Careers Job Description
General Description
MISSION
We build innovative educational and career development programs that strengthen and advance The City University of New York’s commitment to promoting equity and mobility for its students.
The Office of Research, Evaluation, and Program Support conducts high-quality research and builds innovative data infrastructures to strengthen equity-focused education programs and inform policy.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
REPS is seeking a Research Fellow who is well-versed in social science research to join a project team in evaluating the Prisoner Reentry Institute’s (PRI) College Initiative (CI) program, which is headquartered at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. PRI’s mission is to better understand what it takes for people to live successfully in their communities after involvement with the criminal justice system. A critical component to PRI’s work is creating access to higher education for people who have been involved in the criminal justice system, including incarceration. PRI’s CI program is designed to create pathways to college and beyond by providing a safe, mutually-supported community. The CI staff deliver a suite of community-based services assisting people who have been involved in the criminal justice system as they enroll in, and graduate from, college.
REPS will conduct both a process and outcomes evaluation of PRI’s CI program from January 2019 through December 2020. The process evaluation will investigate program fidelity and student pathways into and through college using interviews, focus groups, observations, and surveys. The outcomes evaluation will track cognitive, affective, and career outcomes of CI participants by employing descriptive and quasi-experimental techniques using extensive administrative data, as well as surveys of existing and former participants.
The Research Fellow for the PRI Evaluation will report to the REPS Director of Research and Strategy and will work closely with the project’s Co-PI located at the University of Georgia and other members of the Research Team. The Research Fellow will also meet regularly and consult with PRI staff.
The Office of Research, Evaluation, and Program Support (REPS) is a comprehensive program evaluation unit situated within the Office of the Senior University Dean for Academic Affairs (SUD) and CUNY’s Office of Academic Affairs (OAA). Working in many dimensions of public higher education, REPS conducts empirical research, implementation and impact studies, and consults on data collection and management protocols to provide partners with the knowledge and resources necessary to develop, improve, and ultimately reach key project goals. REPS evaluators employ rigorous qualitative and quantitative research methods, and approach their work with a focus on leveraging data integration to drive program improvement and inform critical decision-making.
REPS investigates issues of college access, college success, career readiness, and educational equity among students and residents of New York City. REPS projects are organized into three focus areas: College Readiness, College Access and Success, and Career Readiness and Workforce Development. In addition, REPS has developed a body of work on cross-cutting topic areas that intersect with the three primary portfolios, including developmental education, adult and continuing education, STEM pathways, vulnerable populations, and equity.
Other Duties
Research, Evaluation, and Report Writing – 50%
- Conduct a literature review of relevant topic areas, synthesize findings from the field to complete a full literature review and an issue brief;
- Develop FERPA-compliant consent forms, as well as interview, focus group, and observation protocols in collaboration with the Research Team;
- Prepare and submit project IRB application;
- Conduct interviews and/or focus groups with program staff, partners, key informants, and students;
- Conduct observations of PRI events;
- Develop Survey of Program Practices and Services in collaboration with the Research Team;
- Perform qualitative analyses of interview, focus group, and observation data;
- Conduct basic and advanced statistical analyses on programmatic, survey, and administrative data; and
- Contribute to the writing of draft and final evaluation reports
Data Collection, Management, and Analysis – 35%
- Conduct a thorough review of PRI’s existing programmatic data;
- Achieve a thorough understanding of University administrative data and data systems;
- Develop a data collection and management plan for the evaluation;
- Administer the Survey of Program Practices and Services;
- Process, code, and store qualitative data collected through interviews, focus groups, and observations;
- Create and manipulate large, complex datasets from multiple administrative data sources to create a master longitudinal dataset for analyses;
- Ensure data quality and completeness; and
- Document procedures and analyses.
Project Management – 15%
- Meet regularly with the Research Team and PRI staff to provide project updates;
- Track project activities and progress in project management software; and
- Complete ad-hoc requests.
Other
- Attend staff meetings and trainings as required; and
- Perform special projects and other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
CORE COMPETENCIES/QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum Qualifications
- Master’s degree in education, policy, sociology, economics, psychology, or related social science discipline; doctoral degree preferred.
- Past experience working in an applied research setting, including experience managing research projects.
- Experience submitting projects to IRBs.
- Strong training in all phases of formative and summative program evaluation.
- Strong training and skills in qualitative and quantitative research methods.
- Proficiency with statistical software (STATA (preferred)/SPSS).
- Experience with matching datasets and manipulating large amounts of data from multiple sources.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Ability to work flexibly, carefully, and quickly to meet competing demands.
- Ability to take initiative, work independently as well as on teams, and promote a collaborative work environment.
- Demonstrated interest in issues of access and success in education and criminal justice policy.
- Availability for the duration of the project (January 2019 – December 2020).
Preferred Qualifications
- Demonstrated expertise and/or knowledge of criminal justice, specifically as it intersects with higher education.
- Experience evaluating interventions in higher education.
Physical Requirements
- Ability to travel to other CUNY sites and locations in New York City as needed.
- This position operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as personal computers, laptops, tablets, smart phone, photocopiers, filing cabinets and other presentation materials.
- While performing these duties, the employee is required to perform physical activities such as, but not limited to, lifting items (up to 20 pounds), bending, reaching, sitting for prolonged periods of time.
EEO Info
We are committed to enhancing our diverse academic community by actively encouraging people of all race, color, religion, gender, gender identities or expressions, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disabilities, age, or protected veteran status to apply. We take pride in our pluralistic community and continue to seek excellence through diversity and inclusion. CUNY is an EEO/AA Employer.
RFCUNY Benefits
RFCUNY Employee Benefits and AccrualsAbout the Research Foundation
The Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY) was established as a not-for-profit educational corporation chartered by the State of New York in 1963. RFCUNY supports CUNY faculty and staff in identifying and obtaining external support (pre-award) from government and private sponsors and is responsible for the administration of all such funded programs (post-award).
RFCUNY stands between CUNY’s principal investigators (PIs) and the sponsors who support them and strives to fulfill its essential responsibilities to both groups. Working closely with individual PIs and Grants Officers on the campuses, RFCUNY oversees employment, accounting, audit, reporting, purchasing, and special responsibilities that include management of a planned giving program; liaison with governmental agencies and foundations; negotiation of agreements; facility construction and renovation; protection and commercialization of intellectual property; and compliance with applicable standards in research involving human subjects, animal care, environmental and radiological safety, and conflicts of interest.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Key Features
Office of Research, Evaluation & Program
Part Time
$32.00-$40.00
25.00-30.00
Feb 03, 2019 (Or Until Filled)