Hiring RF Personnel
Onboarding an employee requires several steps, from initial posting of the position to final onboarding. The onboarding checklist will assist researchers in the process, not only identifying the steps, but providing complete packages to HR.
Classification and Compensation Analysis
Classification and compensation analysis provides competitive, fair compensation and maintains a standardized, equitable classification system.
The RF obtains Economic Research Institute (ERI) survey data and analyzes internal benchmarks to ensure equity. We follow SUNY RF’s Position Classification Policy and ensure internal standards are fair, equitable and in compliance with current federal and state laws.
Fair Labor Standards Act(FLSA) Classification
A salaried employee is an individual who receives the same salary from week to week and who is paid on a salaried basis.
Exempt employees must be paid on a salary basis.
Exempt employees are a category of employees set out in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
When an employee is exempt, it primarily means that they are exempt from receiving overtime pay — except for certain highly paid computer professionals and outside sales employees.
An individual who is not exempt from Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime provisions is therefore covered by the FLSA’s provisions.
Non-exempt employees are therefore entitled to receive overtime for all hours worked beyond 40 hours in a work week, as well as any state overtime provisions.
Non-exempt employees may be paid on a salary basis if they are consistently working the same number of hours each week. Salaried non-exempt employees must still receive overtime in accordance with federal and state laws.
An hourly employee is an individual who receives an hourly wage for work performed.
Such individuals, due to the method of payment, are classified as non-exempt employees and are subject to Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime provisions.
Employees who work on a varied schedule (such as a different number of hours each week) should be paid on an hourly basis.
Postdoctoral Employees
Postdoctoral study encompasses both scholarship and training. The goal of a postdoctoral appointment is to provide advanced research training beyond the doctoral degree and prepare individuals to follow careers that require expertise in their fields of study.
To be eligible for a Postdoctoral Associate appointment, the candidate must have received their PhD, MD or equivalent from a college or university accredited by the U.S. Department of Education or an internationally recognized accrediting organization.
Per University policy, postdoctoral employees must be paid at least at the NRSA postdoctoral level, regardless of whether they are on a postdoctoral fellowship. This is the university standard.
Prior to defending the Ph.D., the employee may be paid up to a Year 0 from the chart below; however, once the Ph.D. has been received, a job reclassification must be done to increase the salary to the appropriate level below, based on the number of years experience.
Compensation Policy for Postdocs
| Career Level | Years of Experience | Salary for FY 2024 |
| Postdoctoral | 0 | $56,484 |
| Postdoctoral | 1 | 56,880 |
| Postdoctoral | 2 | $57,300 |
| Postdoctoral | 3 | $59,592 |
| Postdoctoral | 4 | $61,572 |
| Postdoctoral | 5 | $63,852 |
| Postdoctoral | 6 | $66,228 |
| Postdoctoral | 7 or More | $68,604 |
Note: Postdoctoral employment is not the same as postdoctoral fellowship.
The first step in the process is to prepare the Personnel Requisition form and submit to Human Resources for posting of the position. Positions are posted on the Downstate website. If you'd like to post elsewhere, please contact HR.
To post a Research Foundation position:
Once the candidate has been selected:
From the moment you've made a final decision regarding the selected candidate, the following documents make up a completed hiring package. This hiring package needs to be submitted to HR. An employee's start date can only be provided by HR after the onboarding is completed.