Graduate Housing Administrative Assistant

Job Description

Special Instructions to Applicants: All interested applicants should attach a resume and cover letter in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in 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 that supports students intellectually, emotionally, and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lecture 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 Graduate Housing Administrative Assistant provides high-level administrative and operational support to the Graduate Housing department. Reporting to the Senior Operations Manager, this role also serves as backup support during staff absences.

Key responsibilities include coordinating schedules, managing departmental communications, preparing and reconciling expense reports, and supporting event and project logistics. The Administrative Assistant is responsible for maintaining accurate records, processing financial and administrative transactions, and collaborating with other departments to ensure tasks are completed efficiently and on time.

The role also involves monitoring workflow, generating reports, and assisting with special projects as assigned. Success in this position requires strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and excellent written and verbal communication abilities.

Ideal Candidate Statement:
The ideal candidate demonstrates strong time management and organizational skills and approaches their work with a proactive, service-oriented mindset. They are a self-starter who takes initiative, maintains a positive "can-do" attitude, and remains resilient and adaptable in the face of change.

Workplace Location:
On-campus position: "This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in person at [insert location and schedule]. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change."

Essential On Campus: This role is classified as an Essential On-Campus Position, requiring on-site presence to effectively carry out its vital functions. During emergencies or crises, the employee is required to report to campus as directed to ensure continuity of critical operations and must remain accessible to leadership to fulfill responsibilities necessary for maintaining institutional functions.

Hiring Range: $18.00 - $20.24
Non-exempt (hourly) positions under FLSA are eligible for overtime.

Minimum Requirements:

• High school diploma or equivalent
  • 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.
• 1+ years of administrative experience
  • 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:

• Advanced computer skills and demonstrated experience with office software and email applications
• Proven success in following through and completing projects
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Ability to prioritize, take initiative, and take ownership of projects

Preferences:

• Experience with Oracle
• Experience with cloud applications (Google Docs, Google Sheets, etc.)
• Experience with StarRez housing software
• Experience with financial business systems for purchasing and processing expenses, etc.

Essential Functions:

• Under the general direction of the senior operations manager, establishes priorities and identifies and resolves administrative problems
• Researches and/or writes background information for meetings
• Oversees the coordination of complex events and programs
• Composes documents for presentations, communications, and reports; performs substantial research, editing, and fact-checking
• Creates complex reports and spreadsheets
• Oversees and processes a variety of complex financial transactions; produces, monitors, and reconciles budget statements; researches, identifies, and resolves discrepancies
• May assist with capital or special equipment requests and/or vendor selection
• Coordinates complex office moves
• Plans and coordinates routine remodeling and renovations
• Analyzes and reviews materials and extracts pertinent information for briefing purposes
• Performs graduate housing transactional support; coordinates or manages the visa process
• Guides and trains student workers, including scheduling, assigning, and prioritizing workloads; setting appropriate deadlines; and reviewing work for quality and timeliness
• Performs other duties as assigned

Additional Functions:

• Occasional front desk coverage
• Maintains student resident files and facilitates the graduate housing agreement to ensure compliance with policies and procedures
• Organizes and files all invoices and financial records for the property
• Oversees departmental petty cash, auditing as needed
• Maintains all life safety practices for all graduate properties
• Responds to the fire alarm panel and other emergency situations
• Performs wellness checks for students and identifies situations that require assistance from Rice University Police personnel
• Facilitates the processing of student applications for graduate student housing and the annual lottery; manages check-in and check-out procedures; processes charges to student accounts for damages and cleaning; and processes deposit dispositions upon move-out and non-return to Graduate Housing
• Ensures proper financial handling guidelines are adhered to by promptly depositing checks and money orders to Rice University
• Processes billing invoices for department approval and researches billing inquiries
• Promptly resolves billing questions and issues between vendors and the graduate department
• Remains current and knowledgeable about all Fair Housing laws and regulations to ensure effective practices
• Performs a variety of clerical support functions for Graduate Housing
• Maintains student accounts in management software; performs data entry and all bulk functions as needed
• Creates reports on occupancy, availability, and demographic data to effectively plan for future prospective students
• Implements a complete marketing program to make potential students aware of available amenities and differences between various graduate properties
• Acquires and maintains knowledge necessary to suggest and recommend how facilities, equipment, and services may best accommodate student needs

Rice University HR | Benefits:

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please get in touch with Rice University's Human Resources Office via email at View email address on click.appcast.io for support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at View email address on click.appcast.io. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.