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Rice University

Boasting a 300-acre, tree-lined campus in the heart of Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. We are more than a place of academic excellence and pioneering research--Rice is a vibrant and welcoming community where every faculty, staff, and student is valued and empowered to grow.

Rice is committing to unparalleled excellence as we work to become the premier university in the world for teaching and research. We won't do it like any other institution. We will do it with humanity for the good of humankind. We will do it on a personalized scale as only Rice can.

The Rice Experience is our excellence and our culture of care -- the close interactions between faculty and students, the interdisciplinary connectedness of our fields of study, and the commitment and ownership to Rice and our community. Learn more about Rice University's newly launched ten-year strategic plan Momentous.

At Rice, we share a set of core values--Responsibility, Integrity, Community, and Excellence--that shape our culture and guide how we engage with one another and the world around us. These values define our commitment to fostering an inclusive community.

Rice University Office of Information Technology (OIT)

OIT provides excellent constituent service, acting as a strategic partner to advance Rice University's priorities and mission of "pathbreaking research, unsurpassed teaching, and contribution to the betterment of our world". We fuel innovation at speed across the university by building a culture of trust, using an effective operating model, driving seamless experiences, and providing core IT capabilities.

OIT is service-oriented and team-enabling. We seek applicants who will contribute to our mission.

Trust Building and Stakeholder Engagement - Foster trust across the campus by being transparent, reliable, consistent, and solution-oriented in communication and execution. Ensure clear, consistent, and timely communication with all constituents, maintaining a service-oriented mindset and addressing challenges with integrity.

Collaboration and Cross-functional Commitment - Work effectively with colleagues across teams, departments, and roles to support shared goals and a positive work environment. Communicate clearly and professionally with team members throughout OIT and across the campus to ensure smooth coordination of tasks and projects. Build and maintain positive relationships with others by being approachable, reliable, and responsive. Proactively share relevant information and follow up to ensure alignment and efficiency in team efforts.

Agility and Responsiveness - Adapt quickly to evolving needs, technologies, and priorities, ensuring efficiency and relevance. Identify potential challenges in advance and take proactive steps to minimize disruption to end-users. Approach unexpected changes with a problem-solving mindset, balancing speed and thoughtful engagement. Prioritize user experience by delivering seamless, timely, and effective support and potential solutions. Maintain a culture of continuous learning, ask questions from a place of curiosity and possibility to enhance agility and service outcomes.

Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement - Maintain a culture of continuous improvement in all IT operations to ensure efficient and effective service delivery. Regularly assess and optimize processes, systems, and technologies to enhance performance, scalability, and user satisfaction.

Position Summary

Enterprise Services, a division of the Office of Information Technology (OIT), is dedicated to delivering and supporting enterprise-wide applications and platforms that enable seamless business operations across the institution. Our team manages core cloud-based ERP systems, business intelligence platforms, and enterprise applications that power financial, human resources, and administrative functions. We focus on providing scalable, secure, and efficient technology solutions while driving process improvements, automation, and data-driven decision-making.

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Director of Enterprise Systems to oversee and manage the ongoing Oracle Cloud program within a higher education environment. This leadership role focuses on program-level oversight, ensuring seamless operation, optimization, and continuous improvement of an already implemented system. The ideal candidate will bring strong program management expertise, customer service, technical insight, and the ability to align cloud performance with institutional objectives, collaboration, and customer service. This role is based on-site in Houston, TX, and requires collaboration across cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders.

The Director of Enterprise Systems has an awareness of broad issues and management trends and applies management principles to ensure optimal performance throughout the department. Develops and articulates broad goals and objectives for units with multi-functions or University-wide impact. Develops and executes the strategic IT plans and goals. Evaluates the effectiveness of strategies and determines if the resulting activity or productivity is on or off the target with University objectives. Develops the vision and mission for the unit, and ensures it is consistently and effectively integrated into all aspects of the department's operations and aligns with the University's mission and vision.

