Special Instructions to Applicants:

All interested applicants should attach a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a 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, 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. These values can be recalled simply by our name -- RICE -- Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence.

Position Summary:
Our vision is to help people pursue their life's work. The Ion, powered by Rice University, is building a modern venture acceleration infrastructure whose purpose is to deliver advantages to builders who are shaping the future. Through our Advantage Platform, we serve as integrators connecting entrepreneurs with our ecosystem of talent, expertise, and prospective customers and partners to create opportunities and outcomes that matter.

The Ion anchors the Ion District, a 16-acre innovation hub in Houston's Midtown, developed by Rice University. Through collaborative spaces and programming, the Ion fosters collisions among startups, academics, and established companies. The Ion provides a variety of programming aimed at fostering innovation and entrepreneurship for Houston companies and beyond.

The Ion is programmed by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, Rice University's nationally recognized entrepreneurship initiative. Rice Alliance supports startups throughout their growth journey, serving founders who have collectively raised more than $28 billion in funding.

Ideal Candidate Statement:
You are curious and eager to learn. Knowing and understanding our finance and accounting plays into running a successful business. You are comfortable with and can effectively work in various systems and accounting software. You consistently meet monthly reporting deadlines. You are customer-oriented, an excellent verbal and written communicator, and demonstrate a high degree of integrity, confidentiality, and professionalism.

Workplace Requirements:
This position is offered as an exempt, part-time (30 hours/week) remote position with occasional in-person meetings (monthly) on campus or at the Ion. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range: Hiring salary commensurate with experience and qualifications. *Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree
• 4+ years of experience in finance, accounting, business administration, or related field
  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted

Preferences:

• 5 years of related experience in an institution of higher education
• Experience working with fund accounting
• Experience with pre- and post-award accounting for federal awards
• Effective listener and communicator with high degree of confidentiality and emotional intelligence
• Ability to multitask
• Experience with Oracle, Workday, SAP, or other financial ERP systems
• Experience with Excel pivot table analysis

Skills:

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office suite
• Advanced knowledge of Enterprise Resource Planning and financial systems
• Knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
• Advanced professional communication skills, including ability to prepare materials for and clearly and effectively communicate information to internal and external audiences, client groups, and management
• Strong project management skills and ability to contribute to a multifunctional team

Essential Functions:

• Performs highly analytical, complex finance and control functions; multi-dimensional and complex reconciliations and related analysis; prepares, reviews, and approves complex transactions and higher-level dollar value transactions
• Develops complex budget and forecasting scenarios, long-range planning, and analyses for financial reporting and presentations; designs and runs ad hoc reports
• Recommends and develops solutions that may require policy changes or the development of new processes; maintains broader organizational and university perspective in decision-making
• Manages compliance program for area of responsibility
• Leads and executes unit or cross-functional projects and teams; makes decisions regarding projects and programs affecting operational effectiveness, policies, or processes
• Engages in continuous critical analysis of existing systems and processes; makes recommendations to achieve greater efficiencies and improve internal controls
• Defines requirements, develops and implements complex test cases, performs testing, and analyzes results
• Leads and supports unit and organization strategy and change management initiatives
• Represents organization to client groups and external partners; serves as subject matter expert on matters that involve complex technical, financial, or subject matter expertise
• Assesses client and business needs and formulates recommendations to determine approach to managing and completing processes

Additional Functions:

• Serves as cost center manager for the Ion and Rice Alliance, approving all p-card expenses and purchase requisitions for invoices and stipends
• Performs monthly account reconciliation (payable and receivable) and reporting; collaborates, when necessary, with Rice Real Estate and Rice Business School staff; handles monthly, quarterly, and year-end closing
• Tracks expenses by program and analyzes/makes recommendations on opportunities to reduce spending
• Processes interdepartmental transfers and submits/tracks invoices to corporate sponsors
• Processes all financial disbursements, including stipends and vendor payments
• Handles credit card payments to the department: reconciliation and allocation
• Audits account transactions against documents
• Reviews transactions for federal awards and provides reports to leadership
• Conducts departmental training on financial policies and procedures

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/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 contact Rice University's Disability Resource Center at 713-348-5841 or adarice@rice.edu for support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at jobs@rice.edu. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.