Job Description
General Description
MISSION
Children need to spend their most critical years with dedicated, educated, trained, and well-compensated individuals in order to thrive. The New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute leads the work to establish and implement an early childhood workforce system to ensure funding, standards and competencies, career development resources, qualifications and credentials, professional development (training and strengths-based coaching), and program quality assurance and improvement for individuals who work with young children throughout New York. Housed at the City University of New York, the Institute is a fast-paced, dynamic public/private partnership that is committed to the early childhood workforce across New York State.
The Institute is the implementing agency for QUALITYstarsNY. QUALITYstarsNY is New York's early childhood quality rating and improvement system. Since its inception, QUALITYstarsNY has focused its evidence-based practices on closing the achievement gap and ensuring high quality educational opportunities for all of New York's youngest learners. Through a combination of assessment, coaching, professional development, and a wide range of resources, QUALITYstarsNY supports early childhood programs to provide the best possible care for children from birth to age five.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Senior Projects Associate reports directly to the Senior Director and Director of Systems and Administration of QUALITYstarsNY. QUALITYstarsNY is expanding its work across the state to offer more educational and professional development opportunities to staff in participating early childhood programs. The Senior Projects Associate position is responsible for coordinating and managing the processing of vendor contracts and processing and tracking scholarship awards across multiple funding streams with various internal and external stakeholders. This is a new position on the QUALITYstarsNY team and will require a detail-oriented, organized, creative thinker to develop the role and the work. As a member of the administrative team, the Senior Projects Associate is a key position that helps develop and maintain communication and relationships within the QUALITYstarsNY team, the Institute, and with external vendors.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Contract Management and Monitoring
- Become familiar with all professional development and higher education systems that we are partnering with to ensure policies and procedures are developed and maintained
- Process and track contracts with vendors and business office across multiple funding accounts
- Maintain budget tracking and monitoring system for each contract
- Report status of assigned budgets to Director of Systems and Administration on a regular basis and collaborate with central office staff to analyze expenditures to inform project planning
- Communicate regularly with partners about necessary paperwork, expectations of the contracting process, timelines, and invoices
- Track and process vendor invoices to ensure timely payment
- Submit and track payment of invoices to college partners for student scholarships
- Communicate regularly with colleagues at the Institute to track the successful completion of college courses and reconcile invoices
Purchasing and Administrative Support
- Receive, place, process, and track purchase and reimbursement requests
- Work with CUNY Central colleagues to manage account reconciliations
- Update or create procedural manuals as needed
- Monitor processes and systems for accuracy and workflow consistency
- Maintain electronic documents, files, and records to provide current and/or historical reference to assist with project management
Other Duties
- Support the coordination of logistics for meetings, events, and conferences
- Support the organization and shipment of resources as requested
- Collaborate with other central office staff to coordinate and streamline processes
- Attend staff meetings and trainings as required
- Perform special projects and other duties as assigned
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in related field
- 3+ years of related experience in a fast-paced, high volume, office setting
- Meticulous attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities
- Strong written and oral communication skills
- Ability to communicate effectively with diverse constituencies; ability to explain complex concepts to staff and colleagues
- Demonstrate strong interpersonal communication skills with a variety of internal and external stakeholders
- Ability to manage and prioritize a high volume of invoices and communications to completion
- Strong critical and analytical thinking skills
- Desire to contribute to project planning and effectively communicate priorities
- Strong ability to use technological tools and platforms to effectively manage complex data systems, including Microsoft Office (intermediate skill level using Excel)
- Innovative approach to work
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working with contracts and invoices within the CUNY or RFCUNY system, or other higher education settings
Physical Requirements
- This position operates in a professional office environment located in Brooklyn, NY, and is currently hybrid, working 70% in the office. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as personal computers, laptops, tablets, smart phone, photocopiers, filing cabinets and other presentation equipment.
- 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. Reasonable accommodations will be made for employees with disabilities or other needs per RFCUNY policies.
- Ability to travel to other CUNY sites and QUALITYstarsNY locations as needed.
- As of May 27, 2022, all candidates will be required to provide proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 upon commencing employment. Exemption (medical or religious) requests to this requirement will be considered in accordance with applicable law and criteria. Being fully vaccinated is defined for this purpose as two weeks after a final dose in primary series of an authorized COVID-19 vaccine (example: two weeks after the second dose of a two-dose vaccine such as Moderna or Pfizer, or two weeks after a single dose vaccine such as Johnson and Johnson). Final candidates must be fully vaccinated as of their first day of employment. Newly hired employees will be sent an email with instructions on how to upload their vaccine information on the Research Foundation portal.
How to Apply
Provide a resume and cover letter specifying your qualifications, experience, and interest relevant to this position.
EEO
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. The Research Foundation of the City University of New York is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Americans with disabilities act/E-Verify employer.
RFCUNY Benefits
RFCUNY Employee Benefits and AccrualsAbout 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
Key Features
Full Time
$55,000.00 - $60,000.00
Jul 14, 2022 (Or Until Filled)