Research Operations Specialist

Start your career here at the NYC Campaign Finance Board. Click on the link to learn more about the open positions at our agency!

ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN FINANCE BOARD

The Campaign Finance Board is a nonpartisan, independent city agency that empowers New Yorkers to have a greater impact on their elections. Our mission is to make local democracy more open, transparent, and equitable by removing barriers to participation.

We make it easier for New Yorkers to vote, meaningfully support candidates for city office, and run for office themselves. NYC Votes, our voter engagement initiative, meets people where they are to share trustworthy election information and help New Yorkers make a plan to vote. We publish the citywide Voter Guide, which delivers information about candidates directly to voters’ doors. Our public matching funds program ensures small contributions can make a big difference, allowing regular people to run for office by relying on the support of other regular people, not just wealthy donors and special interests. And we lift the veil on how candidates raise and spend money, increasing transparency and accountability in local government.

We believe that when every New Yorker is empowered to participate meaningfully in elections, candidates will better reflect the communities they serve, elected leaders will be more accountable to the public, and New Yorkers will have a democracy they can truly trust.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

Strategy, Products, and Innovation (SPI) is a new department responsible for leading the development of new initiatives and driving innovation across the agency’s existing products and programs. We oversee and implement the agency’s strategic plan, and we work across departments to pilot, build, and maintain new policies and technologies that will support future elections.

The Policy & Research unit conducts intergovernmental outreach, performs policy and legislative analysis, and produces original, data-driven research on voting and campaign finance issues. The unit sits within the Strategy, Products and Innovation division and frequently works on cross-agency projects such as the Voter Analysis Report, the Post-Election Report, the citywide education campaign to familiarize New Yorkers with ranked choice voting, and continuous improvement of the matching funds program.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Research Operations Specialist will report to the Research Manager and support the agency’s research and policy operations. The Research Operations Specialist will support the development and implementation of an agency-wide long-erm research strategy for the CFB, including the development of best-practice processes and structures to support how the CFB undertakes research. They will also provide administrative, planning, and operations support to the Policy and Research unit, including project tracking for the Voter Analysis Report, Post-Election Report, and other long-term projects.

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES & OTHER BEHAVIORS (KSAOs)

We're seeking individuals eager to make an impact, even if they don't tick every box on our job description. We believe in the power of diverse perspectives and the unique blend of lived experiences, non-traditional education pathways, practical know-how, and a variety of skills and abilities that each candidate brings to the table. If you're ready to learn and grow with us, we encourage you to apply and be part of our dynamic team.

Knowledge

- Knowledge of and/or demonstrated interest in New York City government and politics.

- Knowledge of research ethics, privacy regulations, and data governance related to public policy.

- Knowledge of applied research in public policy, political science, or a related field.

- Knowledge of procurement and contracting processes, particularly as they relate to research vendors and consultants.

Skills

- Strong project management and coordination skills, with the ability to track timelines, deliverables, and dependencies across multiple research projects.

- Strong administrative and operational skills, including documentation, scheduling, workflow management, and process tracking.

- Strong written communication skills, particularly for drafting project plans, scopes of work, timelines, internal guidance, and documentation.

- Strong organizational skills and comfort working with tools for task management, document management, and collaboration.

Abilities

- Ability to coordinate across internal teams, researchers, analysts, and external vendors.

- Ability to support contract management, including tracking scopes, deliverables, timelines, and compliance requirements.

- Ability to support research quality assurance, including version control, editorial coordination, and adherence to research standards.

- Ability to develop, document, and improve research processes and standard operating procedures.

- Ability to ensure research activities follow best practices related to ethics, privacy, and methodological rigor.

- Ability to maintain attention to detail in a deadline-driven environment.

Other

- One to four years’ experience working on public policy research, report writing, and cross-team project coordination.

- Demonstrates passion and energy for the work and the agency’s mission.

- Experience providing operations support in a research environment.

- Demonstrated interest in improving systems, workflows, and operational effectiveness.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

- Previous work in the elections, ethics, or campaign finance policy space.

- Proven project management skills, especially in coordinating cross-functional teams.

- Experience working with or managing partnerships with academic institutions, think tanks, or polling firms on public policy or political research.

- Demonstrated ability to produce accessible, clear process documentation and guidance.

- Experience contributing to strategy in a research environment.

While completing the application candidates are invited to provide a cover letter via attachment or the 'Message to the Hiring Team' field on SmartRecruiters.

ANALYST CFB AL 2&3 ONLY - 0660A