Director of Candidate Experience & Enrollment Strategy

Rice University; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Rice University invites a strategic Director of Candidate Experience to shape enrollment strategy for all MBA modalities. You will lead a team delivering high-impact events, multi-channel communications, and data-informed candidate journeys from inquiry to matriculation.

Collaborate with faculty, alumni, and campus partners, own interview processes, and partner with marketing to nurture leads. Expect travel, on-site presence, and a culture of excellence in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Qualifications

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

Responsibilities

• 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.

Skills

Judgement & integrity

Interpersonal skills

Verbal & written comms

Staff development

Customer service

Multitasking

Complex solutions

CRM systems

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Interactive mapping tools

CRM systems

Job description

Rice University invites a strategic Director of Candidate Experience to shape enrollment strategy for all MBA modalities. You will lead a team delivering high-impact events, multi-channel communications, and data-informed candidate journeys from inquiry to matriculation.

Collaborate with faculty, alumni, and campus partners, own interview processes, and partner with marketing to nurture leads. Expect travel, on-site presence, and a culture of excellence in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.