Associate Director of Disciplinary Communication Initiatives (Finance)
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:
The Associate Director of Disciplinary Communication Initiatives collaborates with faculty to support the integration of communication within disciplinary teaching and learning. This role involves leading workshops and consultations for both undergraduate and graduate courses. The associate director also contributes to cross-context initiatives, such as capstone projects and experiential learning, while assisting in the development of CAPC's pedagogical programming. Additionally, this position works closely with CAPC staff to provide curriculum support, create instructional resources, and engage in ongoing planning aligned with the center's mission.
Ideal Candidate Statement:
The ideal candidate will have at least a master's degree and have worked for several years in a university CID, WID, or WAC program. They may have program leadership experience or be ready to move into program leadership.
Hiring Range: $65,000 - $75,000 annually
*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.
Minimum Requirements:
- Masters 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.
- 5 years related experience teaching or tutoring writing or other forms of communication which includes at least two years of experience with daily work in communication in the disciplines, communication across the curriculum, writing in the disciplines, or writing across the curriculum
- May substitute additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis in lieu of the experience requirement
Skills:
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate with faculty to design communication-rich assignments and lead workshops or instructional sessions in undergraduate or graduate courses
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to anticipate challenges and propose thoughtful, flexible solutions
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, and the ability to communicate clearly and concisely with diverse audiences
- Ability to work well under pressure and manage multiple projects simultaneously
- Excellent organizational and time-management skills, and ability to prioritize work assignments with sustained heavy workload
- Comfort with a range of digital tools for communication and teaching (e.g., learning management systems, Google Workspace, Microsoft Office Suite)
- Excellent analytical skills
- Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively with program staff, faculty, and course teams and external contractors
- Adept at problem solving, creating contingency plans, and handling issues when necessary
- Strong client service orientation and attention to detail
- Experience with assessing communication-focused assignments, course-integrated support, or program-level initiatives to inform planning and improve outcomes
- Strong understanding of communication pedagogy across disciplinary contexts
- Ability to take initiative in shaping programs and contributing to long-term planning and assessment
Preferences:
- PhD
- Related experience in the following areas:
- working or attending a Tier 1 research university
- teaching or tutoring students at a college or university with a highly selective admission profile
- working as a peer tutor or administrator in a university writing or communication center
- teaching STEM students
- teaching or tutoring in ESL
- teaching or tutoring graduate students
- assessing writing programs
- Demonstrated ability to adapt to diverse teaching contexts and communication needs across disciplines
- Demonstrated project management capabilities using established project planning tools and software
- Ability to supervise and train student workers, especially peer tutors
- Experience with Adobe Creative Suite
- Knowledge of current educational technologies, software and learning platforms
Essential Functions:
- Collaborate with faculty to design and implement communication-rich assignments and deliver in-class workshops or instructional sessions in undergraduate and graduate courses
- Consult with instructors on integrating discipline-specific writing, speaking, and visual communication instruction
- Co-lead the Communication Pedagogy Network and coordinate discussions, events, and resource-sharing across departments
- Support departmental efforts to scaffold communication instruction throughout the curriculum
- Help assess and refine CID course materials, practices, and outcomes in alignment with broader institutional goals
- Collaborate with the Associate Director on programming that requires integrated peer consultant support
- Contribute to university-wide efforts (e.g., the QEP) by supporting the design and implementation of reflective writing, portfolio development, and communication components tied to experiential learning, building on CAPC's existing role in supporting communication across a range of academic contexts
- Partner with faculty and programs to integrate communication into credit-bearing experiences such as capstones, internships, study abroad, and community-based learning - efforts that build on or extend existing CAPC collaborations with departments
- Collaborate on co-curricular programming that supports communication beyond the classroom (e.g., writing retreats, workshops for undergraduate researchers, interdisciplinary working groups), while coordinating where appropriate with related CAPC initiatives
- Contribute to the development of CAPC's pedagogical programming, particularly around communication in the disciplines, by supporting workshops, long-term projects, and resource creation for both faculty and students
- Collaborate with other CAPC staff on designing and refining materials that support communication-focused instruction across departments and divisions
- Mentor graduate interns or consultants working on disciplinary or research-based communication support, including guidance on pedagogical approaches and faculty collaboration
- Participate in ongoing planning, assessment, and strategic discussions within CAPC to help align disciplinary communication efforts with evolving program goals and university needs
- Develop, implement, administer, and evaluate programs by conducting research activities within the program, analyzing data, creating reports, reviewing trends, and making program improvement recommendations
- Develop and implement strategies related to outreach, events, communications, development, partnerships, and fundraising/funding
- Create short-term and long-term plans to achieve mission and objectives for the program
- Devise and manage financial and budgetary plans for the program(s), approve and monitor expenditures
- May be responsible for grant preparation and submission or research administration
- May teach a course, seminar, or workshop.
- May supervise small staff (up to three full-time staff)
- Perform all other duties as assigned
Additional Functions:
- Consult with faculty and graduate students on their communication projects
- Collaborate with the Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry in developing methods to teach communication skills in experiential learning courses and assessing the success of those courses
- Train communication coaches to support student acquisition of CID skills
- Identify opportunities for CID funding
- Participate in the organization, planning, and execution of PWC events
- Create an effective web presence for the CID program, including curating a collection of disciplinary communication resources
- Represent the PWC at one professional conference per year
- Cultivate and maintain collaborations with colleagues at peer institutions; keep abreast of developments in CID pedagogy and scholarship
- Serve on at least one university committee
- May have a role in the administration of a writing assessment instrument for newly admitted undergraduates
- May serve on hiring committees for PWC post-doctoral fellows and graduate instructors
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.
