Job Description

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.

This is a  two-year term-limited position  to align with FY26 and FY27 with a possible opportunity to extend FY28. 

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 Liu Idea Lab for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Lilie) is seeking a Program Manager to lead our Research Commercialization and Venture Acceleration programs. This is a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of innovation and help Rice entrepreneurs bring their cutting-edge ideas to market.

In this role, you will be responsible for identifying promising people, research, and companies from across the Rice University ecosystem and building immersive, experiential programs to catalyze their next great startup. You will work closely with student and faculty startup founders to help them accelerate their growth, secure funding, and achieve their goals while acting as connective tissue to the broader Texas and U.S. startup ecosystems.

In practice, this means you will:

• Facilitate mentorship and networking opportunities
• Develop and lead co-curricular and accelerator programs
• Manage relationships with partners, sponsors, and key stakeholders to ensure that Lilie’s research commercialization and venture acceleration efforts succeed

Lilie is a small, ambitious team that works collaboratively to achieve outstanding results, employing an iterative creation process where we share our work early and often.

Lilie is the beating heart of entrepreneurship, innovation, venture capital, and research commercialization for the entire Rice University campus. Our Center combines over 50 for-credit, experiential courses each year with a suite of programs, resources, competitions, and accelerators to support entrepreneurs and innovators at every stage of their journey.

Our mission is to serve Rice University students, faculty, and alumni from all majors and degree programs, helping them go from idea to real-world impact. We’ve been ranked as the #1 Graduate Entrepreneurship program in the country for the last six years in a row, but we need your help to aim even higher in the future. 

Ideal Candidate Statement:

The ideal candidate works collaboratively and has strong opinions that are adaptable to new information and Is a proactive communicator and service-oriented through and through.

Workplace Requirements:

Rice Business primarily delivers residential classes and activities that take place almost daily between 7 AM and 10 PM. We value a highly collaborative and community-based culture, with expectations to provide in-person support and services to all members of our community.

Remote work options are limited. Most employment activities are required to be performed in-person and on campus. This in-person approach is central to successfully achieving our research and academic missions.

This position is exclusively on-site, requiring all duties to be performed Monday – Friday, 9 AM – 5 PM.

Hiring Range:

Commensurate with experience

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

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree
• 4 years of entrepreneurship, program management, and/or startup experience
• In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, beyond what is required, may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.

Skills:

• Ability to develop complex and multiple program partnerships and funding sources
• Ability to develop and initiate new strategies
• Ability to work well under pressure and manage projects simultaneously
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team to meet expected deadlines, schedules, and goals
• Adept at problem-solving, creating contingency plans, and handling issues when necessary
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent client service orientation
• Ability to prioritize, take initiative, and take ownership of projects
• Ability to routinely and independently exercise sound judgment in decision-making

Preferences:

• 5+ years of entrepreneurship or program management experience
• A master's degree or Ph.D. in a business, science, or engineering-related field
• Experience in research commercialization and related funding mechanisms (venture capital, federal grants, etc.)
• Experience with startups and startup accelerator programs
• Experience engaging within and across a startup ecosystem
• Shares work early and often, valuing a process of iterative feedback to produce exceptional results 

Essential Functions:

• Leads the development and implementation of major programs
• Collaborates with faculty and staff leadership to design programs and establish long-range strategic and operational plans
• Identifies promising research and technology from across the Rice University ecosystem
• Oversees operations, administration, and evaluation of programs
• Develops and implements strategies related to outreach, events, communications, development, partnerships, and fundraising
• Manages financial and budgetary plans, approves and monitors expenditures
• May teach a course, seminar, or workshop
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Rice University HR | 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.

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