Assistant Director, First Year Programs

Special Instructions to Applicants : All interested applicants must attach a cover letter and a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application in a PDF format . Please note that the applicant tracking system does not convert attachments in Word format successfully.

Position Summary

The Assistant Director of First Year Programs supports our First Year Programs (FYP) under the Office of Student Success Initiatives. The assistant director participates in the planning, implementation and, and assessment of Rice’s undergraduate orientation programming while also providing support in the form of advising and training to 33 O-Week Coordinators and two Student Directors. The Assistant Director is also an instructor of UNIV 110, a course and assists Rice students by providing general support and advisement on topics related to their personal, academic, and social development.

The ideal candidate has at least three (3) years of experience facilitating the planning, organization, and execution of undergraduate orientation programs and activities that support the successful transition of new undergraduate students by including parents and family members in our campus community. Experience as a supervisor, including providing guidance and support to student leadership teams, is also preferred.

Responsibilities occasionally may require an adjusted work schedule and evening/weekend hours over the summer to meet the needs of the program development.

The expected hiring range is between $52,000 and $54,000 annually, contingent upon qualifications and experience.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree
• 2 years of related professional experience in a four-year college or university setting with some previous experience working in orientation or event planning specific to undergraduate students in a post-secondary academic setting. Additional related education may be substituted on an equivalent year for year basis for up to two years of the required experience .
• Knowledge of theories, including student development, learning, and identity development and experience applying those frameworks professionally
• Able to problem-solving and support / advise students in personal and / or academic crisis
• Strong communication and rapport building skills and experience collaborating with faculty, staff, students, families, and administration
• Ability to multi-task and manage multiple projects with competing deadlines
• Demonstrates understanding of the experiences of students in transition and the strategies necessary to facilitate their success
• Experience and comfort working with diverse student populations, including but not limited to first generation college students, low-income students, and underrepresented student populations
• Coaching and instructional skills, organizational abilities, attention to detail, and the ability to quickly assess the effectiveness of an intervention

Essential Functions

• Responsible for planning, executing and assessing all components of a comprehensive mid-year orientation and Orientation Week (O-Week) for all incoming first-year and transfer students in collaboration with the student and academic partners.
• Coordinates the campus-wide elements of orientation week, leading college or university-wide collaborative initiatives for first-year students, including tradition-based programs, new student move-in, and New Families Orientation.
• Participates in the planning, organization, and implementation of undergraduate orientation programs and activities, coordinating with facilities and planning, campus departments, external vendors, and academic offices.
• Communicates and collaborates with residential college Magisters, college coordinators, Wellbeing, academic departments, Campus Life entities, and other campus resources as necessary to ensure students receive comprehensive support, including creating a strong sense of communication between First Year Programs and the residential colleges.
• Provides advice, support and mentorship to the Student Directors of O-Week (2) and O-Week Coordinators (33 student leaders) to prepare them to plan and lead O-week and support the transition of new students
• Develops and facilitates training sessions for student leaders, including comprehensive, on-going trainings and ad-hoc trainings
• Provides support with FYP web, social media, marketing efforts and update materials, forms, etc.
• Assist in creating reports examining student data for trends in performance, academic courses or other factors that may affect student transition and success.
• Participate in department and division assessment efforts.
• Completes other duties as assigned

Additional Functions

• individualized, holistic, developmentally appropriate coaching to assist in their academic, social, leadership, and interpersonal development
• Assists first and second year students in developing roadmaps for their success at the university, using varied strategies to facilitate the identification and implementation of their goals
• Assists in the monitoring of student academic performance and their persistence towards graduation, preparing reports, and maintaining student files as necessary
• Maintains an awareness of best practices in proactive / holistic advising, student success coaching, and the higher education / student affairs landscape, integrating these ideas into their advising practices
• Assists in developing student success interventions, workshops, and other programs aimed at facilitating the transition to college

Preferences

• Master's degree (preferably in college student personnel, counseling, student affairs, or a related field)
• Experience working in orientation or event planning specific to undergraduate students
• Experience employing holistic proactive/intrusive advising strategies
• Experience providing academic support, leadership development, and program development
• Experience supporting student success/undergraduate retention initiatives
• Experience working with faculty
• Experience working at a highly selective college or university
• Familiarity with working in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment
• Ability to work in a collaborative, team-oriented environment
• Ability to create interventions to support diverse learners

Rice University HR | Benefits

https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits

Rice Mission and Values

Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels, and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

Current Rice University COVID policies, which include vaccination, face mask, testing, gatherings, occupancy limits, and travel policies can be found here: https://coronavirus.rice.edu/policies