Research Support Coordinator, Cornell Tech

Overview

Reporting to the Sr. Director of Finance and Planning, and working closely with research initiative faculty directors, as well as their affiliates, this Research Support Coordinator provides comprehensive high-level programmatic, financial, and administrative support to various campus research initiatives. In this role, this position provides program coordination support to the initiatives, including facilitation of interactions with people at all levels, as well as organization of complex meetings, programs, and events, in collaboration with the campus events management and administrative support teams. Additionally, this position provides comprehensive post-award, financial management, and budgetary support to a variety of research initiatives, and individual Principal Investigators (PIs) as part of the campus Research Administration team.

The Research Support Coordinator works both independently and collaboratively across multiple teams at Cornell Tech, other units, and central offices in Ithaca. The position also interacts with outside industry partners and organizations, government granting agencies, and other research institutions.

Main responsibilities include:

Research Initiative Support – 60%

• Work with and support initiative directors in carrying out initiative priorities.
• Help PIs and future directors with the development, initiation and oversight of new initiatives;
• Assist with the high-level planning and execution of initiative events, in close collaboration with the campus events management and administrative support teams.
• Develop, manage and monitor initiative budgets; ensure that the initiatives meet all grant obligations and reporting duties by established deadlines.

Post-award support and administration – 30%

• Provide on-going post award financial functions including but not limited to: tracking of funds, evaluating expenditures, forecasting, and budgeting.
• Responsible for subrecipient management activities including initiation of agreements, management of existing agreements, and post award modifications as needed.​

Professional development/other duties as assigned – 10%

• Keep abreast of the sponsored funding environment, including new compliance requirements and changing systems.
• Proactively seek out and attend educational seminars and training to enhance understanding of proposal submission process, and available funding opportunities.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

Currently, Cornell Tech staff are working a hybrid schedule on a weekly basis, with 3 days on campus and 2 days remote. The hybrid schedule is subject to change.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree and a minimum of three to five (3-5) years' experience in administration, finance, grants management, and/or program coordination, in a non-profit organization or research-intensive higher education institution.
• Proficiency in Excel, Word, and Adobe Acrobat Pro required.
• Superior customer service and communication skills, including the ability to communicate clearly, confidently, and concisely in verbal and written formats to a wide variety of constituents.
• Position requires a demonstrated ability to: 
  • Support the administration and management of sponsored activities; understand complexities of funding and compliance guidelines and processes related to sponsored programs.
  • Independently plan and prioritize responsibilities to meet competing deadlines while working under pressure;
  • Multi-task in a high-volume setting;
  • Operate in a team environment and contribute effectively to team goals;
  • Apply excellent analytical and problem-solving skills to identify, research, and resolve issues;
  • Thrive in an extremely fast paced environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree (including MBA or MPA) strongly preferred with five (5) plus years' experience in related organizations.
• Demonstrated responsibilities supporting program management; sponsored activities policies and procedures; and knowledge and expertise in the use of various systems including Kuali Financial System (KFS), Novelution Research Management System, Research.gov, Grants.gov, and other related industry systems.
• An interest in engineering, computer science, and information science research and enthusiasm for working closely with investigators preferred.