Marketing Director

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Rice University’s Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship seeks a Marketing Director to lead its marketing and communications across the Ion District and Venture Advantage Platform in Houston. This is a pivotal role to shape narrative, grow audiences, and drive engagement.

You will build demand, optimize customer journeys, manage events and partnerships, and extend capacity through freelancers and AI-enabled tools, delivering measurable impact for founders, investors, and the Houston

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree required.
• 5+ years of progressively responsible experience in marketing, communications or similar role.
• Experience leading teams and managing agencies, freelancers, contractors, or other external partners.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute integrated marketing and communications strategies that support priorities, audience growth, and demand generation.
• Lead the strategic narrative for the Rice Alliance and support Ion District communication strategy.
• Build and optimize customer journeys to convert awareness into engagement and sponsorship.
• Oversee content, digital marketing, events, media relations, partnerships, and community engagement.
• Lead marketing strategy for the organization's event portfolio to increase attendance and engagement.
• Manage the marketing technology stack, reporting systems, and AI-enabled workflows.
• Analyze marketing performance, audience insights, and market trends.

Skills

Marketing strategy

Team leadership

Agency management

Communications skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Marketing tech (CRMs, automation, CMS)

Job description

Job Description

Position Summary:

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship is seeking aMarketing Director to lead its marketing and communications acrossthe Ion District, Powered by Rice University, and the VentureAdvantage Platform.

This role comes at a pivotal moment for both the organization and Houston's innovation ecosystem. The Rice Alliance is building and launching Houston's Venture Advantage Platform in the Ion District, creating a unique opportunity for an entrepreneurial marketer to help shape the narrative, grow and engage the audience, and bring to life one of the most ambitious innovation initiatives in the region.

Through the Venture Advantage Platform, we will bring together people, expertise, capital, and corporate and community partners into a single coordinated system activated through helping founders gain advantages and compound impact. By doing so, we will strengthen Houston's ability to sustainably launch and growth riving ventures that deliver local, national, and global impact.

Over 25 years, the Rice Alliance has supported more than 3,714 startups that have raised more than $31 billion in capital. That impact is rooted in our belief that when people are activated around meaningful work, it creates an economic engine that generates an abundance of opportunities for our community to prosper. The Rice Alliance exists to help people pursue their life’s work.

The Marketing Director will:

• Lead the strategic narrative, positioning and communicationdirection
• Develop and deliver our demand generation and audience growthstrategies
• Evolve and build the marketing tech stack to deliver against acohesive user journey
• Maximize experiential engagements to amplify the Ion Districtnarrative, increase audience engagement, and advance sponsorshipand partnership opportunities
• Collaborate with Ion District stakeholders to support Districtdevelopment, leasing activity and ecosystem visibility

Success will look like our stories reaching and resonating with keyaudiences and turning that into participation, partnerships, andorganizational growth. It means clear, repeatable marketing systemsthat allow a lean team to work efficiently, with AI and automationembedded throughout our marketing operations.

The Marketing Director will be responsible for collaborating and aligning marketing strategies and outcomes with stakeholders across Rice University and the broader Houston innovation ecosystem.

The Ion is the namesake building of the 16-acre innovation district in Midtown, powered by Rice University. The District will soon expand with The Arc, a nearly 200,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility designed to accelerate collaboration, research, and commercialization across key industries. These resources make the Ion District a central destination for Houston's rapidly evolving innovation ecosystem.

Ideal Candidate Statement:

You have likely spent most of your career in an agency, startup, orother fast-paced environment where you were responsible forbuilding demand, creating systems, and leveraging earned and ownedmedia to drive results. You are skilled at turning complexinitiatives into clear priorities and actionable plans.

You understand that some of the most powerful marketing comes fromthe experiences organizations create, the relationships they build,and the advocates they empower. Naturally curious about people andwhat motivates action, you know how to uncover the insights thatlead to compelling stories, memorable experiences, and effectivecampaigns.

The ideal candidate will bring structure, clarity, and momentum toenable the marketing team to perform consistently and effectively.You are energized by the win of delivering meaningful impact withlimited resources. You can build capacity beyond traditionalheadcount through partners, freelancers, vendors, volunteers,technology, and AI-enabled tools.

If you are drawn to the startup ecosystem and curious about solvingfor the needs of founders, investors, and entrepreneurialorganizations—with an enthusiasm for Houston—this will be anopportunity to help elevate one of the nation’s most dynamicinnovation ecosystems. Familiarity with real estate, events, highereducation, or mission-driven organizations is a plus.

Workplace Requirements:

This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties tobe performed in-person at the Ion. Some nights and weekends areexpected. Per Rice policy 440 , workarrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range:

Hiring salary commensurate with experience andqualifications.

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

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree
• 5+ years of progressively responsible experience in marketing,communications or similar role
• Experience leading teams and managing agencies, freelancers,contractors, or other external partners

Preferences:

• 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in marketing,communications or similar role
• Experience leading marketing functions in a startup, agency ormission-driven organization
• Proven success in demand generation, audience growth, customerjourney optimization, and campaign performance analysis
• Channel strategy and execution experience with measurablesuccess across organic social media, earned media, SEO/GEO/AEO
• Demonstrated history with marketing tech including CRMs,automation, email marketing platforms, CMS, and other AI-enabledtools
• Proven success shaping organizational positioning and buildingalignment
• Ownership over budget allocation across channels andinitiatives
• Experience working directly with executive leadership and withstartups and entrepreneurs
• Interest in entrepreneurship, innovation, economic development,and Houston's growing innovation ecosystem
• Familiarity with marketing efforts for large-scale events,conferences, programs, or community initiatives
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communicationskills

Essential Functions:

• Develop and execute integrated marketing and communicationsstrategies that support organizational priorities, audience growth,and demand generation
• Lead the strategic narrative for the Rice Alliance forTechnology and Entrepreneurship and support the Ion Districtcommunication strategy
• Develop the brand platform for the Venture AdvantagePlatform
• Build and optimize customer journeys that convert awarenessinto engagement, participation, sponsorship, and otherorganizational outcomes
• Oversee content, digital marketing, events, media relations,partnerships, and community engagement
• Lead marketing strategy for the organization's event portfolioto increase attendance and engagement
• Manage the marketing technology stack, reporting systems, andAI-enabled workflows
• Analyze marketing performance, audience insights, and markettrends
• Establish departmental Rocks, budgets, and success metricssupporting the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS).
• Extend capacity and capabilities through freelancers,contractors, volunteers, and other external partners
• Collaborate with Rice University stakeholders, Ion Districtpartners, and external organizations to align marketing efforts andamplify organizational visibility.
• Support sponsorship, partnership, and revenue-generatinginitiatives through marketing strategy and activation.
• Lead and develop the marketing team through its next stage ofdevelopment, aligned with our values of Relentless Curiosity,Purposeful Stewardship, Take Ownership, Excellence is a Habit, andEnjoy the Journey Together
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

Additional Functions:

• Represent the organization at events and within Houston'sinnovation ecosystem as needed.
• Serve as a thought leader and trend manager in marketing forventures in our network
• Support public relations and media initiatives, working withRice Public Affairs and partner agencies

Rice University HR | Benefits:

https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits

Rice Mission and Values:

Mission and Values | RiceUniversity

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal EmploymentOpportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into ourcandidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexualorientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, geneticinformation, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons withdisabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please get intouch with Rice University’s Human Resources Office via email at [e-mail] forsupport.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at [e-mail] . Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.