Assistant Director of Working Professional MBA Recruiting and Admissions

Rice University • Houston, TX

7d • Onsite

About The Position

Rice Business seeks an Assistant Director of Working Professional MBA Recruiting and Admissions to help identify and enroll future business leaders. Reporting directly to the Rice Business Assistant Dean of Recruiting and Admissions, this role develops and executes outreach and recruitment strategies across the Working Professional MBA portfolio, with deep expertise in the Evening, Weekend, and Hybrid MBA programs and working knowledge of all Rice Business MBA formats.

The Assistant Director manages a portfolio of prospective students and guides candidates from initial inquiry through enrollment with personalized advising and high-touch communication. The role represents Rice Business at recruitment events, leads information sessions and presentations, conducts one-on-one consultations and evaluative interviews, assesses application files, and makes formal admissions recommendations. It also uses CRM and candidate-pool data to support recruitment and enrollment decisions, cohort composition, and yield strategies.

This position reports to the Assistant Dean of Recruiting and Admissions. It is exclusively on-site at McNair Hall on a five-day, in-office schedule, with standard hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Remote work may be assessed and approved as needed after the probationary period. The position involves frequent evening and weekend professional events and may require domestic and international travel. The role is exempt and not eligible for overtime. Applicants should attach a resume and cover letter, preferably in PDF format.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree; no substitutions permitted for the degree requirement.
• At least 3 years of higher education and/or relationship management or recruiting experience. Additional related education beyond the required degree may substitute for experience on an equivalent year-for-year basis.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent diplomacy and organizational skills.
• Familiarity with graduate business education processes and programs.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including professionalism and collaboration.
• Ability to lead and facilitate presentations and information sessions clearly and confidently.
• Ability to conduct candidate assessments.
• Ability to establish and maintain relationships with prospective students.
• Excellent computer skills, particularly Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to work in person on campus on a five-day schedule.
• Availability for frequent evening and weekend events and possible domestic and international travel.

Nice To Haves

• Extensive professional experience in relationship management.
• Experience in graduate business education.
• Experience in higher education or sales.
• Familiarity with CRM systems or equivalent relationship-management platforms.
• A strong grasp of graduate management education and the sales and enrollment management cycle.
• Experience using data to guide relationship-management strategies from inquiry through matriculation.
• Ability to work autonomously, solve problems creatively, meet targets, and demonstrate self-accountability.

Responsibilities

• Identify, nurture, and manage high-potential candidate populations across Working Professional MBA modalities and assigned recruitment territories.
• Recommend creative engagement strategies to maintain a robust candidate pipeline.
• Build relationships with prospective students through consistent follow-up and personalized communication from inquiry through enrollment.
• Advise professional MBA prospects on program fit and career return on investment across Rice Business MBA programs.
• Respond to candidate inquiries promptly and document accurate information in the CRM system.
• Develop and lead recruitment presentations, information sessions, and individual advising sessions, in person and virtually.
• Represent Rice Business at on-campus events, Houston-area outreach activities, and domestic recruitment travel.
• Maintain the integrity of the Slate CRM database by recording candidate interactions accurately and supporting data continuity with the operations team.
• Evaluate candidate application files using qualitative and quantitative evidence and make formal admissions recommendations.
• Conduct evaluative interviews to support the development of a high-caliber and diverse MBA cohort.
• Analyze the candidate pool and contribute to efforts to meet strategic enrollment goals.
• Provide senior leaders with synthesized qualitative candidate insights to complement quantitative funnel data and inform cohort and recruitment decisions.
• Lead high-impact yield events with the Candidate Experience and Operations team to reduce attrition and secure a strong incoming cohort.
• Provide strategic and tactical support to the broader Recruitment and Admissions Operations team.
• Maintain professional and operational excellence and perform other duties as assigned.
• Build relationships with Rice Business departments and faculty, acting as a liaison between enrollment management and the wider university community.
• Keep current with graduate management education trends and competitive market dynamics and apply that knowledge to recruitment innovation.
• Represent Rice Business with strategic partners and help align recruitment with the needs of the global business workforce.
• Identify potential messaging or branding inconsistencies and recommend solutions to protect the Rice Business brand.
• Support recruitment and yield events throughout their lifecycle, from planning through execution.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager