Staff Assistant

Special Instructions to Applicants: 

All interested applicants should attach a resume and cover letter in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues

About Rice:

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities. 

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence.

Position Summary:

The Staff Assistant provides administrative support and customer service to the Rice Counseling Center, Student Wellbeing Office, and SAFE Office. This person is the first line of contact for department visitors and callers. Duties include but are not limited to greeting visitors, scheduling appointments, creation and management of records, directing calls, financial reporting, and special projects as needed. The Staff Assistant is a part of an administrative team that supports the three student support offices. 

The ideal candidate is someone who can work in a high-volume environment and navigate customer service for the three offices with efficiency, accuracy, and empathy.

Workplace Requirements

This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in-person at Rice University, 40 hours a week, Monday - Friday, 8 AM - 5 PM. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range: $19 - $21 hourly, contingent upon qualifications and experience

Non-exempt (hourly) positions under FLSA are eligible for overtime.

Minimum Requirements: 

• HS Diploma or equivalent
• 2+ years experience in an administrative office setting

Skills:

• Advanced organizational skills and attention to detail
• Advanced verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills
• Ability to prioritize and multi-task
• Ability to prioritize and effectively manage constant interruptions while completing time-sensitive tasks
• Ability to draw and hold professional boundaries 
• Demonstrated success in follow-through and completing routine tasks
• Ability to answer a high volume of phone calls on a multi-line phone
• Proficient computer skills and demonstrated experience with office software and email applications

Preferences:

• Bachelor’s degree
• More than 2+ years of administrative office experience, clinical preferred.
• Experience working in a higher education or counseling/social work environment.
• Experience with Oracle Cloud Applications, Titanium, Maxient, Microsoft Office, and Google Drive systems

Essential Functions:

• Greets visitors and routes them to appropriate individuals, answers phones, and serves as a resource on school procedures and general inquiries
• Manages calendars for multiple professional staff members and is the first point of contact with students to schedule appointments via phone or in-person
• Handles message logs from after-hours on-call service, routes messages as needed
• Generates routine communications such as memos, notices, emails, and letters
• Enters data into basic tables, reports, and spreadsheets, makes copies, and monitors and orders office supplies
• Tracks facility and office equipment, such as keys, vehicles, and projectors, via logs and schedules repairs as needed
• Processes and monitors financial transactions, including resolution of discrepancies
• Arranges meetings and assists with routine programming events, including scheduling rooms, managing equipment, ordering meals, and assem