Careers Job Description
General Description
The City University of New York (CUNY) is the nation's leading urban public university, serving more than 500,000 students in degree, certificate, and continuing education programs at 24 colleges and institutions in New York City. Recently, CUNY’s Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) announced the formation of the Office of Applied Research, Evaluation, and Data Analytics (OAREDA), a unified research and data unit that will integrate and streamline the important work of three major research and data areas: institutional research and assessment, program evaluation and program support, and data management and analytics. The goal of OAREDA is to bring to the forefront program, policy, and institutional research, as well as data management, infrastructure, and institutional reporting as requisite functions for building a robust data culture within OAA and for solving complex problems being tackled by the University.
The Office of Research, Evaluation, and Program Support (REPS) is a comprehensive program evaluation unit situated within OAREDA. Working in many dimensions of public higher education, REPS conducts empirical research, and implementation and impact studies to provide partners with the knowledge and resources necessary to develop, improve, and ultimately reach key project goals. REPS currently provides evaluation services to over 30 educational programs administered by CUNY’s Central Office, including CUNY Start, Early College Initiative (ECI), College Now, and the ASAP-CUNY Start Foster Care Initiative. We also partner with programs and researchers at CUNY campuses, as well as external organizations and institutions in New York City.
REPS investigates issues related to higher education 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 topic areas that intersect with these portfolios, including developmental education, adult and continuing education, STEM pathways, vulnerable populations, and equity. REPS coordinates with OAREDA’s data unit on data collection and management protocols, business intelligence tools for reporting, and employs 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 (http://www.cuny.edu/academics/evaluation.html).
?The Research Analyst II will help to develop and implement an evaluation agenda for select projects situated within the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA). The Research Analyst II will lead and participate on project teams, manage all phases of evaluation projects, and lead evaluation report writing and dissemination. In this role, the Research Analyst II will provide critical support to program directors and staff by collecting, coding, and organizing program data sets and developing evaluation reports. Additionally, the Research Analyst II will conduct quantitative and qualitative analyses utilizing a variety of data sets and databases to evaluate the programs and produce effective data visualizations.
Other Duties
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Data Management & Data Collection – 30%
- Work closely with OAREDA’s Data Unit to maintain project-related data sources.
- Ensure data quality and completeness.
- Create and manipulate large, complex datasets from multiple sources.
- Respond to ad hoc requests in a timely and accurate manner.
Data Analysis – 30%
- Prepare datasets and conduct statistical analysis on equity-focused educational initiatives.
- Document procedures and analyses.
- Coordinate administration, collection, and analysis of data as required for program review.
Evaluation, Research & Report Writing – 20%
- Design and implement qualitative and quantitative evaluation plans.
- Communicate evaluation findings in written reports, briefs, data visualizations, and presentations for a variety of audiences.
- Conduct literature reviews that synthesize the state of research and policy in relevant project areas.
Project Management – 20%
- Lead project teams by defining the scope of work and organizing the workflow of team members (fellow Research Analysts).
- Manage projects and project teams effectively and efficiently to deliver high-quality, actionable data and evaluation to project partners on time.
- Liaise with program partners throughout projects to engage them in the project, keep them apprised of progress and issues that arise, and discuss results.
Other Duties – 20%
- Attend staff meetings and trainings as required.
- Ability to travel to other CUNY sites as needed.
- Perform special projects and other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
- Minimum master’s degree or advanced graduate training in education or the social sciences, with at least three years of full-time experience working in an applied research setting.
- Formal training in research and evaluation methods and a strong understanding of statistical concepts.
- Demonstrated proficiency in the use of statistical software (STATA and/or R) to analyze and manipulate large data sets with complex structures.
- Experience employing quasi-experimental quantitative methods in program evaluation (such as propensity score matching, linear regression, or logistic regression). Experience translating research findings into deliverables for diverse types of audiences.
- Familiarity with matching data sets and manipulating large amounts of data from multiple sources.
- Demonstrated skill in managing evaluation and/or research projects.
- Experience using qualitative research methods.
- Detail-oriented, with an ability to keep accurate, well-organized records.
- Ability to be flexible and to work carefully and quickly to meet the demands of programs.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Demonstrated interest in issues of access to and success in postsecondary education.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working with database tools, such as SQL and/or Oracle Discoverer.
- Experience with data visualization tools, such as Tableau.
- Experience evaluating programs in higher education.
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 Applied Research, Evaluation,
Full Time
Depends on Qualifications
Mar 31, 2022 (Or Until Filled)