Career Center

Special Instructions to Applicants:

All interested applicants should attach a cover letter and 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 OwlConnect Specialist, a member of the Development Information Services team in the Development and Alumni Relations Division at Rice University, supports end users in using OwlConnect, Rice University's campus-wide advancement system (powered by Blackbaud CRM) and the BBIS (Blackbaud Internet Solutions) platform. The OwlConnect Specialist supports end users in one or more business units as a dedicated resource for OwlConnect and BBIS. Their responsibilities include triaging and submitting requests, documenting business processes, facilitating training and onboarding, and serving as a general resource for ongoing business needs. The OwlConnect Specialist may be assigned to different tasks depending on the time of year, staffing, or priorities. In addition, the OwlConnect Specialist will serve as a subject matter expert in OwlConnect and BBIS.

The ideal candidate must be extremely organized, detail oriented and able to manage multiple concurrent projects in a fast-paced environment. The candidate should also have strong verbal and written communication skills and the ability to quickly learn concepts and make them actionable, as well as the ability to support users with patience and respect.

Workplace Requirements:

This position is offered as a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work to provide flexibility and support collaboration. This position currently has a hybrid work arrangement with a minimum of two days per week in the office. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

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

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree
  • In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted
• 1+ years of related experience
  • 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

Skills:

• Analytical skills, with the ability to arrange information or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules
• Problem sensitivity, with the ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong
• Active listening, giving full attention to what people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, and asking questions as appropriate
• Verbal and written communications skills, including report preparation and presentation
• Documentation and specification skills to be able to share information in a clear and concise manner

Preferences:

• 2+ years of experience with customer relationship management software/databases
• Experience working for an institution of higher education or non-profit organization
• Experience using Blackbaud CRM or similar alumni/donor database system
• Experience in a PC/Windows environment using Microsoft Office tools
• Project management experience
• Digital marketing experience
• Familiarity with HTML and JavaScript
• Has strong problem-solving skills
• Demonstrates the ability to work well in a team environment
• Displays good judgment in dynamic situations
• Values attention to detail
• Utilizes strong time management skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite

Essential Functions:

• Gathers information by observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources
• Interviews staff / business stakeholders and conducts on-site observations to determine unit functions, work performed, and methods for routine / simple processes / systems
• Analyzes collected data and recommends solutions or alternative methods for next steps related to routine / simple processes / systems
• Organizes information on problems or procedures
• Reviews forms and reports, confers with supervisor / manager and users related to format, distribution and purpose, and identifies problems and improvements in order to make recommendations
• Documents findings of study and prepares recommendations for implementation of new systems or procedures
• Assists users with OwlConnect/BBIS functions, including but not limited to:
  • Coordinating communication query, report, and enhancement requests and validation
  • Creating event records in OwlConnect, managing event registration, including processing event batches or importing registrations after the event
  • Creating and sending communications
  • Volunteer group management
  • Managing communication preferences and BBIS preference pages
  • Creating BBIS event registration or donation pages
• Serves as OwlConnect/BBIS subject matter expert
• Assists in onboarding new team members of the business partners to OwlConnect/BBIS
• Understands the event, communications, and marketing needs of the business partner and assists with questions about OwlConnect/BBIS and execution as needed
• Participates in routine OwlConnect team, BBIS, and project meetings as appropriate
• Assists with OwlConnect/BBIS training session logistics and documentation as needed
• Utilizes critical thinking skills to enhance and improve data quality in OwlConnect
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions:

• Ongoing contact with Development and Alumni Relations staff as well as frequent contact with campus partners, in person and virtually
• Responsible for fielding calls from various departments on campus
• Open office environment
• Long hours in front of a computer

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits-overview

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity at all levels and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and the full inclusion of all qualified persons in the workplace. This commitment includes providing reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities. For applicants with disabilities who require 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 questions, please email us at jobs@rice.edu. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.