Organizational and Talent Development Specialist

Position Summary:

Rice University is seeking an Organizational and Talent Development Specialist. This role is responsible for administering the university's Learning Management System (LMS), and designing, developing, and facilitating learning and leadership programs for employees. In addition, the role oversees course assignments, reporting, and performance management system support, ensuring accurate data and a seamless learning experience for employees.

The ideal candidate is an experienced learning and organizational development professional. They administered a Learning Management System (LMS), supported or managed performance management processes, and designed, developed, and facilitated engaging learning experiences for adult learners.

This individual is comfortable managing competing priorities and thrives in a small, collaborative team where flexibility, initiative, and resourcefulness are essential. Experience working in higher education, nonprofit organizations, or other environments with lean teams and limited resources is highly preferred.

Candidates advancing to the final stage will be asked to design and present a brief workshop to demonstrate their training and facilitation skills.

This position is offered as 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.

with hiring salary commensurate with experience and qualifications.
* Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.

• Bachelor’s degree
  • In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.
• Three or more (3+) years of experience training and coaching adult learners, administering LMS, and supporting other talent development processes.
• Skills:
  • Excellent communication, presentation and public speaking skills; strong organizational and time management skills.
  • Strong experience with MS Office (specifically PowerPoint), and e-learning software.
  • Demonstrated ability to take initiative and ownership of projects; work independently; manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment; research issues; solve problems; propose solutions; adapt to changing priorities; and meet deadlines.
  • Ability to develop engaging training materials, presentations, and solutions using creative approaches, ability to apply adult learning principles to design impactful training and development programs.
  • Strong understanding of workplace dynamics with the ability to recommend and facilitate effective interventions; ability to identify development gaps and create targeted, business-aligned solutions.
  • Adept at leading team sessions and meetings to drive decision-making, problem-solving, and team effectiveness.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, with a client-service orientation and the ability to build relationships and collaborate effectively across the University while respecting individual needs.
  • Ability to interpret data and translate insights into actionable recommendations.

• Experience supporting organizational change initiatives.
• Familiarity with higher education or complex organizations.
• Advanced experience with LMS and performance management.
• Experience with workplace assessments (e.g., DiSC, Birkman, Strengths Finder); certification in assessment tools strongly preferred.

• Support Director of Training and Development with marketing of Rice’s offerings, by crafting and sending general and targeted messages to leadership, managers and employees, updating websites, calendars and plannings, and preparing and conducting presentations for relevant employee groups.
• Talent Development Initiatives: performance management, supporting campus initiatives, goal management, succession planning initiatives, and etc.
• Training & Development
  • Design, develop, and facilitate instructor-led and e-learning programs using adult learning principles and instructional design methodologies (e.g., ADDIE) on topics…