Position SummaryThe Director of Operations will oversee the day-to-day administration and operational management of AI-BIOME. Reporting to the Executive Director and working closely with the Co-Directors, the Director of Operations will ensure efficient execution of all financial, administrative, human resources, facilities, research support, and compliance activities across the multi-institutional AI-BIOME program. The Director of Operations will build and manage the operational infrastructure required to support AI-BIOME's research, education, workforce development, and outreach activities while coordinating closely with CCNY, ASRC, Research Foundation of CUNY (RFCUNY), Brookhaven National Laboratory's Center for Functional Nanomaterials, and partner institutions.
Core ResponsibilitiesOperations & Administration- Oversee the daily administrative and operational activities of AI-BIOME.
- Develop and implement operational policies, procedures, and best practices.
- Coordinate activities across participating institutions.
- Monitor organizational performance and operational metrics.
- Finance & Research Administration
- Manage AI-BIOME's annual operating budget.
- Oversee pre- and post-award administration, subawards, procurement, contracts, purchasing, financial reporting, and compliance.
- Coordinate annual reports, NSF reporting requirements, audits, and sponsor communications.
- Work closely with RFCUNY, CUNY, CCNY, ASRC, and partner institutions on financial administration.
Personnel & Human Resources- Supervise administrative and operational staff.
- Coordinate hiring, onboarding, professional development, and personnel actions.
- Coordinate with PIs and the Science, AI and Data Leads to support recruitment of postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, technical staff, and visiting researchers.
- Develop staff training and performance evaluation processes.
Research Operations & Core Facilities- Coordinate operational support for AI-BIOME's cloud laboratory infrastructure.
- Work with CCNY and ASRC Core Facility Directors to coordinate laboratory scheduling, user support, shared instrumentation, and technical operations.
- Coordinate implementation of new laboratory capabilities and operational workflows.
Communications, Events & Outreach- Oversee logistics for workshops, annual meetings, Executive Committee meetings, Advisory Board meetings, and NSF site visits.
- Coordinate internal communications and support public engagement activities.
- Support workforce development and education programming.
Compliance & Quality- Ensure compliance with sponsor, institutional, regulatory, laboratory safety, cybersecurity, and data management requirements.
- Maintain policies that support efficient, transparent, and reproducible research operations.
- Other duties as assigned.
Work Arrangement- Work Arrangement: On-Site at CCNY/ASRC campus in the West Harlem Innovation Triangle
- Appointment Type: Full-time, Grant-funded (Renewable based on performance and funding)
Minimum Qualifications- Advanced degree in public administration, business, science, engineering, higher education administration, or a related discipline.
- Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in research administration, operations, or organizational management within a university, research institute, national laboratory, or comparable environment.
- Demonstrated experience managing the operations of large federally funded research programs, centers, institutes, or shared scientific facilities.
- Experience managing complex budgets, grants, contracts, procurement, subawards, and financial reporting.
- Experience with pre- and post-award research administration and familiarity with NSF, NIH, DOE, or other federal sponsor requirements.
- Demonstrated success supervising professional staff and managing multidisciplinary teams.
- Experience coordinating activities across multiple institutions and diverse stakeholder groups.
- Knowledge of human resources, facilities management, information technology, and research compliance within an academic or research environment.
- Excellent organizational, project management, interpersonal, and written and verbal communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail and meeting deadlines.
- Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and manage confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
Preferred Qualifications- Experience supporting laboratory automation, robotics, cloud laboratories, research computing, scientific software, or digital research infrastructure.
- Experience coordinating shared scientific facilities or core laboratories.
- Experience managing NSF centers, Engineering Research Centers (ERCs), Science and Technology Centers (STCs), DOE user facilities, or other large interdisciplinary research programs.
- Experience organizing external advisory board meetings, federal site visits, and large scientific workshops.
- Experience working with technology transfer, industry partnerships, or innovation programs.
- Commitment to fostering an inclusive, collaborative, and service-oriented research environment.
Pay Range:
$85,000 - $95,000
RFCUNY BenefitsRFCUNY Employee Benefits and Accruals
