Job Title: Research Associate
PVN ID: VB-1803-002416
Category: Research
Location: OFFICE OF SR VC-BUDGET, FINANCE & FISCAL POLICY

Job Description

General Description

CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance (ISLG): Overview

ISLG is an institute within the City University of New York. The Institute’s mission is to help achieve improvements in the financing, delivery, and measurement of critical public services by assisting current and future leaders in government, non-profit organizations, and the private sector, in the U.S. and internationally, by offering research, technical assistance, and education and training. The Institute’s director, Michael Jacobson, previously served as New York City’s Probation and Correction Commissioner and president of the Vera Institute of Justice.

 

Project Description

ISLG is hiring one or more Research Associates to work on various research projects in the Institute’s criminal justice portfolio. Primary among them is the Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC), a $100 million initiative funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to reduce over-incarceration by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails.  To date, the Foundation has awarded 20 jurisdictions grants to implement strategies across the criminal justice system that will reduce jail populations and racial and ethnic disparities. ISLG is one of several organizations providing technical assistance and counsel to the 20 jurisdictions as they plan and implement reforms. Our primary role is to monitor and assess the performance of participating sites to demonstrate progress over time and help sites make adjustments in practices as needed. Specifically, using local criminal justice data from each site, we are working to create and track performance measures related to the broad goals and objectives of the initiative. ISLG also serves as the data liaison for the initiative, collecting and managing local system-wide criminal justice data for all 20 sites in support of the Challenge’s broader research and evaluation agenda.

 

The Research Associates may also have opportunities to work on other projects currently in development at the Institute. These projects could involve helping criminal justice partners build data and analytical capacity, developing performance measures, conducting quantitative analyses of criminal justice data at different system points, and/or assisting in the development of research projects.

 

Position Description

ISLG is looking to hire one or more Research Associates (RAs) to carry out data collection, management, analysis, and/or performance measurement work; and to provide technical assistance to government and other partners, on the SJC and potentially other research projects within the Institute’s portfolio. Each RA will report to a Senior Researcher and will work closely with other project staff on project activities. Specifically, each RA will support their supervisor and other project staff in the following activities:

  • Developing data requests and data collection protocols for criminal justice agencies, community-based service providers, and other relevant organizations providing data for various Institute-related research projects
  • Cleaning, coding, merging, and preparing administrative data files for analysis
  • Working with partners to develop and operationalize performance measures and develop reporting systems
  • Creating performance measures and dashboards and other progress reports from case-level data
  • Analyzing and interpreting performance measurement trends—including policy and practice implications of those trends
  • Conducting quantitative analysis
  • Documenting methodology, validation, and testing to facilitate replication of analyses
  • Developing codebooks, file specifications, and other resource documents
  • Working closely with government partners and other project collaborators on all aspects of the work
  • Preparing and carrying out presentations for a wide range of audiences
  • Developing protocols for, conducting, and analyzing data from qualitative interviews, focus groups, and/or program observations
  • Conducting data and systems reviews
  • Assisting research team with grant reporting and development of final project deliverables
  • Traveling to meetings, conferences, and making site-visits, as needed

Other Duties

Qualifications

  • MA or PhD in criminal justice/criminology, psychology, sociology, public policy, or other related fields
  • At least two years of experience (four or more years preferred) conducting research in an applied research setting
  • Experience in collecting and working with administrative data (experience with criminal justice data a plus)
  • Excellent data management and analysis skills, including extensive experience cleaning, coding, merging, and analyzing large and complex quantitative data files in SPSS, SAS, or STATA (including fluency in programming/syntax in one or more of these programs)
  • Experience with NVivo or other qualitative software a plus, but not a requirement
  • Strong understanding of criminal justice policy, including an ability to translate analytical and research findings into policy and practice recommendations
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex research findings to broader audiences, and to develop clear, visually-compelling reports for government, non-profit, and private sector partners
  • Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to create and maintain excellent working relationships with government and community partners
  • An exceptional commitment to accuracy and attention to detail
  • Ability to work on a team, as well as independently
  • Experience in information technology a plus, but not a requirement

 

This is a full-time position with excellent benefits and is located in New York City. Salary range: $55,000–$80,000, depending on research skills and level of experience.

 

How to Apply

To apply, please go to rfcuny.org and click on About RF, then Careers. You will need to submit a cover letter describing your qualifications and interests and attach your curriculum vitae. Questions can be addressed to info@islg.cuny.edu.

 

Application review will commence on April 9. 2018  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

About 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

The Research Foundation of the City University of New York is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Americans with Disabilities Act/E-Verify Employer. It is the policy of the Research Foundation of CUNY to provide equal employment opportunities free of discrimination based on race, color, age, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, national origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic violence victim status, arrest record, criminal conviction history, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Key Features

Department
CUNY Institute for State and Local Gover
Status
Full Time
Annual Salary Range
$55,000.00 - $80,000.00
Closing Date
Jul 01, 2018 (Or Until Filled)
Bargaining Unit
No

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