Careers Job Description
General Description
About us
The CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance has a mission to improve the financing, delivery, and measurement of critical public services through research, technical assistance, and education. We lead projects aimed at reforming the criminal justice system, measuring urban inequality, expanding the reach of social service providers, and more. Each project has a dedicated team of research and policy experts who collaborate closely with internal and external organizations. Our staff have the opportunity to work with colleagues and supervisors across projects and with different types of expertise. We are seeking new team members with enthusiasm to shape the future of state and local policy.
Our goals for diversity and inclusion
We strive to foster an office environment and an approach to work that welcomes and respects different perspectives, backgrounds, and life experiences. We are working towards our goal of recruiting and retaining staff and board members who are diverse in terms of race, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, veteran status, socioeconomic status, disability, and justice system involvement.
Who we are looking for
We are hiring a Senior Research Associate to work closely with a Project Director on a substantial portfolio of research and evaluation work related to the implementation of New York City’s police reform agenda (“NYC Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Draft Plan: Parts 1 & 2”). The agenda is centered on “envisioning an NYPD that is the nation’s exemplar institution for fair, just, transparent, and accountable policing regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, immigration or socioeconomic status.” More information about the plan can be found here.
The Senior Research Associate will help develop, implement, and maintain two performance management frameworks for the police reform plan. The first will track and report out on progress across the more than 100 initiatives that comprise the plan. The second will provide oversight and transparency around police reform more broadly, including measures that relate to racial and ethnic disparities, use of force, and disciplinary actions. The Senior Research Associate will take a leadership role in all aspects of building these performance management systems, including the identification of metrics and data sources, data collection and analysis, collaboration with government and community partners, and data visualization and communication.
This is an excellent opportunity for a civic-minded professional interested in working in a public policy setting, and for a range of audiences that include government officials, community providers, funders, researchers, and the general public. This is also an excellent opportunity to develop an understanding of government policymaking in New York City and nationally, in a number of areas including criminal justice, racial equity, government operations and community development.
The Senior Research Associate will work on a range of tasks which may include but are not limited to:
Research and analysis
- Developing, tracking, and interpreting performance metrics for the city’s police reform agenda, including the identification of data sources and policy and practice implications
- Drafting survey instruments and other data collection tools, as needed
- Leading quantitative analysis, carrying out descriptive and/or multivariate statistical analysis, running diagnostic and/or sensitivity analyses
- Carrying out policy and practice reviews
- Synthesizing and interpreting findings for a broad audience
Using analysis to inform policy and practice
- Designing and creating dashboards and other types of data visualizations for practitioners and policy audiences
- Designing and creating reports and briefs
- Providing technical assistance to government and community partners
- Crafting policy and practice recommendations from research findings
Project and relationship management
- Managing project timelines, processes, staffing, and deliverables
- Working closely with government partners and other project collaborators on all aspects of the work
Data management
- Cleaning, coding, merging, and preparing administrative data files for analysis using statistical or general programming (e.g., Python, R, SAS, SPSS, STATA, or similar)
- Transcribing and coding qualitative interview and focus group data
- Developing codebooks, coding schemes, file specifications, and other technical resource documents
Our office is located in New York City and the position will be housed there over the long-term, however, work will be remote through the immediate term.
Other Duties
Qualifications
We would love to hear from you if:
- You have an advanced degree in research, statistics, public policy, criminal justice/criminology, sociology, urban planning, or other related fields
- You have 7 or more years of related professional experience with a M.A. (4 or more years with a Ph.D.)
- You have experience leading projects, including managing work plans, timelines, staffing, and collaborating with external partners
- You have experience building and managing relationships with partners in research, policy, government, community, and philanthropy
- You can translate analytical and research findings into policy and practice recommendations
- You are proficient with at least one statistical software package or language (e.g., Python, R, SAS, SPSS, STATA, or similar)
- You have experience collecting and working with administrative data, particularly data from government agencies (experience with criminal justice data a plus)
- You have excellent time management skills and experience working in deadline-driven environments
- You can prioritize and work on a number of tasks simultaneously
- You have an exceptional commitment to accuracy and attention to detail
- You have excellent writing skills
- You are flexible
This is a full-time position in New York City with a salary range of $75,000-$110,000 and excellent benefits, including:
- Comprehensive medical/dental/vision insurance
- Paid vacation and personal days
- Paid sick leave
- CUNY tuition reimbursement program
- Pre-tax benefits for transit and healthcare costs
- Family/parental leave
- Life insurance
- A retirement plan with employer contribution.
Our staff also benefit from:
- A positive work/life balance
- Opportunities for advancement within the organization
- Engagement with the broader CUNY network
- Working with organizational leadership who have years of significant public sector and policymaking expertise
How to Apply
To apply for please submit a cover letter describing your qualifications and interests and attach your curriculum vitae or resume. Questions about the position can be addressed to info@islg.cuny.edu. Application review will commence immediately and continue until the position is filled.
The CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance and the Research Foundation of the City University of New York are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Americans with Disabilities Act/Protected Veterans Status/ E-Verify 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
CUNY Institute for State and Local Gover
Full Time
$75,000.00 - $110,000.00
Sep 14, 2022 (Or Until Filled)