Department: Jones Graduate School of Business

Special Instructions to Applicants : All interested applicants must attach a cover letter and a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application in a PDF format . Please note that the applicant tracking system does not convert attachments in Word format successfully.

Position Summary

The editor-in-chief (EIC) will increase the reach, impact and reputation of Rice Business Wisdom and Rice Business magazine and foster engagement with our alumni, faculty, staff and students, as well as readers in Houston and nationwide. Rice Business Wisdom aims to bring faculty research to a mainstream audience in a clear, accessible way, with the goal of elevating the profile of Rice Business and offering insights that business leaders — and anyone else — can draw on in their daily lives. Rice Business magazine showcases the accomplishments and innovations of the school’s extraordinary alumni and is the school’s most impactful soft marketing tool to build awareness, boost reputation and drive enrollment and revenue.

The EIC will envision, assign and edit these stories and craft and execute a strategy to ensure that they reach the widest possible readership to drive Rice Business’ reputation nationally and globally. The EIC will also oversee the development of a new annual publication showcasing the cutting-edge research of Rice Business professors, along with the existing alumni magazine, which is published twice a year.

Ideal candidates should have extensive skills and experience in writing and editing for a wide, mainstream audience. A background in journalism or academic publications is preferred.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Five years of experience in writing and/or editing for print publications, including newspapers, magazines, or academic publications
  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year for year basis may be substituted

Essential Functions

• Manage a team that includes an editor/writer, a social media coordinator, and a web designer to create high-quality content and to expand our online presence.
• Manage an annual budget exceeding $100k, which may be utilized to deliver stories, reviews, advertising placement, and/or market research.
• Work with the digital marketing director to conduct market research to better understand and help grow our audience, and to chart a marketing plan to further expand the reach of Rice Business Wisdom.
• Using market research, work with the digital marketing director to create a digital marketing plan to drive an increase in subscriptions and readership.
• Produce two issues per year of Rice Business magazine and one issue of a new magazine featuring faculty research.
• Produce twice monthly (or more) newsletters showcasing new faculty research.
• Identify and reach out to key media outlets that could bring faculty research to a wide, mainstream readership. Working with the executive director, enter into a contract that could lead to mainstream readership.
• Develop, execute, edit and oversee feature stories that highlight faculty expertise and alumni accomplishments.
• Ensure that the voice and tone of all writing is consistent with the Rice Business editorial strategy.
• Monitor trends and breaking news with an eye to including our faculty in national conversations about topical issues.
• Act as key leader to executive director of marketing to develop and deliver publications that enhance Rice Business’ reputation and increase awareness and consideration for the school’s undergraduate and graduate programs.

Required Qualifications

• Advanced ability to work with professors, senior university staff, students and alumni
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Advanced organizational skills, including the ability to balance long-term project planning with more urgent short-term deadlines
• Exceptional problem-solving skills

• Keen attention to detail and an ability to provide context, balance and clarity in stories
• Willingness to collaborate with others on the marketing and communications team

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in an institution of higher education
• Experience working with freelancers and developing writing talent
• Master’s level writing or journalism degree

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels, and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

Current Rice University COVID policies, which include vaccination, face mask, testing, gatherings, occupancy limits, and travel policies can be found here: https://coronavirus.rice.edu/policies