The Administrative Assistant I represents the Office of Admission at Rice University, a highly-selective research institution in the heart of Houston, Texas. Reporting to the Office Administrator, this position is responsible for greeting prospective students, families, and other guests visiting campus in-person, and in writing by responding to the Admission general inquiry email account. Responsibilities in the position also entail providing general clerical assistance and supporting a combination of projects involving alumni and/or student volunteer activities, marketing/communications efforts, on-and off-campus recruitment events, travel expense reports and other projects as needed. The ability to provide excellent “front facing” customer service in combination with thorough project support in a timely and organized manner is crucial to this position.

Essential Functions

• Greets visitors and routes them to appropriate individuals, answers phones, and serves as a resource on school procedures and general inquiries
• Distributes routine communications such as memos, notices, emails, and letters
• Enters data into basic tables, reports, and spreadsheets, makes copies, and monitors and orders office supplies
• Tracks facility and office equipment, such as keys, vehicles, and projectors, via logs, and schedules repairs as needed
• Reviews invoices for accuracy, and initiates purchase requisitions
• Arranges meetings and assists with routine conferences including scheduling rooms, managing equipment, ordering meals and assembling materials
• Makes travel arrangements
• Creates and maintains files and filing systems
• Sets up office spaces and / or supports coordination of basic office moves
• May provide guidance to temporary and student employees on routine matters
• Performs other duties as assigned

Education, Experience, and Licenses/Certifications Requirements

• HS Diploma or equivalent
• 1 year of experience
• Type of experience: Full-time office experience or other relevant experience

Substitutions

None

Skills Required

• Basic computer skills and demonstrated experience with office software and email applications
• Ability to follow through and complete assigned tasks
• Good organizational skills and attention to detail
• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Good customer service and interpersonal skills

Additional Functions

• Provides coverage for the front desk, including receiving guests maintaining records of visitors, answering basic questions about the admission calendar, coordinating student volunteers as needed.
• Supports special events on campus for prospective students by making facilities reservations, arrangements for travel, lodging, meals, meeting set-ups, preparing information packets, greeting and attending to guests, etc.
• Provides financial support for staff members who travel: reconciling receipts with postings, processing monthly statements, etc.
• Responds to, and/or forward for response, emails, phone calls, and communications from internal and external constituents.
• Provides project/clerical assistance for any, or all, of the five teams within the Office of Admission. This includes supporting recruitment activities of the Rice Alumni Volunteers for Admission (RAVA) by providing materials needed for interviewing and college fairs; volunteer data entry and database management, providing logistical support for on- and off-campus recruitment events, assisting with creation/production delivery of marketing materials, assisting with recruitment efforts targeting underrepresented, international, or other populations, and/or other project support as needed.
• Rotating Saturday morning office coverage, approximately every third Saturday morning from September to May.

Preferences

• Three or more years of full-time administrative work experience to include experience in a college or university admission office
• Experience with a relational database system
• Admission Office CRM experience

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment 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.

Current Rice University COVID policies, which include vaccination, face mask, testing, gatherings, occupancy limits, and travel policies can be found here: https://coronavirus.rice.edu/policies