Assistant Dean, Finance & Administration
Independent Educational Consultants Association, Houston, TX, United States
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
Salary: $96,859 - 123,624 annually (Exempt 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 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‑functional administrative operations.
Strong financial management skills, including budget development, forecasting, financial reporting, and compliance oversight.
Experience managing human resources functions, including workforce administration, faculty appointments, and compliance with employment policy.
Demonstrated ability to interpret, implement, and enforce institutional and school policies and regulatory requirements.
Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills; ability to advise and influence senior leadership and diverse stakeholders.
Proven ability to lead organizational change and build effective administrative systems and teams.
Preferences
Master's degree in business administration, public administration, higher education administration, or a related field.
Experience in academic administration, preferably in a school or college within a research university.
Familiarity with Oracle Cloud or a comparable enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, especially with Rice's Oracle system (iO).
Experience with complex budget development, forecasting, and reporting.
Experience with grants administration, including pre‑ and post‑award compliance in a university or research setting.
Experience managing procurement operations and vendor or contractor relationships at scale.
Experience working at Rice University.
Essential Functions
Serves as the chief administrative officer of the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies and as a strategic partner to the Dean and school leadership.
Provides leadership and oversight for the school's administrative shared services model, encompassing finance, human resources, procurement, grants management, compliance, and legal coordination across the Dean's Office and affiliated organizations.
Leads the development, implementation, and monitoring of multi‑year budgets and financial plans; advises the Dean and senior leadership on financial strategy, resource allocation, and long‑range planning.
Ensures compliance with university policies, school policy, federal regulations, and applicable legal requirements across all administrative functions; serves as the school's subject‑matter expert on policy interpretation and enforcement.
Oversees human resources administration for school personnel, faculty appointments, cross‑campus arrangements, the performance evaluation process, and compliance with HR and VPAA policies.
Manages research and grants administration for the school, including post‑award compliance, effort reporting, and coordination with the Office of Research and Research Cost Accounting.
Supervises and develops Dean's Office administrative staff; builds team capacity and fosters a culture of compliance, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Leads, in collaboration with the Dean and the school organizational excellence committee, workplace environment initiatives.
Works closely with the offices of the Provost, Budget, Controller, Human Resources, General Counsel, and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs on matters affecting the school.
Represents the school on university‑wide committees and in cross‑campus administrative forums.
Performs all other duties as assigned.
Additional Functions
Oversees procurement operations, including vendor and independent contractor management, contract review, and policy compliance; leads centralization of procurement functions into the Dean's Office.
Reviews and manages contracts, agreements, and memoranda of understanding (MOUs) through their full lifecycle; serves as primary liaison to the Office of General Counsel.
Manages travel and expense administration, including oversight of institutional purchasing card (PCard) program and expense report compliance.
Represents the Dean and the school within and outside the university as needed.
Commitment to advancing the school's mission of providing access to degrees and programs that engage, educate, and empower lifelong learners and communities.
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 facstaffada@rice.edu for support.
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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
Salary: $96,859 - 123,624 annually (Exempt 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 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‑functional administrative operations.
Strong financial management skills, including budget development, forecasting, financial reporting, and compliance oversight.
Experience managing human resources functions, including workforce administration, faculty appointments, and compliance with employment policy.
Demonstrated ability to interpret, implement, and enforce institutional and school policies and regulatory requirements.
Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills; ability to advise and influence senior leadership and diverse stakeholders.
Proven ability to lead organizational change and build effective administrative systems and teams.
Preferences
Master's degree in business administration, public administration, higher education administration, or a related field.
Experience in academic administration, preferably in a school or college within a research university.
Familiarity with Oracle Cloud or a comparable enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, especially with Rice's Oracle system (iO).
Experience with complex budget development, forecasting, and reporting.
Experience with grants administration, including pre‑ and post‑award compliance in a university or research setting.
Experience managing procurement operations and vendor or contractor relationships at scale.
Experience working at Rice University.
Essential Functions
Serves as the chief administrative officer of the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies and as a strategic partner to the Dean and school leadership.
Provides leadership and oversight for the school's administrative shared services model, encompassing finance, human resources, procurement, grants management, compliance, and legal coordination across the Dean's Office and affiliated organizations.
Leads the development, implementation, and monitoring of multi‑year budgets and financial plans; advises the Dean and senior leadership on financial strategy, resource allocation, and long‑range planning.
Ensures compliance with university policies, school policy, federal regulations, and applicable legal requirements across all administrative functions; serves as the school's subject‑matter expert on policy interpretation and enforcement.
Oversees human resources administration for school personnel, faculty appointments, cross‑campus arrangements, the performance evaluation process, and compliance with HR and VPAA policies.
Manages research and grants administration for the school, including post‑award compliance, effort reporting, and coordination with the Office of Research and Research Cost Accounting.
Supervises and develops Dean's Office administrative staff; builds team capacity and fosters a culture of compliance, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Leads, in collaboration with the Dean and the school organizational excellence committee, workplace environment initiatives.
Works closely with the offices of the Provost, Budget, Controller, Human Resources, General Counsel, and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs on matters affecting the school.
Represents the school on university‑wide committees and in cross‑campus administrative forums.
Performs all other duties as assigned.
Additional Functions
Oversees procurement operations, including vendor and independent contractor management, contract review, and policy compliance; leads centralization of procurement functions into the Dean's Office.
Reviews and manages contracts, agreements, and memoranda of understanding (MOUs) through their full lifecycle; serves as primary liaison to the Office of General Counsel.
Manages travel and expense administration, including oversight of institutional purchasing card (PCard) program and expense report compliance.
Represents the Dean and the school within and outside the university as needed.
Commitment to advancing the school's mission of providing access to degrees and programs that engage, educate, and empower lifelong learners and communities.
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 facstaffada@rice.edu for support.
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