Location: Albany, NY Category: Administrative and Professional Posted On: Fri Sep 12 2025 Job Description:
FUNCTION & SCOPE:
The State University of New York (SUNY) Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development and The Research Foundation for The State University of New York (RF) Office of Industry and External Affairs (I&EA) spearhead translating university technologies into life-changing innovations across New York State. RF is looking for a candidate who is an action-oriented, entrepreneurial, impact-driven team player that has deep experience in marketing, communications, editorial support, and project management. This is a unique opportunity to combine all these skills to support the continued growth of I&EA's team and business operations in a fast-paced environment that supports SUNY's billion-dollar research enterprise.
As a core member of the I&EA team, the Innovation Marketing Specialist will be responsible for creating, implementing, and overseeing internal and external communications that effectively explain the work of the RF, tell the story of SUNY research and innovation, and accelerate the development of new technologies.
Reporting to the RF Assistant Director of Marketing and Strategic Projects, this role places a strong emphasis on high-quality content development and editorial excellence. The Innovation Marketing Specialist leads and enforces clear editorial standards, ensures all communications are proofread and accurate, and creates efficient, repeatable processes to support consistent, on-brand messaging across all RF platforms. The Innovation Marketing Specialist works closely and cooperatively with our internal departments, SUNY System Administration communications, campus research and administration personnel including vice presidents for research, technology transfer officers, communications officers, faculty and principal investigators, and external vendors and contractors.
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
Research Communications
Follow an efficient process of content acquisition and development of effective communications that promote SUNY research.
Help maintain relationships with campus communications officers to identify and produce SUNY research success stories.
Creatively and effectively leverage campus research stories for amplification and re-purposing across multiple RF and SUNY platforms.
Write/edit SUNY research stories.
Oversee the research news section of the RF public website using the content management system.
Work closely with the Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development on the e-newsletters that promote SUNY research and innovation.
Work with our IP & Licensing team members on technology descriptions that can be used on internal platforms as well as social channels to promote the opportunities.
Support and occasionally create social media posts and other materials that explain and express the work of the RF and effectively promote SUNY research and innovation.
Technology Marketing
Oversee the RF's technology marketing platforms and manage the flow of content to the RF's social media channels.
Support the Business Development Team by following and creating workflows when applicable and standard operating procedures (SOP) that streamline processes, increase efficiency and can be used as reference and for on-boarding new staff.
Manage quality control on technology marketing platforms.
Write/edit technology descriptions and other marketing materials.
Editorial Support
Establish, maintain, and enforce editorial guidelines and style standards across all RF communications platforms, including internal documentation.
Serve as the primary proofreader and copy editor for all external-facing content, ensuring clarity, consistency, and adherence to RF and SUNY brand voice.
Review and refine content submitted by colleagues and partners, offering constructive feedback and editorial guidance.
Develop and document standard operating procedures (SOPs) and content workflows for communications, ensuring alignment with institutional best practices and brand standards.
Lead the continuous improvement of content creation and review processes to ensure quality, consistency, and timeliness.
Create scalable editorial review processes to support increased content output without compromising quality.
Promote adherence to RF editorial standards to produce high-quality materials.
Provide editorial oversight for all digital content, including newsletters, web pages, social media, and technology descriptions.
Train team members and internal stakeholders on editorial processes, content development guidelines, and quality assurance best practices.
The ideal candidate will be:
Passionate - For you, this is not just another job. RF's mission resonates with you, you truly believe in what we do and get energy from our collective wins. Like us, you want to make a difference. Here, you can.
Tireless - You seek to learn from others constantly, while also helping to support those who are not as well versed as you are in your technical area. As a result, you are determined to achieve your goals and relentlessly support your team while always remembering this is not your typical 9-5 job.
Gritty - You have an agile mindset, can-do attitude, a desire to "get to yes", and willingness to tackle any task needed to get the job done. You thrive in fast-paced and changing environments that let you flex your creative muscle and you value being a key member of a close-knit team that works hard and always has each other's backs.
Entrepreneurial - You are undeterred no matter the situation, and pivot when you need to. You enjoy building things and serving others in working toward and achieving common objectives and goals. You are obsessed with delivering a high-quality product no matter how small the task is and take real pride in your work.
Job Requirements:
SPECIAL SKILLS
Excellent writing and communication skills.
Ability to work independently under general direction.
Strong understanding of operations and business tools/systems.
Demonstrated working knowledge of higher education norms and culture, with unrelenting attention to detail in written and verbal communications.
Must be self-directed, but engaged with teammates, with effective time management, organizational skills, and demonstrated resourcefulness in setting priorities and guiding people.
Ability to think strategically and creatively, to anticipate future needs, and to translate that thinking into viable, cogent plans for amplifying SUNY and serving RF's campus clients.
Demonstrated capacity for independent decision-making, understanding entrepreneurship and commercialization best practices, and working with multidisciplinary teams on multi-faceted initiatives.
Must work well within a collaborative, team environment, and persistently maintain confidentiality.
Ability to exercise independent judgment in responding to inquiries, display tact and sensitivity, and be solution-driven.
Demonstrated experience assessing program effectiveness and constantly optimizing for success.
Systems-savvy and embracing of technology.
Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously, with a sense of urgency.
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE
Two or more years of professional experience in marketing, communications, editorial support, and/or project management.
Bachelor's degree in a related field.
Exceptional editing and proofreading skills with a strong command of grammar, punctuation, and AP style (or institutional equivalent).
Demonstrated ability to develop and implement editorial standards and content review processes.
Experience designing or improving workflows and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to support communications or marketing teams.
Strong writing ability in and understanding of research and research administration
Ability to explain research to people with a non-scientific background.
Experience working with senior leaders, having the requisite intellect to construct a compelling business case for ideas and initiatives and the capacity and style to persuade and inspire others at all levels in the organization.
A results-oriented yet collaborative style.
Strong detail-oriented, organizational, process and project management skills.
Unrelenting attention to detail.
Ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks and projects with a sense of urgency and to navigate within a matrix organization.
Outstanding verbal and written communication and presentation skills; ability to communicate accurately and concisely.
Demonstrated ability to produce clear, compelling, motivating copy for internal audiences.
Direct experience with content management systems, project management, and social media software.
Compensation for this position: The compensation for this role is between $64,000 - $75,500. The pay will depend on a variety of factors that may include but are not limited to experience, education, training, and certifications.
Additional Information:
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.
