Administrative Research Assistant

Thank you for considering a career with the Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY).

The team at RFCUNY is made up of dedicated, talented professionals committed to providing the services that allow CUNY researchers, faculty, and staff to focus on their intellectual curiosity and scientific discoveries.

We are pleased that you are interested in exploring opportunities to join RFCUNY.

Primary Location:

The GRADUATE CENTER

Bargaining Unit:

Yes

The Excellence through Education Research Group at the City University of New York is seeking an administrator to support coordinating and implementing core research team operations. This position is fully remote.

Specific tasks and duties vary over the lifecycle of research projects, and as the particular funded research projects may vary over time. However, most projects include the following duties:

• Research Support – assist with research planning, internal and external participant coordination data collection, including:

  • Organize research materials and maintain digital files

  • Manage participant communications and meetings

  • Add and update references in Zotero

  • Add and update information on the research group website

  • Track and maintain research information for annual reports

  • Manage transcriptions from interviews

• Financial & Grant Support –assist in the coordination, organization, and compliance for grant financial management

  • Assist with tracking grant expenses and maintaining financial records for compliance and reporting processes

  • Manage research participant payments and maintain records

  • Organize receipts, invoices, and related documentation

  • Submit vendor invoices and staff reimbursements

• Administrative Support – communication and collaboration coordination

  • Prepare reports, correspondence, and internal documentation

  • Support general office and operational tasks

  • Schedule meetings and manage calendars as needed

  • Support various tasks as requested

  • Maintain and update detailed documentation of research group procedures

  • Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree

• Experience supporting complex administration or operations, preferably in research and/or educational systems

• Experience with large institutional bureaucracy, coordinating across departments, and working with complex systems for compliance and reporting

• Strong written and oral communication skills

• Strong time management and organizational skills

• Detail-oriented and conscientious

• Ability to work independently, using remote transparency and accountability mechanisms

• Ability to consistently review and adhere to complex and detailed written procedures related to data collection and research compliance

• Ability to proactively anticipate and generate potential solutions to problems and to communicate these to the appropriate senior members of the project team in a timely manner

• Ability to learn new skills on the job (e.g., software, administrative or technical procedures, methods or styles of communication, etc.)

• Experience with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; Project Management tools; and willingness/ability to learn other technical and software tools as needed.

While the current grant funding this position ends in 2028, we are seeking someone interested in continuing the roll long-term. The research group has a long record of securing continuous external funding in the past and we are actively applying for subsequent grants to fund the position after the current grant ends.

Pay Range:

$45,000 - $70,000 annually, commensurate with skills and experience

RFCUNY Benefits
RFCUNY Employee Benefits and Accruals (link to https://www.rfcuny.org/RFWebsite)

About the Research Foundation
The Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY) is a nonprofit educational corporation founded in 1963 to provide post-award fiscal and administrative support for CUNY’s research and sponsored programs. RFCUNY’s services allow CUNY researchers, faculty, and staff to focus on their intellectual curiosity and scientific discoveries, on projects and programs that serve our local and global communities, proposing concrete solutions to society’s most pressing challenges.
RFCUNY serves as a fiscal agent and works closely with all the CUNY campus Grants Offices to perform the core functions of post-award financial management for CUNY research projects and sponsored programs. These functions include legal assessment and signing of agreements where RFCUNY is named as a fiscal agent; setting up award accounts; preparing sub-awards and assisting PIs in monitoring the work of the recipients of sub-awards; supporting project directors with hiring and managing research project and sponsored program staff; supporting the purchasing and paying for goods and services with grant and program funds; managing financial aspects of projects including accounts receivable, financial reporting, invoicing, budget monitoring, and cost compliance with uniform guidance; ensuring that sponsor financial requirements are met; monitoring compliance with applicable project and financial management rules and laws; supporting the management of independent and external audits and financial reviews; and providing data, information, management expertise, and other supports to CUNY’s research and sponsored programs.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
The Research Foundation of the City University of New York is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Americans with Disabilities Act/E-Verify Employer. It is the policy of the Research Foundation of CUNY to provide equal employment opportunities free of discrimination based on race, color, age, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, national origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic violence victim status, arrest record, criminal conviction history, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.