Rice University · 21 hours ago
Executive Director, Business Operations
Houston, TX, United States
Full-time
Hybrid
Director/Executive
6+ years expRice University is a prestigious institution located in Houston, Texas, recognized among the nation’s top 20 universities. The Executive Director, Business Operations is responsible for overseeing financial, administrative, and talent management functions to support the Development and Alumni Relations Division, while providing strategic leadership and collaboration with key departments.
EducationHigher EducationService IndustryUniversities
Responsibilities
Develops, implements, and maintains a comprehensive strategy for the financial, administrative, computing, information and talent management functions for the Development and Alumni Relations Division
Oversees the following functional teams consisting of approximately 30 staff members: Division Administration and DAR IT, Development Information Services, and Talent Management
Collaborates with senior staff members in preparing the annual budget for each unit within the division and subsequently compiles the divisional budget of approximately $21 million
Develops processes and procedures for divisional personnel administration regarding position descriptions, performance appraisals, salary administration, and hiring procedures
Manages the identification of computing needs on an ongoing basis and the implementation of technology solutions, including hardware and software installation, configuration, upgrades, conversions, data security, training, and troubleshooting
Oversees the campus-wide advancement system (OwlConnect, powered by Blackbaud CRM), including implementation of standards to facilitate accurate data entry, gift processing, and reporting, and the use of features such as prospect tracking, proposal tracking, contacts, and general ledger interface
Accountable for the professional development and performance of direct reports
Performs all other duties as assigned
Participates in benchmarking efforts, including compilation of data for external surveys
Participates in salary and wage administration efforts, including survey reviews and compensation/equity analyses
Evaluates the effectiveness of business processes and facilitates revisions as needed
Has extensive contact within the university at all levels, including frequent contact with staff members in the Development and Alumni Relations Division and with all levels of campus administration
Has frequent contact with vendors and other groups related to contract negotiations and other business needs of the division and also has contact with colleagues at peer institutions
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's Degree, with an emphasis on some phase of business (business management, finance, accounting, computing, etc.)
Six or more (6+) years of related professional experience in administration, financial and budget management, information systems, and talent management, including experience managing teams, programs, and projects
Demonstrated leadership, supervisory, planning and strategic management skills
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Ability to lead and motivate groups of diverse individuals
Excellent attention to detail and data analysis skills
Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
Excellent organizational and time management skills
Maturity in judgment and ability to maintain a high degree of confidentiality and integrity
Extensive knowledge of Microsoft Office suite
Preferred
Master's Degree (preferably MBA)
Nine or more (9+) years of related professional experience described above
Previous work in a similar role at Rice University, or at another university or non-profit organization
Experience in collaborating with executive level leadership
Ability to translate executive leadership needs into understandable and actionable items
Experience with advancement CRMs, preferably Blackbaud CRM
Experience with ERP systems, preferably Oracle Cloud
Company
Rice University
Rice University is a private research university that focuses on providing undergraduate education services.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Rice University has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (113)
2024 (81)
2023 (71)
2022 (65)
2021 (82)
2020 (86)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$80.9MKey Investors
National Heart, Lung and Blood InstituteAdvanced Research Projects Agency for HealthUS Department of Energy
2024-09-19Grant
2024-08-13Grant· $18M
2023-07-27Grant
Leadership Team
Ken Medlock
James A Baker III and Susan G Baker Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics
Kyle Judah
Executive Director, Liu Idea Lab for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Lilie)
Recent News
2026-01-25
2026-01-19
Company data provided by crunchbase