Director of Operations and Partnerships

About the role

The Center for Civic Leadership at Rice University provides year-round experiential learning opportunities and courses on and off campus. The position oversees administrative and operations functions, including human resources, compliance, and financial management.

Responsibilities

• Manage all Center for Civic Leadership staff involved in administrative operations and support to faculty, students, and programs.
• Develop, implement, administer, and evaluate departmental operations, including research administration, budget/finance, program administration, human resources, communications/outreach, and compliance.
• Maintain financial records and manage budget monitoring, expenditure review, and approval.
• Create, manage, and implement outreach plans that may include relationship development, communications, and event management.
• Manage the human resources function for department staff, including visa process, faculty searches, and promotion and tenure process.
• Administer graduate and undergraduate program administration, including student records, curriculum support, and scholarships.
• Supervise support to faculty and provide guidance on university policies and procedures.
• Collaborate with the executive director to identify priorities and represent the opportunities and challenges of centerwide operations.
• Oversee design, implementation, and execution of assessment, communications, and administrative processes.
• Facilitate collaboration and communication of CCL operations team with CCL academic team to integrate and align objectives, identify opportunities and concerns, and foster an equitable, inclusive, and highly collaborative work environment.
• Monitor budget expenses and reconciliations, including approval of expense reports, transfers, non-standard disbursements, labor distributions, and purchase orders, review of monthly reconciliations and quarterly reports.
• Serve as a primary role in the development & implementation of the annual budget.
• Manage center operations staff, holding them accountable for responsibilities, providing mentoring and resources for them to be successful in their roles, and facilitating their professional growth.
• Design and implement centerwide vision, goals, and outcomes for ethical and effective community and alumni partnerships.
• Collaborate with academic program leads to develop their capacity to work with community partners.
• Create processes and systems for facilitating CCL-community partnerships, including a database, events, and a call for proposals.
• Leverage CCL community and alumni partnerships to support faculty engaged activities.
• Convene civic engagement networks for relationship and partner development.
• Recognize CCL community partners and alumni.
• Support center research agenda that publishes the center's theories, practices, and outcomes.
• Represent CCL to campus and external stakeholders to identify opportunities for center and raise awareness and understanding of the center's programs and resources.
• Support applications for grants that support CCL, faculty, and partner engagement.
• Support stewardship and cultivation of new donors.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
• Five or more (5+) years of experience in community-engaged learning, research, and scholarship, and/or public service/community leadership

Skills

• Expert knowledge of word processing, spreadsheet, email, and database software programs
• Excellent data reporting skills
• Advanced verbal and written communication skills
• Advanced problem-solving and critical thinking skills
• Ability to work independently or supervise others, ensuring the timely completion of work
• Resource management skills
• Project management skills

Preferences

• Master's or PhD in a relevant field
• Experience developing and maintaining partnerships with community organizations to support academic programming
• Knowledge of ethical engagement in university - community partnerships
• Supervisory experience