Assistant Director, MBA Communications and Events

Rice University•Houston, TX

2d•Onsite

About The Position

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, and Online modalities. The Assistant Director of MBA Communications and Events role within the Rice Business MBA Recruiting and Admissions Office (RAO) is primarily responsible for executing communications, marketing, and event operations that support MBA recruitment and admissions efforts across all program formats. The position operationally focused on implementing complex and cyclical communication campaigns through Slate and project manager of recruiting and admissions events of various sizes and modalities. This role oversees the execution of external communications and marketing materials directed toward prospective MBA students as they navigate the application and enrollment journey. Additionally, the Assistant Director manages the operational planning and logistics for recruiting and admissions events. The role is responsible for carrying out the strategy established by the Assistant Dean of Recruiting and Admissions, using data insights and CRM tools to support targeted communication and marketing efforts throughout the prospective student journey. In addition, the Assistant Director provides operational support across CRM and admissions functions and serves as an internal resource on program-specific communication and event needs across all program modalities. The Assistant Director works closely with all Rice Business stakeholders, with more consistent collaboration with the CRM Lead and Rice Business Marketing and Communications team to ensure communications are delivered accurately, consistently, and effectively across channels and audiences. As part of the operations function within Recruiting and Admissions, the position collaborates extensively with all RAO team members to support campaign deployment, event coordination, and applicant engagement initiatives. The Assistant Director also serves as a project manager for complex recruiting and admissions events, ensuring timelines, stakeholder coordination, and execution details are managed efficiently and with excellence. The Assistant Director is an internal Subject Matter Expert (SME) for all program formats, ensuring specialized needs and unique market nuances are addressed with precision through event execution and communication campaigns.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree
Two or more (2+) years of higher education, event management, and/or marketing experience
Strong oral and written communication skills
Strong organizational and creativity skills
Familiarity with graduate business education processes and programs
Strong analytical problem-solving and interpersonal skills, e.g., professionalism, collaboration, etc.
Strong CRM and computer skills, specifically Microsoft Suite, e.g., Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in marketing and communications
Experience project managing events in Higher Education
Higher Education Experience
Familiarity with Slate or a comparable CRM system
Familiarity with Enrollment management
Experience working within the graduate business education landscape

Responsibilities

Develops and manages communication campaigns, specifically drip campaigns, as prospective students navigate the application and enrollment journey.
Writes, designs, and coordinates production of communication and marketing materials essential to the recruiting and admissions efforts – with guidance from Marketing and Communications to ensure brand alignment and cohesiveness
Quality control ownership for the successful delivery of all communications to prospective students across all program modalities via SLATE, working in close collaboration with the CRM lead
Develops and maintains the Recruiting and Admissions content calendar, targeted communications, and RAO webpages.
Coordinates Social Media coverage and content with Marketing and Communication to ensure consistent visibility of MBA programs for prospective students.
Guides event planning and execution of recruiting and admissions events, including CRM event set up and associated communications, registration forms, and event execution, working in collaboration with the Recruiting and Admissions ADs who lead major recruiting events.
Develops newsletters for stakeholders on a bi-annual basis minimally
Creates presentation decks on behalf of Rice Business Recruiting and Admission ADs for consistency and operational efficiency.
Coordinates all CRM lead gen sources from 3 rd party vendors/organizations to ensure applicant pipelines are nurtured and healthy.
Recommend creative and innovative marketing, communciation and event strategies to maintain a robust candidate pipeline
Responsible for annual refresh for drip campaigns across all program modalities.
Performs all duties as assigned.
Participates in university-wide and / or organization-wide initiatives and cross-functional teams to establish the organization as a strategic partner and thought leader
Represents Rice at professional associations and meetings ensuring our efforts are aligned with the evolving needs of the global business workforce
Maintains relationships with other departments in Rice Business and across campus
Recommends improvements as needed and based on findings
Produces creatively designed reports related to impact and success throughout the recruiting cycle on an as needed basis, working in close collaboration with CRM
Offers ad hoc support to the Assistant Directors of Recruiting with events and communication needs
Commit to continuous learning related to graduate management education trends and competitive market landscapes to leverage this knowledge to ensure Rice Business’s firm position within the market.
Act as a proactive guardian of the Rice Business brand. This involves identifying potential misalignments in messaging or aesthetics and possessing the initiative to propose and implement strategic solutions to maintain brand integrity.
Provide comprehensive support for the full lifecycle of recruitment and yield events. From meticulous pre-event planning to premiere execution, ensuring every event reinforces our commitment to excellence.