About Rice
Rice University is located on a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas. Rice is ranked among the nation's top 20 universities and has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio. The university supports a residential college system and a vibrant campus life with lectures, student activities, and programs that foster a diverse and engaged community.
Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Our values—Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence—guide decisions and behavior and shape Rice's culture.
Position Summary
The Senior Director, Enterprise Risk Management and Compliance contributes to the leadership of the ethics, compliance, and enterprise risk management program at Rice University. Reporting to the Associate Vice President, Ethics, Compliance and Enterprise Risk & Chief Compliance Officer, the position supports compliance with federal, state, and local laws, as well as university policies, while facilitating the highest ethical standards of conduct for Rice's staff, students and faculty.
The role works closely with compliance partners across Rice to strengthen existing compliance practices and directs the continued implementation and development of the enterprise risk management strategy by designing and maintaining processes and capabilities to manage key enterprise-wide risks. The ethics, compliance, and enterprise risk monitoring program is established by the Audit Committee of the Board of Trustees and is carried out under the guidance of the Vice President and General Counsel.
The position will engage with Executive Compliance Committee, senior university leadership, and the Audit Committee to respond to compliance and enterprise risk inquiries, monitor emerging compliance and risk areas, promote awareness and communications regarding the programs, and support policy administration and review processes. The role interacts with all university processes, systems, and departments and with all levels of management.
This is a full-time, benefits eligible position. Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.
Minimum Education Requirements
Bachelor's degree (or foreign equivalent) in Business Administration, International Business or related field.
Minimum Experience Requirements
Eight (8) years of experience as a risk or compliance analyst in a legal, compliance, audit or enterprise risk environment, including experience with each of the following:
- Conducting enterprise risk reviews (including strategic, operational, financial, legal and compliance, cyber/IT, and environment, health and safety risks) and protocols to incorporate best practices
- Defining and carrying out internal compliance risk reviews and audits
- Globally accepted ERM standards and guidelines (e.g., ISO 31000, COSO ERM)
- Compliance and assurance services, including managing risks and opportunities for business transformation projects in higher education and addressing risks specific to data and research security, laboratory safety, grant management, international programs, and global partnerships
Of the required eight (8) years of experience as a risk or compliance analyst in a legal, compliance, audit or enterprise risk environment, at least five (5) years of experience must include experience with each of the following:
- Laws, regulations, and higher education industry standards (e.g., Clery Act, Title IX, FERPA, HIPAA, etc.)
- Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) software tools, including Riskonnect, Archer, MetricStream, and/or LogicGate, to track and manage risks
- Designing and implementing risk appetite frameworks and risk tolerance metrics focused on higher education
- Risk analysis and data visualization tools including Tableau and PowerBI to present findings to senior university leadership
- Agile project methodology
Essential Functions
- Direct implementation and development of the enterprise risk monitoring program, including joint risk assessments with Internal Audit to identify enterprise risks, analyze and quantify potential impact and likelihood, and facilitate mitigation strategies
- Liaise with compliance and risk partners across academic and administrative units on enterprise risk matters
- Prepare comprehensive written reports and presentations for stakeholders, including the Executive Compliance Committee, senior leadership, and the Audit Committee regarding top institutional risks
- Collaborate with Internal Audit on an ongoing basis to provide risk information for key audit activities
- Conduct research on compliance and enterprise risk topics and emerging regulatory requirements in higher education (e.g., cybersecurity, conflicts of interest, diversity, equity, inclusion, data privacy, research security) and stay abreast of best practices and trends
Rice University HR | Benefits: Rice knowledge cafe benefits page
Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values at Rice University
Rice is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming diversity. Qualified applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Reasonable accommodations are provided for applicants with disabilities. For accommodation support, contact the Disability Resource Center at or For additional questions, please email Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.
#J-18808-Ljbffr