Strategic Research Investments Coordinator (R26-50)

RF for SUNY at the University at Albany•Albany, NY

12d•Hybrid

About The Position

Employment is with The Research Foundation for the State University of New York, a private, nonprofit, educational corporation that provides essential sponsored program administration and innovation support services to SUNY faculty and students whose ideas and research generate ground-breaking discovery and translate to entrepreneurial and economic development opportunities for New York State. Working at the SUNY Research Foundation for the University at Albany, you will be part of a team that provides essential services to the University as it moves to the front ranks of American higher education, supporting the advancement of education, research and discovery. The University at Albany, a nationally recognized research university with outstanding faculty, researchers and staff, offers challenging, exciting and rewarding careers to those who seek opportunities to grow and excel. The University at Albany is at the forefront of innovation and exploration in a wide range of research areas, from the health sciences and engineering to the humanities and fine arts. UAlbany has been recognized as a Carnegie R1 research institution - one of the elite "very high research activity" doctoral universities as ranked by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from a college or university accredited by the U.S. Department of Education or an internationally recognized accrediting organization and three years of professional experience.
Professional experience in project coordination, program administration, research administration, grants administration, contract administration, higher education administration, or a related administrative role.
Demonstrated ability to coordinate administrative processes involving multiple offices, coordinate timelines, track milestones and deliverables, document decisions, and follow through on action items with multiple stakeholders.
Experience maintaining accurate records, tracking data, preparing reports, and using business systems or databases to support administrative workflows.
Experience using Microsoft Office products, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
Strong organizational, problem-solving, written communication, and verbal communication skills.
Ability to balance multiple priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with attention to detail and accuracy.
Ability to interact effectively with faculty, staff, administrators, and other stakeholders in a professional and customer-service-oriented manner.

Nice To Haves

Professional experience in higher education, research administration, sponsored programs, research development, or academic program administration.
Experience coordinating complex administrative projects, internal funding competitions, strategic initiatives, seed funding programs, research investment programs, or other cross-functional administrative programs.
Experience developing or maintaining project plans, milestone trackers, dashboards, workflow documentation, standard operating procedures, or program reports.
Experience supporting review processes, routing procedures, award or investment setup, budget modifications, reporting requirements, or closeout activities.
Familiarity with Research Foundation, university, sponsor, or institutional policies related to research administration or program administration.
Experience using online business systems, grants management systems, Oracle, Microsoft Forms, SharePoint, Teams, Planner, or similar workflow and tracking tools.
Designation as a Certified Research Administrator (CRA), Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator (CPRA), Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), or other relevant certification.

Responsibilities

Coordinate strategic research investment programs, including but not limited to Catalyst 2030, internal award programs, seed funding initiatives, center-development investments, and other high-priority institutional research initiatives.
Maintain program workplans, timelines, milestone trackers, implementation schedules, and investment tracking tools to support timely execution and transparent award-cycle management.
Track program status, funding commitments, deliverables, outcomes, deadlines, and follow-up actions across a portfolio of strategic research investments and future internal award programs identified as institutional priorities.
Maintain program materials, intake forms, application processes, reporting templates, award documentation, proposal files, and historical program records to ensure consistency and alignment with program requirements.
Coordinate communications regarding program schedules, eligibility and participation requirements, submission and intake procedures, review timelines, reporting expectations, and key deadlines.
Coordinate cross-functional project activities and ensure key decisions, dependencies, and deadlines are documented and communicated to stakeholders.
Prepare award and declination notifications.
Respond to applicant inquiries regarding proposal status, award requirements, project extensions, reporting obligations, and program policies.
Support annual assessment, portfolio reporting, and leadership briefings related to strategic research investments and internal funding programs.
Process transactions and documentation related to strategic research investments, internal award programs, and other DfRED-supported funding initiatives, in compliance with program guidelines and institutional requirements, including University, Research Foundation (RF), and program policies.
Coordinate award setup, modifications, and related pre-award administrative actions, including budget revisions, scope of work changes, and no-cost extensions.
Coordinate post-award administration activities through appropriate University and SPA systems.
Coordinate with cross-functional partners to support efficient processing throughout the award lifecycle.
Conduct quality reviews of award documentation and related administrative records.
Monitor award expenditures and spending activity in accordance with approved budgets and program requirements.
Provide process guidance to faculty, principal investigators, research staff, departmental administrators, and other stakeholders regarding intake or submission procedures, required documentation, routing processes, budget revisions, award or investment administration workflows, reporting expectations, and program policies.
Assist with technical reporting requirements and award closeout activities.
Participate in DfRED team meetings related to strategic research investments, Catalyst 2030, strategic internal funding programs, and other high-priority initiatives.
Contribute to the development and maintenance of standard operating procedures (SOPs), including recommending improvements to internal funding administration processes and workflows.
Support the development of reports, dashboards, project schedules, and administrative resources to support portfolio visibility and leadership decision-making.
Monitor assigned projects, workload, deadlines, deliverables, risks, and follow-up items.
Perform other reasonable duties as assigned.