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.

About Houston Methodist Rice Digital Health Institute:

Our teams build sophisticated algorithms that draw on multimodal data to uncover patterns in disease progression, predict individual health risks and deliver personalized prevention and treatment strategies. This holistic approach is shaping the future of precision medicine, improving hospital efficiency and expanding access to high-quality care in under-resourced communities.

We aspire to deliver personalized, predictive and proactive health care through cutting-edge research and universally scalable solutions that redefine health care experiences.

We seek greater representation of women, minorities, people with disabilities, and veterans in disciplines in which they have historically been underrepresented; to attract international students from a wider range of countries and backgrounds; to accelerate progress in building a faculty and staff who are diverse in background and thought, and we support an inclusive environment that fosters interaction and understanding within our diverse community.

Position Summary:

The Events & Public Relations Specialist is responsible for independent planning, coordinating, and executing a range of organizational events, while also supporting public and media relations initiatives. This role handles the full lifecycle of events, including corporate meetings, conferences, trade shows, product launches, and special events, working closely with internal stakeholders and external partners to ensure successful outcomes.

In addition, the specialist develops and executes communications strategies, prepares written and digital content, and provides media and public relations support to enhance the organization’s visibility and reputation. This position requires a highly organized, adaptable professional capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously and ensuring alignment with organizational goals and branding, all as an individual contributor.

Ideal Candidate Statement:

The ideal candidate is a highly skilled and versatile communications professional with experience in both event planning and public/media relations. They excel at independently managing complex projects from start to finish, including organizing and executing events, coordinating with stakeholders, and developing strategic communications.

This individual is proactive, detail-oriented, and able to juggle multiple initiatives simultaneously while maintaining high-quality standards. They demonstrate excellent written and verbal communication skills and can craft compelling messages for a variety of audiences, including media, internal teams, and external stakeholders.

The ideal candidate builds and sustains professional relationships with partners, vendors, media representatives, and community leaders to support organizational goals. They are comfortable taking initiative, solving problems, and making decisions within their scope of responsibility, ensuring that both events and communications efforts are aligned with organizational objectives and branding.

Workplace Requirements:

This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in-person at Rice University. After the 6-month probationary period, there is an option for a hybrid schedule. Per Rice policy 440 , work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range: $95,900 - $122,400 annually

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

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree
• Four or more (4+) years of experience in event planning, including managing event logistics and timelines.

• Excellent judgment, decisiveness, integrity, enthusiasm, diplomacy, and tact
• Experience with regional and national conference planning
• Proven experience supporting a principal within an organization
• Strong interpersonal, management, and organizational skills
• Close attention to detail and the ability to thrive in a team-oriented environment
• Superior verbal and written communication skills
• Skilled in motivating and leading professional and supporting staff, including evaluation and development
• Exceptional customer service skills with the ability to build professional business partnerships
• Analytical problem-solving skills

• Strong project management and organizational skills
  
  
• Ability to develop and deliver effective written and digital communications
  
  
• Experience coordinating events independently
  
  
• Flexibility, adaptability, and professional judgment in a fast-paced environment
  
  

• Manages and executes multiple events and communications initiatives, developing work plans, schedules, and milestones to ensure successful delivery.
• Coordinates with internal stakeholders, event owners, and vendors to plan and execute high-quality, multi-faceted events and productions.
• Builds and maintains effective working relationships with internal partners, external stakeholders, media representatives, policy influencers, and community leaders.
• Provides media and public relations support for internal and external audiences, including participation in the development of media strategies and tactics.
• Develops, executes, and oversees written and digital communications of moderate complexity, including presentations, speeches, news stories, web content, newsletters, talking points, correspondence, email communications, and social media content.
• Assists with the design and implementation of constituent communications programs and digital distribution strategies.
• Proficiency with digital content, social media, and constituent communications strategies
• Performs other duties as assigned.