Deputy Chief of Staff

Rice University•Houston, TX

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Rice University is implementing its ten-year Momentous strategic plan and preparing for the public phase of a comprehensive campaign. The Deputy Chief of Staff is a new position in the Office of the President created to support increased presidential engagements, cross-divisional work, and decision-making. Reporting to the Chief of Staff, the Deputy is a strategic generalist and the Chief of Staff’s principal backup, working directly and regularly with the President and senior university leadership to advance institutional priorities and coordinate presidential engagements and initiatives. The Deputy facilitates readiness for consequential presidential engagements, staffs the President at university and external events and during travel, and ensures that commitments are followed through. The role also leads sensitive special projects, staffs key meetings, and helps move institutional priorities across divisions and schools. The Deputy may represent the Chief of Staff and the Office of the President as delegated. The role requires strategic thinking alongside tactical execution, careful discernment, productive conflict navigation, discretion, and the ability to build positive relationships across campus and the community. This is an on-campus position, with the possibility of occasional remote workdays depending on office needs, workload, and scheduled activities. The role includes regular travel with the President, including overnight and international travel, and frequent work outside standard business hours, particularly around presidential engagements, board meetings, and university events. Rice policy 440 states that work arrangements may be subject to change. The hiring range is $128,371 to $167,761 annually; the anticipated hiring salary depends on the selected candidate’s qualifications, experience, and alignment with the position requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Four or more years of progressively responsible experience in an executive office, strategy, public or constituent engagement, or comparable roles, including direct work with a senior executive.
Experience exercising delegated judgment in ambiguous situations.
Ability to independently analyze complex questions by framing problems, gathering and weighing evidence, and offering a clear, candid perspective, including when it differs from a senior leader’s.
Demonstrated ability to lead substantial projects from initial question through final recommendation with minimal direction, shifting between strategy and execution as needed.
Ability to absorb large volumes of information, identify what matters and to whom, and produce concise, decision-ready materials.
Judgment, presence, and poise to work directly with the President and the University Associate (the President’s Spouse), including in informal settings and during travel.
Ability to work fluently with trustees, senior officers, donors, faculty leaders, and external partners.
Strong written communication skills.
Discretion with confidential and sensitive material and sound judgment about what to share and with whom.
Consistent follow-through without prompting.
Fluency in Google Workspace and a project management platform, with the ability to work independently in Asana within the first several weeks.
Ability to travel regularly with the President, including overnight and international travel, and work frequently outside standard business hours.

Nice To Haves

Master’s or other advanced degree.
Seven or more years of progressively responsible experience.
Experience in a president’s or chancellor’s office, or a comparable executive office in a research university or other large, decentralized organization.
Experience preparing and accompanying a principal at external engagements, including advance work.
Experience in a comprehensive fundraising campaign environment.
Experience supporting executive searches.
Familiarity with the work of a governing board.

Responsibilities

Facilitate preparation of the President for consequential engagements, including oral and written briefings, and coordinate with relevant presidential and partner offices so that roles, guests, and needs are settled in advance.
Maintain a forward view of the President’s engagements and contribute to planning them across the year.
Staff the President at designated university and external engagements and during travel, including advance coordination, managing his time, providing background on attendees, and addressing needs as they arise.
Use travel and time between engagements to brief the President on broader matters and obtain direction in coordination with the Chief of Staff.
Debrief the President after significant engagements and record discussion points and commitments.
Lead sensitive presidential projects from initiation to final recommendation, including confidential consultation inside and outside Rice.
Steward assigned cross-institutional initiatives and Momentous priorities, particularly early-stage work or work without a clear owner.
Work with university partners to identify risks, dependencies, and unresolved issues and raise matters requiring the President’s or Chief of Staff’s attention.
Source and maintain information and data used by the President, coordinating with Institutional Research and other university offices to prepare figures for presentations, briefings, and decisions.
Staff and shepherd executive searches and other institutional processes as assigned.
Support institutional leadership bodies and retreats by building agendas with the Chief of Staff, preparing pre-reads, keeping records, and issuing follow-up with named owners.
Prepare briefing and decision memoranda that explain the question, context, options, and implications.
Track decisions and commitments of the President and senior leadership through completion.
Serve as the Chief of Staff’s principal backup, represent him in his absence, and maintain continuity in communication and decision-making.
Represent the Office of the President in university meetings, working groups, and forums as delegated.
Collaborate with the Executive Assistant to the President and colleagues on the office’s operating rhythm, shared practices, and crisis response, and undertake operational work as directed.
Complete additional duties as assigned.