Assistant Dean, Finance & Administration

Special Instructions to Applicants: All interested applicants should attach a resume 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 Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration serves as the chief administrative officer of the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies (GSCS), providing strategic leadership and oversight of finance, human resources, procurement, grants management, compliance, and legal coordination across the school’s Dean’s Office and its affiliated organizations. Reporting directly to the Dean, the Assistant Dean is a member of the Dean’s senior leadership team and serves as a strategic partner in advancing the school’s administrative, operational, and academic mission.

This role leads the school’s shared services model, ensuring that administrative functions are centralized, compliant, and aligned with university policy. The Assistant Dean advises the Dean and program leadership on complex administrative matters, manages a team of administrative professionals, and represents the school in university-wide forums. The position requires the ability to operate with significant independence, exercise institutional authority, and build effective working relationships across a diverse and decentralized academic environment.

Ideal Candidate Statement: 

The ideal candidate is a seasoned administrative leader with deep experience managing complex financial, compliance, and human resources functions in a higher education or similarly complex institutional setting. They are equally comfortable providing strategic guidance to senior leadership and ensuring the operational integrity, efficiency, and effectiveness of day-to-day administrative functions. They bring an entrepreneurial mindset, experience with financial proforma projections, a systems orientation, a strong compliance approach, and the interpersonal credibility to work effectively with faculty, staff, and central administrative offices. They are skilled at building and leading high-performing administrative teams, driving organizational change, and holding institutional authority with confidence and good judgment.

Workplace Requirements:

This position is offered as a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work to provide flexibility and support collaboration.  Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range: $96,859 - 123,624 annually 

*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime. 

Minimum Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree
  • In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.  
     
• Six or more (6+) years of progressively responsible experience in financial administration, human resources, compliance, or operations management in a complex organization, including demonstrated experience leading and supervising staff
  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education above and beyond what is required may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.    
     
• Skills: 
  • Demonstrated ability to provide strategic leadership and manage complex, multi-funct