Special Instructions to Applicants: All interested applicants should attach a 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 Ion will be Houston's venture advantage platform. Powered by Rice University, we will bring together people, expertise, capital, corporate and community partners into a single coordinated system activated through helping founders gain advantages and compound impact. We will deliver the structures, relationships, and experiences that accelerate learning, traction, investment, and scale for high-potential startups. By doing so, we will strengthen Houston's ability to sustainably launch and grow thriving ventures that deliver local, national, and global impact.

We believe that when people are activated around meaningful work, it creates an economic engine that generates an abundance of opportunities for our community to prosper. We exist to help people pursue their life's work.

We are seeking a Head of Platform to launch and build this Founder Advantage Platform. This opportunity is to be part of something bigger than any one person by serving as the connective tissue of the Houston innovation ecosystem with a mission to help high-potential founders build, scale, and win in Houston.

The Head of Platform serves as the operator and orchestrator of this system centered on developing and managing the relationship networks and crafted journeys and experiences-building this product to deliver repeatable advantages in support of our mission. This role sits at the intersection of founder success, ecosystem orchestration, and platform build-out.

The Ion is the namesake building of the 16-acre innovation district in midtown, powered by Rice University. Designed to connect entrepreneurs, academia, investors and corporations to address global challenges, the building offers high-quality programming and events, coworking and office space and community amenities. This activation is led by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, Rice University's nationally recognized entrepreneurship initiative.

The Head of Platform will serve on the Rice Alliance's leadership team in support of our ambition for the Ion to become a globally recognized hub for innovation.

Ideal Candidate Statement:

The ideal candidate is / was a startup founder, operator or venture capital platform leader who understands the early-stage needs of founders and can convert ecosystem complexity into structured advantages. Using their experience building their own successful startup and working with investors and ecosystems, the ideal candidate is ready to build and operate a differentiated venture platform that gives founders measurable advantages by expanding their access to capital, customers, talent, expertise, and community. This person will be energized by the opportunity to work with founders and has the network and experience to connect them to what they need, when they need it. They will be comfortable and have experience in dealing with startup investors and activating a source of high-quality deal flow. The ideal candidate believes in Houston's potential and will propel Houston to become a destination where founders choose to build iconic companies.

They will often represent the Ion at various networking opportunities around Houston and host regular networking events at the Ion. They should understand the unique needs of startups and what programming will help them further their ventures and how best to engage investors with these startups.

Workplace Requirements:

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

Hiring Range: Hiring salary commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree
• Five or more (5+) years in leadership roles at early-stage startups or venture capital

Preferences:

• 10+ years in leadership roles at early-stage startups or venture capital
• Successfully led and developed high-performance teams
• High-credibility networks with founders, operators, investors, and corporate partners.
• Founder empathy and a founder-first mindset biased towards action and outcomes
• Excellent storyteller who can articulate our vision and the Ion's value proposition and advantages
• High-velocity, AI-native operator who is a systems thinker who can manage and lead complex relationship networks
• Community builder who creates trust, belonging, and momentum
• Strong analytical and strategic ability to track outcomes and refine the platform to gain leverage

Essential Functions:

• Leads the development and implementation of programs, initiatives and plans to advance the Ion's mission and strategic objectives in regard to the venture advantage platform.
• Leads, mentors, and directs the platform team fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence'
• Provides visionary leadership, sets clear objectives, and drives initiatives to maximize business growth.
• Works with marketing team to directs outreach including communications, marketing and events for startup and investor engagement.
• Serves as a key liaison with stakeholders and constituency groups and is responsible for managing external relations.
• Performs all other duties as assigned. [MOU1]

Additional Functions

• Represents the Ion at various events in the Houston entrepreneurial ecosystem, including frequent evening events.
• Gives tours of the Ion for startups and investor groups, and other groups as needed.

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 get in touch with Rice University's Human Resources Office via email at facstaffada@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.