Endowment Counsel and Minerals Manager

Special Instructions to Applicants: In PDF form, applicants should attach a resume and cover letter in the Supporting Documents section of the application.

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.

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 how 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 Endowment Counsel and Minerals Manager manages the University’s direct oil and gas holdings (mineral and net profit interests), handles transactional work relative to these holdings and the broader endowment investment office, and is responsible for addressing legal issues arising out of the activities of the Rice Management Company (RMC) and for protecting the legal interests of the endowment and the university. The role represents and advises RMC clients, solves legal problems, and facilitates investment transactions. Responsibilities include leading legal support for investment portfolio activity and overseeing the accounting and reporting functions of the Minerals Portfolio. 

The position will also be responsible for maintaining systems that allow the University to efficiently process incoming royalty checks, analyze the accuracy of royalty payments, develop mapping capabilities, assist with internal reporting, and prepare data for 3rd party engineering and valuation reports.  As needed, this role will be integral to creating and implementing new systems and process improvements. 

This position reports directly to the RMC General Counsel and, when giving legal advice, reports to Rice University’s Vice President and General Counsel through the RMC General Counsel.  RMC’s General Counsel is a Senior Associate General Counsel within the University’s Office of General Counsel, and when giving legal advice, reports to and takes direction from Rice University’s General Counsel.  

Workplace Requirements

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

Hiring Range

This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position, and the salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications. *Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime. 

Minimum Requirements

• Juris Doctorate from an ABA-accredited law school, Member of the Texas Bar, or eligible for admission
• Four or more (4+) years of related experience with minerals and royalties

Skills:

• Commitment to fostering teamwork, building collaborative relationships, and demonstrating excellent interpersonal skills
• Strong ability to provide outstanding client service and deliver quality work product in a timely fashion, effectively managing competing deadlines
• Exhibits good judgment and discretion in sensitive matters
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite

Preferences

• Experience as a practicing transactional attorney involving private equity and other investments

Essential Functions

• Reviews and drafts agreements and other legal documents, including purchase and sale agreements, development agreements, leases, licenses, broker agreements, vendor and software agreements, confidentiality agreements, as well as RMC policies to ensure compliance with applicable law
• Investigates legal questions and makes recommendations to RMC clients 
• Oversees the accounting and reporting functions for the Minerals assets within the Portfolio
• Assist with internal reporting and prepare data for 3rd party engineering and valuation reports for the Mineral Assets 
• Review applicable legal documents
• Building relationships and interacting with third parties
• Ensuring related incoming funds are accurate 
• Engaging internal or outside counsel as needed. 
• Maintains data of applicable systems, including implementing new systems as needed
• Inputs and maintains mapping data of current and potential interests
• Assists with completing thorough reviews of expenses and other key reporting items from external parties for the University’s net profit interests
• Maintains an organized electronic and hard copy document filing system
• Prepares and maintains internal cash flow models for reporting
• Prepares various portfolio reports
• Researches activity surrounding current portfolio interests to identify and recommend acquisitions

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 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.