Community Research Associate

CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance (ISLG): 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 legal 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. We are seeking new team members with enthusiasm to shape the future of state and local policy.

Our Goals for Diversity, Equity, 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 one or more Community Researcher Associates to work on our research project “A NYC Community-Led Research Project to Reduce and Respond to Hate Crimes.” The key responsibility will be data collection through interviews and focus groups with community members who have experienced or witnessed a hate crime. Community Researcher Associates may also assist with analysis and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative data. This is an excellent opportunity for enrolled CUNY students or people in their early careers who are seeking research experience in a community setting.

You will be part of the project’s research team, helping it to accomplish the three main project goals: (1) increased reporting for survivors of hate crimes, (2) improved support for survivors of hate crimes, and (3) strengthened coordination among community-based organizations to help prevent and respond to hate crimes. This project uses community-based participatory action research, and we will provide training for the project’s research methods. We are working alongside 7 community-based organizations who serve target populations who are largely impacted by hate crimes: 67th Precinct Clergy Council, Arab American Association of New York, Asian American Federation, Hispanic Federation, Jewish Community Relations Council, New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, and Sikh Coalition.

The Community Research Associate will report to a Senior Research Associate or Project Director on a range of tasks depending on the project, which may include but are not limited to:

• Carrying out literature, policy, and practice reviews;
• Assisting in the facilitation of interviews, focus groups, and surveys
• Coding and analyzing qualitative data;
• Developing codebooks, coding schemes, file specifications, and other resource documents
• Synthesizing and interpreting findings;
• Supporting the design and creation of reports, presentations, and dashboards or other types of data visualization for practitioner and policy audiences

This position is hybrid and based in New York City. CUNY ISLG staff work out of the Midtown office. Interviews and focus groups will be conducted both remotely and in-person.

We would love to hear from you if you have:

• Experience in working with communities, community-based organizations, neighborhood or church groups, councils, or committees. These can be either professional or volunteer roles
• Oral and written proficiency in one of the following languages (not required): Simplified Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin), Arabic, Bengali, Korean, Punjabi, Tagalog, Hebrew, or Russian
• Excellent communication abilities
• Good listening skills and note-taking abilities
• Computer literacy
• Ability to work on a team, as well as independently
• Flexibility and adaptability

This is a part-time, temporary position in New York City with a salary range of $20-$50/per hour starting in January 2025 and continuing through 2025 as needed. Compensation is expected to be $20/hour for undergraduate students, $25/hour for graduate students, and up to $50/hour for those with more experience/qualifications. Our staff benefit from:

• A positive work/life balance
• Engagement with the broader CUNY network and NYC community
• Working with team members who have years of significant public sector and policymaking expertise

How to Apply

For this role, please submit a cover letter describing your qualifications and interests and attach your resume. Questions about the position can be addressed to sana.khan@islg.cuny.edu. Application review will commence immediately and continue until the position is filled.

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.

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.