Quality Assurance and Improvement Specialist; R26-55

Department:
Office of Regulatory & Research Compliance

Locations:
Albany, NY

Posted:
Oct 6, 2026

Closes:
Open Until Filled

Type:
Full-time

.: R26-55

Salary Type:
Annually

Salary Range: $75,000.00 - $80,000.00

Position ID: 205545

Employment is with The Research Foundation for the State University of New York, a private, nonprofit, educational corporation that provides essential sponsored program administration and innovation support services to SUNY faculty and students whose ideas and research generate ground-breaking discovery and translate to entrepreneurial and economic development opportunities for New York State.

Working at the SUNY Research Foundation for the University at Albany, you will be part of a team that provides essential services to the University as it moves to the front ranks of American higher education, supporting the advancement of education, research and discovery. The University at Albany, a nationally recognized research university with outstanding faculty, researchers and staff, offers challenging, exciting and rewarding careers to those who seek opportunities to grow and excel.

The University at Albany is at the forefront of innovation and exploration in a wide range of research areas, from the health sciences and engineering to the humanities and fine arts. UAlbany has been recognized as a Carnegie R1 research institution - one of the elite "very high research activity" doctoral universities as ranked by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

Reporting to the Director of Research Security the Quality Assurance and Improvement (QA/QI) Specialist provides support to the University at Albany's Office of Regulatory and Research Compliance (ORRC) in the areas of Quality Assurance, Quality Improvement, and Internal Controls to support responsible, ethical, and secure conduct of research.

Description of Duties:

• The Specialist will support the assurance and improvement of activities and controls related to: data use agreements, international collaboration assessments, export controls, conflicts of interest management, human subjects, animal welfare, and tracking of personnel trainings.
• The position is responsible for conducting systematic QA/QI reviews to evaluate adherence to federal regulations, institutional policies, and sponsor-specific obligations. The Specialist identifies potential gaps in protocol compliance, documentation, training, and data security practices, and will work with the Director to develop targeted plans to strengthen the integrity of research and reduce regulatory risk.
• Core responsibilities include monitoring research security activities by reviewing researcher and institutional compliance with policies, procedures, data management plans, technology control plans, conflicts-of-interest management, secure storage environments, access controls, and compliance with agreements, export control considerations, and federal research security directives.
• The QA/QI Specialist will work directly with the Director, researchers, and Information Technology Services (ITS) to test and document compliance.
• The role will ensure that sensitive, identifiable, or controlled research data are managed within approved secure systems and that investigators follow institutional safeguards for high-risk data.
• The Specialist also works with the Director of Research Protections to track policy and procedures verifying that participant rights, welfare, and confidentiality are safeguarded. The QA/QI specialist will also review consent processes, data handling, and study procedures to assess alignment with approvedprotocols and institutional procedures on an as needed basis.
• The QA/QI Specialist collaborates with the ORRC team, researchers, compliance committees, and institutional leadership to support internal and external audits and inspections. The QA/QI Specials will also promote continuous improvement across all research compliance domains.
• This position plays a critical role in maintaining institutional accountability, reducing noncompliance, and ensuring ethical and secure conduct of research.

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution;
  Four (4) years of relevant professional experience may substitute for a Bachelor's degree; two (2) years with an Associate's degree may substitute.
• Professional experience involving interpretation, analysis, application, review,…