Support Specialist II

Special Instructions to Applicants : Applicants should attach a resume in PDF format to the Supporting Documents section of the application.

About Rice

Boasting a 300-acre, tree-lined campus in the heart of Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. We are more than a place of academic excellence and pioneering research--Rice is a vibrant and welcoming community where every faculty, staff, and student is valued and empowered to grow.

Rice is committed to unparalleled excellence as we work to become the premier university in the world for teaching and research. We won't do it like any other institution. We will do it with humanity for the good of humankind. We will do it on a personalized scale as only Rice can.

The Rice Experience is our excellence and our culture of care -- the close interactions between faculty and students, the interdisciplinary connectedness of our fields of study, the commitment and ownership to Rice and our community. Learn more about Rice University's newly launched ten-year strategic plan, Momentous .

At Rice, we share a set of core values--Responsibility, Integrity, Community, and Excellence--that shape our culture and guide how we engage with one another and the world around us. These values define our commitment to fostering an inclusive community.

Rice University Office of Information Technology (OIT)

OIT provides excellent constituent service, acting as a strategic partner to advance Rice University's priorities and mission of "pathbreaking research, unsurpassed teaching, and contribution to the betterment of our world." We fuel innovation at speed across the university by building a culture of trust, using an effective operating model, driving seamless experiences, and providing core IT capabilities.

OIT is service-oriented and team-enabling. We seek applicants who will contribute to our mission.

Trust Building and Stakeholder Engagement - Foster trust across the campus by being transparent, reliable, consistent, and solution-oriented in communication and execution. Ensure clear, consistent, and timely communication with all constituents, maintaining a service-oriented mindset and addressing challenges with integrity.

Collaboration and Cross-functional Commitment - Work effectively with colleagues across teams, departments, and roles to support shared goals and a positive work environment. Communicate clearly and professionally with team members throughout OIT and across the campus to ensure smooth coordination of tasks and projects. Build and maintain positive relationships with others by being approachable, reliable, and responsive. Proactively share relevant information and follow up to ensure alignment and efficiency in team efforts.

Agility and Responsiveness - Adapt quickly to evolving needs, technologies, and priorities, ensuring efficiency and relevance. Identify potential challenges in advance and take proactive steps to minimize disruption to end-users. Approach unexpected changes with a problem-solving mindset, balancing speed and thoughtful engagement. Prioritize user experience by delivering seamless, timely, and effective support and potential solutions. Maintain a culture of continuous learning; ask questions from a place of curiosity and possibility to enhance agility and service outcomes.

Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement - Maintain a culture of continuous improvement in all IT operations to ensure efficient and effective service delivery. Regularly assess and optimize processes, systems, and technologies to enhance performance, scalability, and user satisfaction.

Position Summary

Campus Technology Services , a division of the Office of Information Technology (OIT), is dedicated to delivering front-line technology support services to enhance the university's mission and goals related to research, teaching, learning, and scholarship. This service is provided through individual consultation and communication with faculty, staff, and students.

We are seeking a Support Specialist II to provide support, instruction, and advice on Rice's digital environment, including hardware, software, peripherals, and network connectivity. This position applies developed subject matter knowledge to resolve common and complex issues within established guidelines and serves as part of the Office of Information Technology Campus Technology Services team.

The ideal candidate is proactive, process-oriented, dedicated to customer satisfaction, and has outstanding time management and organizational skills.

Workplace Requirements

This position is on-site and may offer a hybrid work schedule after a probationary period, 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 proposed salary range of $60,000-$69,000. *Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree
• In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis, may be substituted
• 2+ years of experience working collaboratively and independently to provide highly customized IT support services to constituents

Skills:

• Demonstrated intermediate knowledge of the concepts, practices, and procedures of IT support and customer service
• Proficient knowledge of various software and hardware, and how they are configured and interface with each other
• Good analytical, collaborative, creative, problem-solving, research, and verbal and written communication skills
• Proven ability to create, organize, and maintain process documentation and procedures for use by technical staff and non-technical users
• Proven ability to train end users

Preferred Skills/Experience

Experience Preferred:

• Practical experience as a consultant in a computing environment
• Experience in an academic or research computing environment
• Experience working in a dynamic environment
• Experience working as part of a call center team

Licenses/Certifications Preferred:

• ITIL
• General PC Hardware
• Windows
• Apple
• JAMF

Skills Preferred:

• Knowledge of security and networking protocols
• Ability to support basic Audio/Visual configurations and connectivity
• Linux system administration

Essential Functions

• Designs, develops, documents, tests, or modifies computer systems or programs based on user or system design specifications
• Applies systems analysis techniques and procedures to determine hardware, software, or system functional specifications
• Performs routine server administration
• Diagnoses and resolves end-user problems; responds to escalated issues from clients and other support teams; performs triage, provides remote problem resolution when possible, and refers problems to associated groups when appropriate
• Researches, recommends, and implements hardware and software purchases and configurations to meet client needs and ensures compatibility with university systems and architecture
• Researches, recommends, and implements approved standards used throughout the unit and contributes to the development of the client support strategy
• Investigates and tests new tools, systems, techniques, and software products
• Works on projects requiring expertise and creativity in the analysis and deployment of technology
• Provides first-line technical support on desktop computing software, hardware, peripherals, and networking systems for faculty and staff of assigned divisions
• Acts as a team or project leader for small to medium scope projects, provides direction to team activities, and facilitates information validation
• Promotes computer literacy among departmental clients and team members
• Performs all other duties as assigned

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

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University

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 [email protected] for support.

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