Academic Program Administrator

Rice University•Houston, TX

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Department of Chemistry is seeking a collaborative, detail-oriented Academic Program Administrator to manage day-to-day faculty affairs and serve as a key operational link across the academic life cycle. Reporting directly to the Senior Administrator for Chemistry and collaborating closely with the Dean’s Office, you will manage end-to-end faculty administrative processes, acting as a departmental subject matter expert on recruitment, onboarding, reappointments, promotion and tenure (P&T), and faculty offboarding. In this role, you will bridge departmental priorities with institutional requirements, ensuring seamless execution, strict policy compliance, and a highly organized administrative foundation for our faculty. The ideal candidate is an agile, proactive administrative professional and collaborative partner who thrives at the intersection of higher education policy and faculty support. You bring proven experience navigating academic personnel workflows, specifically promotion and tenure (P&T), faculty recruitment, and appointments, and excel at coordinating closely with cross-functional leadership, including the Dean’s Office and central academic personnel teams. Guided by the Senior Department Administrator, you anticipate departmental deadlines and communicate with high levels of diplomacy, discretion, and accuracy. Whether assembling intricate promotion dossiers according to school and university standards or executing a multi-step onboarding plan for a new faculty member, you balance operational rigor with a service-oriented approach that strengthens the Department of Chemistry’s academic community.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree
Two or more (2+) years of related experience
Ability to learn new strategies
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Data analysis skills
Ability to work well under pressure and manage multiple projects simultaneously
Strong organizational and time management skills
Knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite
Ability to work independently and as part of a team to meet deadlines and schedules
Attention to detail
Ability to develop program partnerships and funding sources
Basic knowledge of budget management and financial planning

Nice To Haves

Proven experience navigating academic personnel workflows, specifically promotion and tenure (P&T), faculty recruitment, and appointments
Experience coordinating closely with cross-functional leadership, including the Dean’s Office and central academic personnel teams
Experience assembling intricate promotion dossiers according to school and university standards
Experience executing a multi-step onboarding plan for a new faculty member

Responsibilities

Administers the day-to-day operations and administrative processes related to faculty affairs under the guidance of the Senior Department Administrator.
Develops and delivers ad hoc reports as assigned to support business needs.
Coordinates faculty recruitment, appointments, onboarding, reappointments, promotion and tenure, and offboarding processes.
Serves as a departmental resource on faculty-related policies, procedures, and deadlines and helps ensure compliance with university and school requirements.
Prepares, organizes, and maintains faculty records, appointment materials, promotion and tenure dossiers, and other required documentation.
Coordinates with faculty, department leadership, the Dean's Office, and central university offices to support faculty personnel processes.
Monitors deadlines and manages multiple faculty-related processes to ensure materials and actions are completed accurately and on time.
Provides administrative support to faculty and department leadership and responds to questions related to faculty affairs and academic personnel processes.
Assists with the development and improvement of departmental processes, procedures, and documentation related to faculty affairs.
Maintains confidential information and handles sensitive faculty matters with discretion and professionalism.
Performs all other duties as assigned.