Executive Director, ENRICH

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.

In October 2025, Rice launched an ambitious strategic plan, Momentous. In that plan, Rice University committed to become the leading non-medical institution in health research and innovation. By breaking institutional barriers and forging strategic alliances, particularly within the Texas Medical Center, we envision creating impactful solutions that leverage Rice's strengths at the nexus of medical care, positioning ourselves as a pivotal partner in global health advancements. Rice will advance basic and translational research initiatives and educational opportunities, by seeking research collaborations and educational partnerships within the TMC health-related ecosystem and at the TMC Helix Park. This position is vital to achieving this ambition.

About the Office of ENRICH:

The Office of ENRICH at Rice University serves the Rice community as the liaison office between Rice University and the health-related institutions of the Texas Medical Center (TMC). The office, established in 2016, is responsible for advising the Provost and EVPR about opportunities to strengthen research collaborations and educational partnerships between Rice and other members of the TMC. Over the last decade, ENRICH has helped to establish MOUs with leading institutions at TMC and facilitated key partnerships.

Rice ENRICH works with faculty to identify and develop high priority opportunities, as well as address barriers to collaboration. In an effort to amplify the enormous creativity of Rice faculty in collaboration with our partners in the TMC, ENRICH offers services and resources, supporting health-related research; sparking and growing new connections.

Rice ENRICH also works with administrative staff to develop standardized processes for student interactions, internships and research experiences in the TMC, working to align priorities and processes across institutions.

Position Summary:

Under the joint guidance of the Provost and the EVPR, the Executive Director of ENRICH develops and leads university health-related initiatives and partnerships in the Texas Medical Center (TMC) in both Research and Education; As a result, this position has a dual reporting relationship, reporting to the EVPR on research related matters and reporting to the Provost on Educational and Leadership partnerships including shared governance structure; serves as the formal liaison between Rice and collaborative partner institutions, and advises both on various aspects of Rice-TMC engagement, including partner engagement at Helix Park. Further, the Executive Director leads new-partner development; participates in the development of joint centers and institutes; directs cross-institutional initiatives, collects data and monitors collaboration activity; facilitates the draft and renewal of formal agreements; and identifies, creates and facilitates seed award and other fund-raising programs. Also leads and oversees institutional efforts to facilitate internal processes and align external processes related to student internships and research experiences at TMC institution campuses and labs.

Ideal Candidate Statement:

The ideal candidate for the Executive Director of ENRICH is a strategic and collaborative leader with deep experience in academic research, education, and cross-institutional partnerships, particularly within the Texas Medical Center. This individual brings executive-level financial and project management skills, and a proven ability to build and sustain high-impact collaborations that advance institutional priorities. They are an advisor to senior leadership, a skilled relationship-builder across diverse stakeholders, and an independent decision-maker with sound judgment.

Workplace Requirements:

This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in-person at Helix Park TMC. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range:

Commensurate based on education and experience

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

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in STEM field, business administration, public health or other related area;
• Five or more (5+) years of related experience in academic leadership positions with experience managing people
• Experience with budget management, financial planning and analysis and grant writing
• Skills Required
  • Proficient in the use of broad scope of systems, software and applications utilized in higher education and in collaborative settings. (ie Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, Adobe Suite, CRM, LMS, filesharing, etc.)
  • Advanced communication skills to clearly and effectively communicate information to internal and external audiences, client groups, and all levels of management;
  • Strong analytical skills to review and analyze complex institutional and industry data;
  • Strong leadership and strategic management skills;
  • Strong project management skills;
  • Expert-level and nuanced understanding of the research as well as educational enterprise of a research university and of higher education in general;
  • Ability to establish credibility and effective working relationships across the university and across the TMC with leadership, faculty, and staff;
  • Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively;
  • Demonstrated experience and a record of working successfully in diverse professional settings and of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in a college or university setting

Preferred

• Master's Degree in STEM field, business administration, public health or other related area;
• Seven years of related experience in academic leadership positions with experience managing people.
• Knowledge of the Texas Medical Center as an organization, as well as familiarity with research and academic portfolios of its member institutions;

Essential Functions:

• Serves as the formal liaison between Rice and collaborative partner institutions in the TMC;
• Identifies, develops, and leads new opportunities and programs with external partners and new prioritized relationships in the Texas Medical Center;
• Serves on executive collaboration committees and councils with partner institutions, representing Rice University interests;
• Serves as central office for plans and activities of partner institutions at the Helix Park development.
• Provides counsel and collaborates with senior leadership in strategic planning and decision-making regarding our Rice-TMC engagement;
• Identifies, develops and leads complex, highly visible projects related to the Rice-TMC engagement with university-wide scope, both in research and in education, with strategic impact and significance, which may span multiple areas, and/or the university, using advanced professional knowledge requiring broad discretion and judgment and in-depth knowledge of university governance and priorities;
• Negotiates and influences on matters of university-wide priorities regarding TMC engagement;
• Works independently to make decisions regarding projects, programs, and initiatives, with limited or no review by senior management; is authorized to commit university resources with limited review by senior officers;
• Responds to needs of schools, departments, institutes, centers, programs and faculty for enhancement or facilitation of Rice-TMC engagement, creating opportunities for connecting and networking, while working to remove barriers to collaboration.
• Collects, reports, monitors data related to collaboration activity; responds to special requests for data and presentation materials for executive presentations;
• Facilitates the draft and renewal of formal agreements between Rice and TMC in partnership with the OGC;
• Identifies, creates and oversees several seed award programs and other fund-raising initiatives.
• Oversees and leads activities of the Rice-TMC Experiential Education Network, facilitating internal processes and aligning external processes related to student internships and research experiences at TMC campuses and labs.
• Oversees the communication strategy for the office of ENRICH and its various programs;
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Additional Functions:

• Supervises staff: Program Administrator (1) and Marketing, Events and Admin Specialist (1)

Rice University HR | Benefits

Rice Mission and Values