Chief Operating Officer
Overview
The President and CEO of The Research Foundation for SUNY (RF) and its Board of Directors invite nominations and applications for an experienced, execution-oriented research administration leader to serve as RF Chief Operating Officer (RFCOO).
Driving social impact, enhancing human wellbeing, and stimulating economic growth, the RF provides SUNY's 30 state-operated campuses with an infrastructure of people, technology, and processes that enable faculty to write and submit grant proposals to agencies, foundations, and companies; establish contracts and manage funding awarded to run campus-based research projects; protect and commercialize intellectual property created within those projects; and establish enduring partnerships that shape the future. The RF operates with a singular focus: SUNY is its sole customer, and excellence in service to campuses is paramount.
In collaboration with System Provost and President of the Research Foundation, Dr. Melur "Ram" Ramasubramanian, the RFCOO will play a critical role on the RF leadership team, working to establish an environment that expertly and efficiently supports research and discovery across the SUNY System. The RFCOO will oversee the disciplined execution and continuous improvement of the core functions of the RF, including the efficient and transparent administration of sponsored programs and technology. This individual has day-to-day oversight of the strategic, operational, and financial goals of all areas within the RF, coordinating with elected officers and working with the leadership team members responsible for key functional areas.
At its core, this is an operational leadership role requiring a hands-on, service-oriented executive who ensures that strategy translates into consistent, high-quality delivery across a complex, distributed system. The RFCOO provides essential leadership in supporting the Presidents, Operations Managers, and other leaders at SUNY's campuses, building trusted relationships and credibility by listening closely, responding with urgency, and delivering solutions that meet campus needs. They ensure that initiatives and projects are executed effectively, with clear accountability, measurable outcomes, and a strong customer-service orientation. The RFCOO is a key strategic partner to the RF President and acts in the place of the President during the President's absence. The COO is the main liaison to the RF Board of Directors on all operational matters and attends all Board Committee meetings. The COO is also the staff liaison to the Executive Committee of the RF Board of Directors.
The RFCOO will evaluate the RF's current operating practices, ensuring that they are optimized to cultivate, support, and facilitate campuses' ability to establish and increase faculty scholarship, cutting edge research, and the recruitment and retention of strong faculty researchers across the System. This leader will bring a continuous-improvement mindset, strengthening processes, service delivery models, and performance management systems to ensure responsiveness and reliability for campuses. To that end, they will scale and optimize operations to support SUNY's efforts to elevate research expenditures, technology transfer, and cross-institutional research collaboration. The RFCOO will be responsible for leading and motivating a high-performing team, with a portfolio that includes Industry and External Affairs, Human Resources, Information Technology Services, and Sponsored Program Administration and Regulatory Affairs.
The successful candidate will embody a servant-leader ethos while empowering teams and fostering a culture of responsiveness, accountability, and partnership. The RFCOO will champion the RF's values of inclusion, equity, and belonging in its workforce for diversity of people, culture, thought, perspective, and background. They will ensure that operational procedures are communicated clearly, consistently, and transparently to manage and advance the business of serving SUNY.
The ideal candidate will be an experienced leader in one or more key operational areas, including research administration, grants and sponsored project administration, technology transfer, finance, legal affairs, or human resources, bringing deep familiarity with research compliance and commercialization. Demonstrated technical depth in sponsored programs administration including pre-award, post-award, compliance, and regulatory frameworks is preferred. The RFCOO will be a data-informed and execution-focused leader who will partner closely with the President of the RF to identify existing pain points in research administration across the System and optimize operations to better the experience of all faculty and research administrators of SUNY. Success in this role will be defined by the ability to translate institutional priorities into operational units and a consistently strong service experience for campuses.
All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the leadership profile.
WittKieffer is assisting the Research Foundation for SUNY in this search. For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be received by August 17, 2026.
Application materials should be submitted using WittKieffer's candidate portal.
Nominations and inquiries can be directed to:
lstets@wittkieffer.com | tworkman@wittkieffer.com
The salary range for this position is $325,000-$375,000.
As an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer, The Research Foundation for SUNY will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant's race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy-related conditions, reproductive health decisions, childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, transgender status, age, national origin or ancestry, marital status, familial status, citizenship, physical and mental disability, prior arrest or conviction record, genetic characteristics/genetic information, predisposition or carrier status, domestic violence victim status, military status or service, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under federal, state or local law. The Company will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant.
The Company will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant.
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.
The Research Foundation for the State University of New York is not an agency or instrumentality of the State of New York. Employees of the Research Foundation for the State University of New York are not state employees, do not participate in any state retirement system, and do not receive state fringe benefits. The Research Foundation for the State University of New York operates under a contract with The State University of New York and receives no directly appropriated state funding.
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