Special instructions to Applicants: All interested applicants should attach a resume, cover letter, and portfolios for both written and visual projects (e.g. social media designs, reels, and short videos) 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, 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 Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies (Rice360), a multi-disciplinary institute at Rice University, is a leader in global health technology education, research, and implementation, with a distinctive focus on experiential and problem-based learning. Rice360 develops highly effective, low-cost healthcare solutions addressing critical healthcare needs in underserved communities and educates a cadre of future leaders to continue to innovate and implement solutions. Rice360 works closely with partners in underserved communities throughout the world, including low- and middle-income countries and the United States. Rice360 is a co-founding member of the Newborn Essential Solutions and Technologies (NEST360) alliance. The NEST360 alliance is working with African governments to transform hospital newborn care by installing a bundle of rugged devices, educating clinicians to use devices and biomedical engineers to maintain them, and implementing locally-owned data dashboards to drive uptake and quality. NEST360 Phase 2 focuses on scaling up collaboration with governments to develop resources and integrate evidence-based solutions into local hospitals and national policies.

Rice360 is seeking a communications manager and digital media specialist to develop and implement large and complex communications and marketing activities for Rice360 education programs, events, and/or research projects to meet organizational objectives. This position, at the direction of the Rice360 co-directors, will report to the executive director and work closely with the institute's senior leadership to enact the institute's day-to-day marketing, public relations, and social and digital media activities to achieve communications and outreach goals. S/he will develop and implement a comprehensive social media strategy, conceptualizing and producing multimedia content and branded visual assets that align with organizational goals and key messages. S/he will also maintain and revise the suite of Rice360 websites.

The ideal candidate should have extensive skills and experience in managing communication and marketing campaigns, including strategic messaging, branding, graphic design, public relations, editorials, and social and digital media. S/he has the ability to drive communications initiatives in an organized and collaborative manner, as well as excellent written and oral communication skills and demonstrated creativity. S/he has experience supporting the communications for grant-funded programs/projects within a research university and/or international development environment. They also have experience working in a multi-cultural environment, demonstrated sensitivity to low-resource settings, and are passionate about applying their marketing, digital communications and media expertise to advance innovation for healthcare access in underserved communities.

Workplace Requirements

This is a full-time position (Monday-Friday 8am-5pm) based in Houston, TX, with occasional early morning, evening, or weekend work required to accommodate important meetings with teams across sub-Saharan Africa, in the US, and the UK. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range: $62, 000 - $68, 000/year, contingent upon qualifications and experience.

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

This position is funded by a grant, soft and/or restricted funds. Continued employment is contingent upon ongoing need and the renewal of funding.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree
  • Experience may not be substituted for the education requirement
• Two (2+) years of related experience in communications, public relations, journalism, or marketing, preferably in the education, healthcare, international development, or media sector
  • 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 Required

• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including presentation skills
• Good organization and creativity skills
• Good analytical problem-solving skills
• Must demonstrate support for Rice360 Core Values: Innovation, Equity, Community, Integrity, Accountability, Empowerment and Transformation

Preferences

• Experience working in an institution of higher education
• Experience working in a highly collaborative and multi-cultural environment
• Experience producing traditional and digital media content on global health or related field (e.g., public-facing scientific, health, or public-health communications) topics
• Experience establishing and adhering to organizational brand standards
• Experience creating and collaborating on presentations, flyers, pamphlets, videos, gifs, social media, and/or digital storytelling
• Experience with design tools (e.g., Canva, Adobe Creative Suite) and CMS platforms (e.g., WordPress)
• Experience managing social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, as well as scheduling tools such as Hootsuite, Buffer, and Sprout
• Familiarity with media monitoring tools and social media analytics platforms (e.g., Hootsuite, Meta Business Suite, Google Analytics).
• In-depth knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and related website development technologies and software
• Ability to design and implement web services, with a good understanding of web standards and usability methods
• Proven track record of successfully executing media campaigns and initiatives
• Ability to work under deadline with flexibility, tact, good judgment, discretion, and take initiative
• Demonstrated sensitivity to low-resource settings and underserved communities
• Degree in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing or a related field

Essential Functions

• Recommends, manages, and executes integrated marketing plans/programs and strategies to meet business objectives
• Develops and manages the communication and brand strategy for individual programs incorporating appropriate channels
• Guides event planning and execution
• Manages program budget, goals, and objectives in alignment with organizational goals
• Manages vendors on specific projects
• Writes, designs, and coordinates the production of marketing and communication materials
• Manages market research and analysis used to make informed decisions regarding strategic marketing direction, product segmentation and customer targeting
• Assesses market opportunities and tracks market trends
• Recommends marketing improvements based on findings
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions / Information

Website Management

• Maintain and administer Rice360 websites
• Update web pages to ensure content is accurate and current; performs light web design
• Post relevant web stories and other content on the Rice360 websites
• Monitor and report on website traffic and performance

Social Media Management

• Develop and implement a comprehensive social media strategy.
• Lead on development of engaging content for various social media platforms, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, to effectively communicate strategic messages and expand outreach to targeted audiences.
• Collaborate with other members of the Rice360 communications team, as well as the broader team, to develop and implement social media campaigns for events and programs.
• Produce a calendar for production and dissemination on Rice360 social media outlets.
• Manage the day-to-day scheduling and publishing of content across social media platforms
• Monitor analytics and generate monthly reports on key indicators of social media engagement and recommend improvements.
• Stay abreast of the latest trends, tactics, and technologies in digital influencing

Visual and Multimedia Content Development & Management

• Design branded visual assets for use on social media, website, and print materials-including infographics, social media cards, presentation templates, digital banners, and factsheets-ensuring consistency with the organization's visual identity and guidelines.
• Conceptualize and produce multimedia content such as short videos, animated explainers, reels, interviews, event highlights, and testimonials that align with Rice360 goals and key messages.
• Advise photographers and videographers to plan, shoot, and edit creative content that supports program storytelling, donor engagement, or media outreach.
• Edit and repurpose content into multiple formats suitable for different platforms and audiences (e.g., turning a video interview into short social clips, quotes, and graphics).
• Maintain a digital asset library of photos, videos, templates, and other multimedia files for use across the organization.
• Advise on best practices for visual content creation, including guidance on photography, framing, editing, and accessibility.
• Capture visual and multimedia content on-site during key organizational events, field visits, or media opportunities, and producing quick-turnaround assets for real-time sharing on digital platforms and/or Rice public affairs.

Rice University HR | Benefits

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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.