Work Requirements

This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in person. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range

This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position, and the proposed salary is $145,000 to $160,000. *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, may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.
• At least 5 years of experience overseeing cloud operations and driving program-level outcomes.
  • In lieu of the experience equirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.

Skills:

• Significant experience managing cross-functional teams in complex organizational settings, preferably in higher education.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills, with the ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Proven ability to manage complex program governance, budgets, and resource allocation.
  Extensive experience in program oversight, with a focus on post-implementation operations and optimization.
  Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a track record of driving data-driven decisions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to provide excellent customer service and remain calm and flexible in stressful situations
• Ability to do precise, detailed work quickly and accurately
• Deep expertise in Oracle Cloud modules and their application in higher education environments

Preferences

• Minimum of 10 years in delivery, program management, or leadership roles
• Strong knowledge of ERP architecture, data models, integrations, and system administration best practices.
• Expertise in higher education business processes across finance, human resources, student information systems, and research administration.
• Ability to analyze, optimize, and design complex business processes and workflows.
• Proven skills in leading large, complex ERP implementations, upgrades, and integrations.
• Expertise in structured project management methodologies (e.g., PMP, Agile) and change management frameworks (e.g., Prosci).
• Solid understanding of security best practices, data governance, and regulatory compliance (FERPA, HIPAA, GLBA) related to ERP systems.
• Skills in identifying areas for process improvement and leading efforts to enhance ERP functionality, efficiency, and user experience.

Essential Functions

Leadership

• Develops and maintains comprehensive program roadmaps, ensuring alignment with long-term organizational objectives.
• Monitors and enhances system performance, leveraging Oracle advancements and best practices.
• Evaluates the impact of policy and procedural changes and adjust accordingly
• Drives the continuous improvement of ERP functionalities to enhance performance, user experience, and scalability.
• Develops, evaluates, enhances, and/or implements quality improvement practices, processes, procedures, or policies with a strategic impact on university operations
• Develops new theories, concepts, principles, standards, and methods in a specialty area(s) and applies to previously unsolvable problems
• Develops and implements solutions to highly complex and often controversial problems with a university-wide impact and establishes new precedents for solving problems
• Provides strategic leadership for the Oracle Cloud program, ensuring the system supports institutional goals and delivers value across departments.
• Advises other experts throughout the department or University on a variety of situations and issues involving the application or adaptation of new theories, concepts, principles, methods, or practices
• Oversees program governance, budget management, and risk mitigation strategies to maintain system integrity and operational excellence.
• Oversees the management and optimization of Oracle modules, focusing on configuration, customization, and integration improvements.
• Participates in the development of a consolidated budget for the unit, either by providing information or working with executive and other senior-level management to determine University priorities concerning major or significant expenditures, available revenue, resource allocation or redistribution, etc.

Operational & Technical Leadership

• Outlines parameters for expenditures that may be shifted within the established budget
• Prepares and presents briefings to executives or other senior management officials on complex/controversial issues
• Exercises oversight authority for administration and compliance of unit and University policies
• Act as a technical escalation point for complex issues, collaborating with internal teams and external
• vendors to ensure rapid resolution.
• Leads initiatives to evaluate and adopt new Oracle features, tools, and modules that enhance the system's capabilities.
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Team Leadership

• Leads, mentors, and empowers a cross-functional team of technical and functional professionals.
• Defines team roles, establishes performance expectations, and fosters a culture of accountability and continuous learning.
• Promote innovation and collaboration within the team to drive system enhancements and organizational efficiencies.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Serves as the primary liaison between technical teams, administrative staff, faculty, and senior leadership.
• Communicates program status, risks, and opportunities to stakeholders at all organizational levels, ensuring alignment and transparency.
• Collaborates with external vendors, consultants, and Oracle support to maintain effective partnerships and address program needs.

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 [email protected] for support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.