Legal Career Center

Special Instruction to Applicants:

This position posting requires a cover letter and a resume. Please attach both required documents to the application.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director, Gift Planning, this gift planning team member will plan, organize and manage the discovery, cultivation, processing and administration of estate and trust gifts in support of Rice University. Specific responsibilities include the tracking of deceased donors' estate and trust gifts through the probate process, about which Rice may or may not have advance knowledge, and collaborating with executors, probate attorneys, outside trustees and insurance claims and retirement plan administrators to accomplish the final disposition of these charitable planned gifts. The Director, Estate and Trust Administration will collaborate directly with the Treasurer's Office, the Controller's Office, the General Counsel and other university offices as needed and will also work with as an administrator in assistance to Rice Trust, Inc. in managing and providing information on matured charitable gift annuities and various charitable trusts for processing and closure. The Director, Estate and Trust Administration will work with deceased donors' family members and friends in representing the initial face of Rice stewardship of these gifts, which may lead to further relationship development and additional gift cultivation. This role also will participate in consulting with the team and with Development and Alumni Relations staff about changes in charitable giving law and tax regulations, overseeing the CRM database and assisting in training on the CRM and other software, such as PG Calc and OnBase. This role may also include assisting in training of gift planning directors as well as overall for other gift officers, researchers, etc. across the Development and Alumni Relations division. This role may also carry a small portfolio of unit development officers for gift planning support as well as a small portfolio of donors.

This position currently has a hybrid work arrangement, with a minimum of two days per week in the office.

The ideal candidate is either someone who has served in this capacity in a higher education or medical center organization or who has a legal background in estate and probate work and is interested in utilizing that knowledge to impact Rice University's mission by ensuring estate and other planned gifts are fully received and properly processed as readily available resources.

Essential Functions

• Identifies, settles and administers all realized estate, retirement plan and other charitable deferred gifts and oversees their processing and recording in the CRM and acts as primary liaison on these gifts between Gift Processing and the Gift Planning team
• Serves as contact for Executors and Personal Representatives with respect to realized estate gifts
• Manages and acts as liaison with Treasurer's office and Rice Trust Inc. on all life income gifts that have matured and that are managed both inside by Rice Trust Inc. and outside by other trust firms
• Partners with the Controller's Office and the General Counsel on issues relating to tax and legal estate matters, including with outside counsel when needed as directed by the General Counsel
• Reviews various gift planning and complex asset training offerings to inform the gift planning team and the Executive Director, Gift Planning for broader cross-division training
• Assists the Executive Director, Gift Planning on monitoring and reviewing changes in charitable gift planning law, professional ethics, CGP (Charitable Gift Planners) National/Houston Professional guidelines and CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) guidelines
• Assists the Executive Director, Gift Planning in preparation of reports, summaries and board resolutions pertaining to realized estate gifts
• Monitors all planned gift data, keeping the data synchronized with database reporting
• Functions as team lead on CRM and PG Calc and assists on other software as needed
• May carry small portfolio of donor/prospect households and a few unit assignments if appropriate
• May oversee the marketing, communication and processing of all IRS Qualified Charitable Distribution gifts
• Comfortable working in an open office environment
• Some minor travel may be required for this position
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions/Information

• Assists in providing stewardship for planned gift donors in conjunction with team activities around the Captain James A. Baker Society, the Rice University planned gift recognition society, Golden and Platinum Reunion prospects, etc.
• Assists Executive Director, Gift Planning and team in developing planned giving communications
• Collaborates with assigned planned gift and other development officers regarding soliciting, securing and documenting planned gifts

Education, Experience, and Licenses/Certifications Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree with paralegal certification or JD Degree preferred
• Five years of professional work experience in a higher education or medical center organization in the role of estate and trust gift administration
• Three years of experience (five years if a paralegal) in an estate planning and probate law firm, trust firm or legal/trust department in a financial institution
• Valid Texas Driver's License (or ability to obtain within 30 days of employment) required with no more than three moving violations within the past 36 months and no convictions or deferred dispositions for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) or Driving Under the Influence (DUI) within the past five years

Substitutions

• No substitutions for education or experience allowed

Skills Required

• Ability to develop and initiate new strategies
• Advanced problem-solving skills
• Strong verbal and written communications skills
• Ability to work well under pressure and manage projects simultaneously
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office suite
• Strong data analysis skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team to meet expected deadlines and schedules
• Adept at problem solving, creating contingency plans and handling issues when necessary
• Demonstrated experience with fundraising in a higher education environment
• Strong client service orientation and attention to detail
• Strong attention to detail and ability to quickly understand and remember details about alumni/donors and projects to which they are assigned
• Strong practical skills in gift and/or estate planning requirements and techniques and charitable giving tax law

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience
  • Seven years of the experience specified above and prior work in this capacity in a higher education or medical center organization
• Skills
  • Ability to develop new and maintain existing relationships with probate attorneys, trustees and other professional advisors in the advancement of receiving charitable gifts that have been designated for Rice through decedents' estate, retirement assets, life insurance, etc.
  • Good comprehension of general estate planning, federal tax and probate law or demonstrated aptitude for learning this content
  • Additional computer skills:
    • Working knowledge of Blackbaud CRM or other advancement system
    • Working knowledge of PG Calc or Crescendo Pro
    • Working knowledge of document management software
• Licenses/Certifications: If attorney, licensed to practice in any state jurisdiction

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