Director, Academic Finance

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Job Description

Special Instructions to Applicants:
All interested applicants should attach a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in 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, 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 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 Director, Academic Finance is a key strategic leader within the Office of the Provost, reporting directly to the Associate Provost for Academic Budgetary Affairs. In close partnership with the Director of Finance Data Management, this position plays a central role in advancing the University’s long-range financial planning efforts. The Director collaborates with the other director to update and refine planning assumptions—particularly those related to enrollment forecasting, tuition modeling, and multi-year academic financial projections—and jointly validates the assumptions that underpin the University’s revenue-sharing framework, including factors such as school of instruction and school of record. The role also provides comprehensive budget modeling support to the academic units reporting to the Provost and contributes to the development and continuous improvement of the models, tools, and templates used throughout the academic budget planning process.

The Director will support school administrators and Deans as the University enters a comprehensive three-year review of the incentive-based budget model. This review may include updates to existing financial models, refinements to funds-flow methodologies, and adjustments to underlying planning assumptions. The successful candidate will collaborate with schools and academic departments to provide critical financial insights that inform data-driven decision-making. The role manages the flow of resources between the Schools and the Office of the Provost and conducts analyses, projections, and reporting on resource allocation and activity for operating units within the Provost’s portfolio. The Director also develops financial reports and models to support strategic initiatives and respond to analytical requests from University leadership.

Serving as a key liaison to University financial offices, schools, and academic support units, the Director, Academic Finance fosters a culture of transparency, partnership, and outstanding customer service on behalf of the Office of the Provost.

Ideal Candidate Statement:
The ideal candidate is a strategic finance leader with deep experience in higher education budgeting, long-range planning, and academic resource allocation. They excel at building enrollment and tuition models, supporting incentive-based budgeting, and delivering clear, data-driven insights to senior leadership. They bring strong technical skills in ERP systems, Hyperion Planning, Oracle EPM Cloud, Smart View, and advanced Microsoft Office. They thrive in collaborative environments, communicate complex financial concepts with ease, and are committed to accuracy, transparency, and continuous improvement in support of the University’s academic mission.

Workplace Requirements:
Must be able to work at a computer workstation for extended periods of time.

Workplace Location:
This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in person.

Hiring Range: This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position with salary commensurate with experience.
*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.

Minimum Requirements:

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