Careers Job Description
General Description
John Jay College of Criminal Justice is seeking an experienced and detail-oriented individual for the full-time position of Pre-Award Specialist in the Office for the Advancement of Research (OAR). This individual must be a self-starter and extremely organized. The Pre-Award Specialist must be able to multi-task, prioritize deadlines and manage competing demands. This individual will coordinate a broad range of tasks and services with the goal of expanding and enhancing faculty and staff outreach regarding funding opportunities and supporting proposal submissions for extramural grants and contracts to federal, state/local, private and other sponsors.
The new Pre-Award Specialist will support the Director of Sponsored Programs in pre-award activities, and also support some post-award operations at the College as needed. The Pre-Award Specialist will support the Director in her efforts to increase outreach, provide more individualized support to faculty and staff interested in applying for grants and contracts on behalf of the College and ultimately proposal submission.
The Office for the Advancement of Research oversees all research operations at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, a senior liberal arts college within the City University of New York. The College has developed strong and multifaceted expertise in sponsored research in many areas related to its core mission, including: crime control, eyewitness testimony, forensic science, police training, prisoner reentry, the psychology of violent behavior, public health and justice, science education, and many other fields. In addition, as a liberal arts college, we have faculty involved in diverse areas of scholarship. The goal of this position is to support the Office for the Advancement of Research in its efforts to stimulate faculty and staff to explore research projects, develop collaborations, and pursue and administer external funding and research.
We are looking to fill this position quickly, so interested applicants should apply as soon as possible in order to be considered.
Other Duties
The Pre-Award Specialist will perform the following duties:
> Support sponsor/funding opportunity identification and dissemination by:
- Utilizing systems like GrantForward and Pivot to connect and automate relevant funding opportunities to individual or groups of faculty, center directors and other staff
- Performing searches using sources such as the Foundation Directory, GuideStar/990s, etc
- Compiling key information from various federal, state/local and private funding opportunities for dissemination
- Managing communications to disseminate funding opportunities and other relevant information
> Support proposal preparation by:
- Preparing and compiling institutional data/information as required by various sponsors or funding opportunities
- Drafting proposal/subrecipient forms, budget narratives, etc. for proposal submission
- Drafting budget numbers and completing sponsor budgets
- Supporting an annual internal proposal submission process
> Other tasks include, but not limited to:
- Coordinating and scheduling research teams
- Tracking and managing submission documents for all In-Progress and Submitted proposals using an Electronic Research Administration System (i.e., Cayuse) and our legacy Database
- Responding to inquiries, facilitating communication, assessing pre-award needs, etc
- Working on special projects as needed
- Contributing to website updates and enhancements
Qualifications
- Successful completion of at least one (1) year of college (or 30 college credits in a matriculated course of study) and one (1) year of work experience in sponsored research/grants administration or a related field; OR (2) years of work experience in sponsored research/grants administration or a related field
- Familiarity with Grants.gov, Research.gov, ASSIST, JustGrants and other sponsor portals for proposal submission, desired
- Familiarity with electronic Research Administration systems, particularly Cayuse, desired
- Proficient in MS Office (Word, Excel, Access, Publisher, Outlook, etc.) and other software programs and web-based systems for supporting office operations
- Ability to work well independently as well as part of a team, and to take direction when priorities shift
- Ability to handle multiple tasks and meet deadlines, as well as ability to be flexible in taking on assignments as needed
- Excellent writing skills and attention to detail required. Ability to proofread documents for formatting and other errors
- Ability to modify and update office website
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
Office for the Advancement of Research
Full Time
$70,000.00 - $80,000.00
May 31, 2025 (Or Until Filled)