual review and optimization of application workflows and processes

• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions:

• Maintains collaborative relationships with departments throughout Rice Business and across the university

• Recommends process improvements based on findings and operational need

•  Produces reports throughout the recruiting cycle, in close collaboration with the Director of Operations

• Provides ad hoc support to Assistant Directors of Recruiting regarding events and communication activities

• Commits to continuous learning related to graduate management education trends and competitive market conditions, leveraging that knowledge to support Rice Business's position in the marketplace

• Acts as a proactive steward of the Rice Business brand by identifying potential misalignments with brand strategy and recommending and implementing solutions to maintain brand integrity

• Provides comprehensive operational support for recruitment and admissions activities, ensuring a high standard of service and operational excellence throughout the enrollment lifecycle

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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 [email protected] for support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.