Thank you for considering a career with the Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY).

The team at RFCUNY is made up of dedicated, talented professionals committed to providing the services that allow CUNY researchers, faculty, and staff to focus on their intellectual curiosity and scientific discoveries.

We are pleased that you are interested in exploring opportunities to join RFCUNY.

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CUNY Start/Math Start is CUNY’s highly successful and innovative approach to developmental education for students assessed as having developmental needs in English and/or mathematics. Students participate in a summer bridge program or defer matriculation for a semester to improve their academic proficiency in English and mathematics before starting their degree program and progressing into credit-bearing courses. The program combines rigorous academic preparation with nonacademic supports to build academic preparedness, confidence, and college know-how for a successful transition into college-level coursework. CUNY Start/Math Start are recognized for their carefully designed curriculum and pedagogy, ongoing professional development, and mentor-based training model. Two defining characteristics of CUNY Start/Math Start are its student-centered approach and college success advisement, which focuses on helping students develop skills and habits that promote academic success and student well-being.

Reporting to the CUNY Start/Math Start Director, the Recruitment Specialist is responsible for coordinating all aspects of the program’s recruitment operations to ensure enrollment targets are met.  Additionally, they will help coordinate retention and matriculation processes in collaboration with the respective campus offices.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead and manage departmental systems for large-scale recruitment throughout the year.  This includes: designing a coherent system and calendar for recruitment operations using the college’s CRM (EBA Navigate) and internal systems, managing communication campaigns, tracking referrals, and training staff on recruitment processes and best practices.

• Establish a system for student eligibility checks, schedule and conduct in-person and virtual information sessions, and ensure recruitment materials, college catalogs and program websites remain up-to-date.

• Attend recruitment events to build awareness among prospective students and community partners and conduct referral outreach to various stakeholders and campus offices.

• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with key campus offices—such as Admissions, ASAP, College Discovery, Adult Basic Skills and CLIP—to facilitate student referrals and ensure a smooth transition into degree programs upon completion.

• Develop and maintain a tracking system to record relevant individual student data – course outcomes, attendance, matriculation, and gateway course enrollment to inform future recruitment and retention strategies, and collaborate with the advisement team to develop initiatives that support student retention and successful completion.

• Establish an alumni-driven student ambassador program leveraging their lived experiences to build trust with prospective or current students and support retention efforts.

• Assist with student registration in CUNYfirst as needed and coordinate with campus leadership to meet expanded enrollment targets.

• Represent the program and/or Program Director at public events, including community outreach events for the college or program as a whole.

• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Successful candidates will have the following professional and business core competencies:

• Bachelor's Degree in a directly related field of study from an accredited institution, and no fewer than three (3) years of progressively responsible experience of related work in university admissions, student affairs, or recruitment; Master's degree preferred.

• Experience supervising and managing professional personnel such as student workers;

• Demonstrated experience in coordinating program operations to meet recruitment and retention targets;

• Strong presentation, verbal and interpersonal communication skills to work successfully with and present to diverse learners and audiences;

• Strong work ethic, character and personal integrity, and ability to work collaboratively with the utmost professionalism, discretion and confidentiality;

• Detail-oriented with strong organizational, writing, proofreading and editing skills with solid analytical, evaluative and research skills;

• Ability to work well in a time-sensitive, multi-layered, student-centered and responsive office;

• Computer proficiency using standard office software programs/applications;

• Must be able to work a flexible schedule including occasional evenings and weekends based on program needs and peak recruitment period;

Appointments are subject to availability of funding and satisfactory performance. This is an in-person position with the option of some remote work.

About LaGuardia Community College

Founded in 1971 in Long Island City, Queens, LaGuardia Community College is one of seven community colleges of the City University of New York (CUNY). LaGuardia offers more than sixty associate degree programs and more than fifty workforce training, ESOL, GED, and pre-college programs. In 2023, LaGuardia served approximately 24,000 students. More than one-third of LaGuardia’s degree-seeking students are born outside the United States; they come from 136 countries and speak 43 heritage languages. Sixty percent are first-generation college students.

Virtually all LaGuardia students are ethnic minorities (89 percent), 58 percent are women, and 27 percent are over the age of 25. Forty-six percent of associate degree students are Hispanic. Upon graduation, most students transfer to four-year colleges, typically in CUNY, to complete their baccalaureate degrees. Graduates of career programs such as Nursing, Computer Technology, and Veterinary Technology enter the workforce. LaGuardia ranked fifth among U.S. community colleges in economic mobility – moving low-income students into the middle class and beyond – in studies by Stanford University (2017) and the Brookings Institution (2020).

Pay Range:

$65,000 - $75,000

RFCUNY Benefits
RFCUNY Employee Benefits and Accruals (link to https://www.rfcuny.org/RFWebsite)

About 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
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.