Business Analyst

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, lecture 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.

TS&S 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. TS&S 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.
• Collaboration and Cross‑functional Commitment – Work effectively with colleagues across teams, departments, and roles to support shared goals and a positive work environment.
• Agility and Responsiveness – Adapt quickly to evolving needs, technologies, and priorities, ensuring efficiency and relevance.
• Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement – Maintain a culture of continuous improvement in all IT operations to ensure efficient and effective service delivery.

The Project Management Office (PMO), a division of the Office of Technology Solutions & Services, is seeking a Business Analyst who plays a key role in enabling informed decision‑making, strategic alignment, and operational efficiency for IT projects at Rice University. This position supports a structured and transparent project intake and prioritization process, working closely with university departments, governance committees, and IT teams to evaluate project proposals, assess resource needs, and align initiatives with institutional goals.

The Business Analyst helps define project scope, gather and analyze requirements, build business cases, and facilitate cross‑functional collaboration to ensure the successful intake, prioritization, and scheduling of IT projects.

The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker with strong analytical skills and a deep understanding of how technology supports institutional goals. They are detail‑oriented and organized, capable of defining complex workflows and documentation with precision. An excellent communicator, they can translate business and technical concepts for diverse audiences and foster collaboration across departments. They bring a data‑driven mindset to decision‑making, embrace change, and maintain a customer‑centric approach to enhance service delivery and the user experience.

This position is exclusively on‑site, requiring all duties to be performed in person. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

This is a full‑time, benefits‑eligible position, and the hiring salary is $80,000 to $100,000 annually, depending on experience and skills. Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 3+ years of experience with business case development, ROI analysis, and resource planning

• Complex problem‑solving skills to identify complex problems and review related information, develop and evaluate options, and implement solutions
• Excellent analytical skills to arrange information or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules
• Active listening skills to give full attention to what is being said, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting
• Excellent verbal and written…