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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, lecture 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 how 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 Kinder Institute for Urban Research aims to improve lives through data, research, engagement, and action. The institute is currently working to build out five research centers focused on critical aspects shaping the social and cultural landscape of the Houston area. The five centers will research housing, education, community and public health, economic mobility and inequality, and population dynamics. Each center will investigate its particular topic area and will work across centers. To achieve this, each center is building interdisciplinary teams specializing in solutions-oriented research while using a research-practice partnership (RPP) model to jointly design, develop, and conduct research that values diversity in expertise and prioritizes the community in identifying and addressing some of the most pressing questions and challenges facing Houston and surrounding areas to inform decision-making and bring about systemic change.  

The Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC), a program of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research (KIUR) at Rice University is seeking a full-time Associate Director with expertise in education research who can design, plan, and implement complex and specialized research projects. Importantly, one of the primary roles of the Associate Director is to managing partnerships within and across multiple school districts in the Houston region in a research-practice partnership (RPP) model. In addition, this role collaborates with the Director of HERC and other associate director(s) to lead the research agenda with school district partners throughout the region and oversees research studies conducted by the HERC research team. They are responsible for communicating all findings to district partners, the research community, and other stakeholders through research briefs and papers, presentations, and conferences. They will also supervise research scientists and research analysts who conduct research with school district partners.   

The ideal candidate thrives in a team environment, actively leading, collaborating, and motivating others. They will have superior interpersonal, scientific, and numerical skills with meticulous attention to detail and accuracy.  

Workplace Requirements: 

This position is offered as a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work to provide flexibility and support collaboration. [3 days in-office/2 days remote]. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position, and the proposed salary range is $100,000 - $110,000 annually , depending on qualifications and experience. Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime. 

Minimum Requirements:

Ph.D. or other Doctoral Degree in Sociology, Education, other Social Science, or a related field   Minimum of 3+ years of postdoctoral experience in an applied social science research center or an organization   Skills High proficiency and comprehensive knowledge of information management, knowledge management, and publication management. Possess a logical and independent mind    Excellent interpersonal skills such as patience, determination, flexibility, and decisiveness   Excellent listening, verbal and written communication, analytical, and research skills    Excellent scientific and numerical skills with meticulous attention to detail and accuracy   Ability to work in a team environment, participate actively, collaborate, and motivate others   

Preferences

Experience in leading a team    Experience developing and managing research projects, managing data, and conducting quantitative and qualitative analyses, such as multilevel modeling, causal modeling, quasi-experimental methods, survey design, interviews   Experience working in a research-practice partnership  Experience in grant writing  Mission-driven with a passion for advancing educational equity   Experience as a Research Scientist    Can lead quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods research   Able to oversee various research projects while managing and mentoring other research staff   Ability to interact effectively with internal and external stakeholders   Adaptable to change and able to think creatively to address issues   Able to work well with many people and many personalities 

Essential Functions 

Manages complex research projects and related budgets   Performs research conducting independent studies, facilitating other ongoing research, and developing and validating new protocols, methodologies, and/or theories  Maintains and grows partnerships with school district partners, including regular meetings, communications, and other activities that promote partnership   Oversees the effective communication of research findings to school district partners and other stakeholders through research briefs and papers, presentations, and conferences    Actively works to improve the institute’s reputation and research capabilities   Seeks new research grant opportunities   Mentors, supervises, and trains research scientists, research analysts, and graduate students by including them in ongoing research in a meaningful manner   Performs all other duties as assigned 

Additional Functions 

Manages logistics of partnerships, including a biannual working board meeting and MOUs and data-sharing agreements   Effectively communicates research to non-research audiences  In partnership with school district partners, the director of HERC, and other associate directors, oversees parts of the HERC the research agenda, including both short-term and long-term goals   Oversees the successful completion of research studies and ensures that they are in alignment with short-term and long-term goals for the regional research team   Works with the director of HERC to improve and enhance HERC’s reputation in the Houston community and beyond  

 Kinder Institute for Urban Research https://kinder.rice.edu/ 

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.