Director of Candidate Experience

Job Description

Position Summary:

The Director of Candidate Experience is a strategic senior leader within the Recruiting and Admissions division at Rice Business. Reporting directly to the Assistant Dean of Recruiting and Admissions, this role works alongside the Director(s) of Recruiting and Admissions and the Director of Operations to shape the overarching enrollment strategy for all Rice Business MBA modalities (Full-Time MBA, Professional MBA, Deferred Enrollment, and Executive MBA).

The primary responsibility of the Director of Candidate Experience is to nurture prospective students from their initial point of inquiry to their final point of matriculation. Utilizing design-thinking principles, data-driven strategy, and intentional user-experience leadership, this position oversees candidate engagement, high-impact events (on-campus, off-campus, and virtual), strategic communication flows, candidate interviews, and key third-party graduate business education partnerships. The Director leads a dedicated team focused on creating exceptional, memorable, and premier experiences that differentiate Rice Business in the graduate management education landscape.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

All interested applicants should attach a resume and cover letter in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in PDF format, to avoid formatting issues. Applications submitted without these documents will not be considered.

Ideal Candidate Statement:

The ideal candidate is an innovative, human-centered leader with a passion for designing end-to-end candidate journeys. The Director brings a deep understanding of student-experience design, event execution, data analytics, and multi-channel communication strategies. The ideal candidate excels at translating brand messaging into meaningful, high-touch interactions, both in person and virtually.

A collaborative leadership style is essential, as the candidate will partner closely with internal stakeholders, including Rice Business faculty, alumni, current students, Rice Business staff, and academic leadership, as well as external vendors, to curate impactful touchpoints. The ideal candidate must be a motivator and strategist who thrives in a fast-paced environment and uses data to continuously iterate, optimize, and elevate candidate engagement strategies.

This person brings a collaborative perspective to cross-functional partnerships across Rice Business. The ideal candidate elevates the quality of candidates' experiences, invests in and motivates direct reports, and sets high standards for operational excellence. The Director is solutions-driven, positive, collaborative, action-oriented, and data-informed as they work to execute the strategy of building prestigious cohorts across all MBA modalities.

Workplace Requirements:

Rice Business primarily delivers residential classes and activities that take place almost daily between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. We value a highly collaborative and community-based culture, with expectations to provide in-person support and services to all members of our community. Remote work options are limited. Most employment activities are required to be performed in person and on campus. This in-person approach is central to the successful achievement of our research and academic missions.

This position is exclusively on-site, requiring all duties to be performed in person at McNair Hall on a five-day, in-office schedule with an 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. workday. Remote work opportunities will be assessed and approved on an as-needed basis following the successful conclusion of the probationary period.

This position does include a high volume of professional events occurring during evenings and weekends, along with extensive travel both domestically and internationally.

Business professional attire is often required, with the flexibility to shift to business casual during non-event and non-external-facing interactions.

Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range: Commensurate with experience.

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

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree
  
  • No substitutions permitted
• 3+ years of professional experience in user/customer experience and project management
  
  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education above and beyond what is required may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.

Skills:

• Excellent judgment and decisiveness; high integrity, enthusiasm, diplomacy, and tact
• Strong interpersonal, management, and organizational skills; attention to detail; and compatibility with a team-oriented environment
• Superior verbal and written communication skills
• Skilled at developing professional and support staff
• Exceptional customer service skills with the ability to cultivate professional business partnerships
• Ability to multitask and manage deadlines
• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to architect complex solutions with interactive mapping tools
• Demonstrated experience with the design and implementation of interfaces for database-driven applications and software such as CRM systems

Essential Functions:

• Serve as a core member of the Assistant Dean's senior leadership team, contributing to divisional strategy and overarching enrollment targets.
• Apply design-thinking and customer-journey-mapping principles to design, refine, and elevate the candidate experience across all MBA modalities, from lead acquisition through matriculation.
• Ensure a tailored yet cohesive candidate journey that meets the unique needs and expectations of MBA candidates across all modalities.
• Leverage CRM data, candidate behavioral analytics, and yield metrics to develop, evaluate, and optimize communication and engagement strategies.
• Establish feedback loops, post-event evaluations, and benchmarking surveys to measure candidate satisfaction and yield effectiveness.
• Curate interactive, high-value on-campus and off-campus prospective student events that drive lead conversions.
• Directly lead, mentor, and empower a team dedicated to candidate experience and event execution, fostering a collaborative, service-oriented, and high-performance culture.
• Oversee the management and optimization of relationships with strategic third-party partners, yield platforms, and vendor networks that support candidate recruitment and engagement.
• Lead the management of the MBA admissions interview process, ensuring consistent, equitable, and high-quality candidate experiences, evaluator training, and logistics.
• Collaborate closely with RAO and Rice Business marketing personnel to ensure tone, messaging, timing, and content effectively nurture leads through every stage of the funnel.
• Work collaboratively to oversee targeted messaging campaigns, personalized outreach programs, and yield communication strategies across email, SMS, and digital platforms.
• Own the full lifecycle, from strategic ideation to seamless execution, for high-stakes admitted-student events, including Admit Days, Preview Days, and Yield Weekends.
• Partner with faculty, alumni, current student leaders, career pathways teams, and campus partners to curate rich, authentic programming for campus visitors and admitted students.
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

Additional Functions:

• Supervise a small team of professionals supporting the candidate experience needs of the Recruiting and Admissions Office, as well as additional needs within the Rice Business community.
• Identify opportunities for synergy and integration.
• Provide leadership for the creation, development, and execution of events.

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