Associate Director of Community Engagement, Center for Community and Public Health

Special Instructions to Applicants: All interested applicants should attach a cover letter and resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.

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.

Position Summary

The Kinder Institute for Urban Research is seeking a full-time Associate Director of Community Engagement to support the Center for Community and Public Health (CCPH), which focuses on advancing health equity in Houston through community partnerships and research addressing health disparities. 

This role works closely with the Center Director and Associate Director of Research to build and sustain partnerships, coordinate events and collaborative activities, and evaluate community-engaged initiatives. The Associate Director will serve as a key liaison between researchers and community stakeholders, support advisory board meetings, and help ensure community perspectives inform research priorities.

The position also leads the development of community engagement strategies, partnership evaluation frameworks, and convenings that advance the Center’s mission. Additional responsibilities include supporting grant development, community-facing programming, and the dissemination of research findings.

The Kinder Institute for Urban Research aims to improve lives through data, research, engagement, and action. The institute is currently working to build out five research centers focused on critical aspects shaping the social and cultural landscape of the Houston area. The five centers will research housing, education, community and public health, economic mobility and inequality, and population dynamics. Each center will investigate its topic area and will work across centers. To achieve this, each center is building interdisciplinary teams specializing in solutions-oriented research while using a partnership model of research. The partnership model work to jointly design, develop, and conduct research that values diversity in expertise and prioritizes the community in identifying and addressing the most pressing questions and challenges facing the Houston area. The goal is for the institute’s research to inform decision-making and bring about systemic change.

The ideal candidate is a collaborative leader with experience working across academic and community settings. They thrive in partnership-driven environments and bring strong relationship-building, facilitation, and communication skills.

Workplace Requirements 

This position is located on site in the Houston area and has the potential of being a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work to provide flexibility and support collaboration. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range

This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position with a salary range is $100,000 - $110,000 annually. Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.  

Minimum Requirements

• Ph.D. or Doctoral Degree in health or social science, such as psychology, public health, epidemiology, sociology, or related field
• Three or more (3+) years of postdoctoral experience working in community engagement, partnership development, community-based research, or collaborative public health initiatives

Skills:

• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain partnerships with community stakeholders
• Experience facilitating collaborative meetings, advisory boards, and stakeholder convenings
• Ability to translate research findings into accessible information for diverse audiences
• Experience evaluating community engagement or research-practice partnership outcomes
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to coordinate multi-partner initiatives
• Excellent interpersonal skills such as patience, determination, flexibility, and decisiveness 

Preferences

• Bilingual in Spanish
• Adaptable to change and able to think creatively to address issues
• Works well in a fast-paced and dynamic environment

Essential Functions

• Consults and plans with the Community and Public Health Center Director and Associate Director of Research to develop, strategize, and facilitate the partnership process 
• Establishes, builds, and maintains relationships with community stakeholders
• Serves as a liaison between the Center and community partners to support collaborative initiatives 
• Designs and implements frameworks to evaluate the quality, equity, and impact of partnerships
• Translates evaluation findings into actionable improvements for research and partnership strategy
• Develops applied learning experiences (e.g., courses, workshops, or trainings) that equip students and partners with skills in community-engaged and participatory research methods
• Actively works to improve the institute’s reputation and research capabilities
• Collaborates with the Community and Public Health Center Director and Associate Director of Research in the development of grant funding opportunities
• Attends weekly staff and research team meetings
• Supervises junior research staff and students by providing direction on community-engaged activities and supporting their professional development 
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions

• Supports coordination of community-facing events and public programming
• Assists with documentation of partnership activities and engagement outcomes
• Helps identify new partnership opportunities aligned with the Center’s mission

Kinder Institute for Urban Research https://kinder.rice.edu/

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits

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Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact Rice University’s Disability Resource Center at 713-348-5841 or adarice@rice.edu for support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at jobs@rice.edu. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.