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Job Title: Research Assistant

PVN ID: VB-2511-007096

Category: Research

Job Description

General Description

The CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance (ISLG) is a good governance think-and-do tank. We are driven by the idea that data-informed approaches can measurably improve the way government and public institutions operate, equitably serve all constituents, and ultimately solve social policy problems. We also provide the knowledge and action needed to fuel those approaches. With the necessary research, policies, partnerships, and infrastructures, we help government and public institutions work more effectively, efficiently, and in the interest of all communities.

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.

Other Duties

CUNY ISLG is hiring a team of Research Assistants to support a national research project on the fiscal health and budgeting practices of U.S. state governments. ISLG is assessing all 50 states using a detailed scorecard of fiscal health indicators as part of a multi-year study examining the budgeting and fiscal management practices of state governments across the country.

CUNY ISLG is hiring a team of Research Assistants to support a national research project on the fiscal health and budgeting practices of U.S. state governments. ISLG is assessing all 50 states using a detailed scorecard of fiscal health indicators as part of a multi-year study examining the budgeting and fiscal management practices of state governments across the country.

Research Assistants will work in small, collaborative teams to analyze and score assigned states using a structured grading template covering six categories of fiscal management. Each team will also conduct quality assurance reviews of their team’s work to ensure consistency, accuracy, and source integrity.

Before scoring begins, all Research Assistants will participate in a comprehensive training focused on research methodology, source documentation, and quality standards.

The position is part-time with a flexible hybrid schedule from January – May 2026, with the possibility for additional full time work in the summer of 2026. Research Assistants will meet once weekly at the ISLG offices, with the remainder of the work occurring remotely.

This is an exceptional opportunity to contribute to a nationally significant project with direct policy implications for state governments across the country. The project is part of ISLG’s broader portfolio on government operations and public finance, which focuses on strengthening the efficiency, transparency, and overall capacity of state budget offices and their fiscal management practices.

Qualifications

+ PhD candidate or qualified MA student at the CUNY Graduate Center, student at CUNY School of Law, qualified MA student at another CUNY school or similarly qualified student from another university.

+ Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or equivalent.

+ Strong attention to detail.

+ Ability to research a broad range of fiscal policy research questions, cite sources, and verify findings.

+ Ability to work collaboratively in a small team environment.

+ Experience or comfort with remote work and personal time management.

+ Preference for students with knowledge of government, accounting, and/or finance.

+ Experience coding data, or other knowledge and/or experience using qualitative social science methods is a plus.

+ Authorization to work in the United States.

Schedule and Compensation

+ Part-time and temporary, approximately 15 hours per week from January through May 2026, with flexible scheduling, with a possibility for additional full time work in the summer of 2026.

+ Commitment to attend weekly in-person team meetings at the ISLG office, 10 E. 34th, New York.

+ Located in New York City. Salary: $40 an hour.

+ For more information about ISLG, please visit islg.cuny.edu.

How to Apply

Please submit a letter of interest (not more than two pages) describing your qualifications and interests, attach your curriculum vitae, unofficial academic transcript, and the names and contact information for two references. Applicants should combine the letter on interest, CV, transcript, and list of references into a single PDF or Word document and label it as: Last name, First name, Program.Application review will commence immediately and continue until the positions are filled. Interviews will be conducted virtually. Priority will be given to applications received by December 1. Questions can be addressed to [email protected].

RFCUNY Benefits RFCUNY Employee Benefits and Accruals (https://www.rfcuny.org/rfwebsite/media/0zrcgdyw/rfcuny-benefits-at-a-glance-ft-2025-project-employee.pdf)

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.

Key Features

Department CUNY Institute for State & Local Governa

Status Part Time

Pay Range $40.00-$40.00

Hour(s) a week 15.00

Closing Date Jan 04, 2026 (Or Until Filled)

Bargaining Unit No

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