Career Specialist

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.

Primary Location:

Bargaining Unit:

Yes

The CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLU) seeks a highly qualified candidate for the role of Career Specialist. The Career Specialist is responsible for coordinating and delivering comprehensive career services for SLU students and alumni, with a focus on career advising for social justice opportunities, program development, employer engagement, outcomes tracking, and cross-campus collaboration to expand career resources and outcomes for students and alumni. The role involves developing relationships with social justice–oriented employers, including unions, community organizations, non-profits, and advocacy organizations to create employment, fellowship, and internship opportunities for SLU students and alumni. The Career Specialist is central to SLU’s efforts to develop and connect diverse leaders for social change who can develop and implement visionary solutions to the challenges of the 21st century.

SLU offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Labor Studies and Urban Studies that are designed to meet the needs of working adults as well as traditional-age college students who seek to learn more about the challenges confronting poor and working-class populations in the workplace and in the community. Its faculty includes distinguished scholars in the social sciences as well as expert practitioners in government, labor, non-profits, public service, and social justice.

This position will report to SLU’s Manager of Student Services.

General Duties:

• Provide comprehensive and holistic career services support to SLU students and alumni, working with them individually and in small groups to develop career goals, identifying promising pathways, connecting them to resources, and offering ongoing support throughout the job search process.

• Build and develop SLU’s relationships with offices, organizations, and individuals that may provide SLU students and alumni with job opportunities in the fields of labor, public service, social justice, and other fields aligned with SLU’s mission.

• Lead employer outreach efforts, including job fairs, workshops, information sessions, on-campus recruitment, site visits, networking, and employer engagement events to expand opportunities for SLU students and alumni. Utilize technology tools to match employers with qualified SLU students and alumni.

• Develop print and web-based materials and publications, webinars, videos and other resources to educate, train, and support students interested in labor, public service, and social justice careers.

• Collaborate with Academic Affairs, faculty, Student Affairs, Alumni Relations, and external partners to integrate career development and experiential learning into academic and co-curricular experiences and expand student and alumni career resources and outcomes.

• Work closely with Alumni Relations to connect students with alumni for mentoring, networking, and career opportunities.

• Collaborate with Admissions and Communications to highlight and communicate student career outcomes to prospective students and external audiences.

• Oversee and maintain Handshake and other career services platforms; track and disseminate job postings; monitor student and alumni applications, interviews, and employment outcomes to inform office strategy and strengthen services.

• Research market and job trends relevant to labor, public service, and social justice-oriented careers, and recommend strategies for connecting students’ academic progress with career and professional development opportunities.

• Perform related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree

• Five or more years of experience in the field

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience in career services, career advising, workforce development, or leadership development, preferably in higher education or a mission-driven organization in the labor, public service, or non-profit sectors.

• Established relationships and strong familiarity with a wide range of organizations in labor, public service, non-profit, and social justice–oriented fields, including community groups, unions, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and other social justice organizations.

• Experience in higher education, counseling, or career exploration, including coaching and mentoring students or emerging professionals in goal setting, career planning, and job search strategies.

• Familiarity with career pathways in labor, public service, non-profit, and social justice–oriented fields.

• Proficiency with career services platforms and related software, with the ability to analyze data to track student and alumni outcomes.

• A track record of building partnerships and institutional relationships with employers across the labor, public service, and non-profit sectors.

• Exceptional verbal and written communications skills

• Ability to lead or facilitate workshops and make presentations in public

• Ability to support, encourage, and inspire others to pursue their goals

• Strong organizational skills and strong attention to detail

• Strong self-starter and self-organizer who can also work well as part of a team

To Apply: Please include a C.V., a cover letter explaining your interest in the position, and the contact information for three references.

Notes: This position is expected to last for one year. This position follows a hybrid work schedule of 70% in-person and 30% remote (7 days in-person and 3 days remote during each two-week payroll cycle), in accordance with CUNY Flexible Work Guidelines.

Pay Range:

$75,000 - $85,000

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.