Onboarding & training support for research & policy organizations

Bringing on a new policy analyst, research associate, or grant-funded team member involves more than sending a welcome email — it means coordinating IRB training completions, system access across platforms like REDCap or CITI Program, and getting people up to speed on internal data governance protocols. When your senior researchers are the ones fielding every onboarding question, that's time pulled away from the work that actually moves your mission forward. A Trusty Oak EA takes the coordination load off your team so new hires are ready to contribute faster.

Fractional onboarding & training support for research and policy organizations

How Trusty Oak handles onboarding & training for research and policy organizations

A Trusty Oak EA working with a research or policy organization handles the operational side of onboarding so your PIs, program directors, and policy leads don't have to. On a typical engagement, the EA builds and maintains onboarding checklists tailored to role type — distinguishing, for example, what a new research coordinator needs versus a policy fellow — and tracks completion in tools like Asana, Notion, or a shared Google Drive folder. They coordinate required training enrollments such as CITI Program modules, institutional compliance courses, or funder-mandated certifications, following up with new hires to confirm completions and logging records for audit readiness. They also draft or update standard operating procedure documents, orientation guides, and resource libraries so institutional knowledge doesn't live only in someone's inbox. Your role is to review and approve the materials they build and flag any org-specific nuances upfront — after that, the EA manages the process.

What your EA takes off your plate

Before handing off onboarding coordination, pull together one example of how your last hire was onboarded — even if it was informal — and note what fell through the cracks. The most common mistake research and policy teams make is assuming the EA will know which compliance trainings are mandatory for which roles; that context lives with you, and a 30-minute kickoff conversation to map it out will save significant back-and-forth. Your Client Success Manager will help you capture this in a Strategic Delegation Plan before your EA starts.

New Hire Onboarding Checklist Management

Build and maintain role-specific onboarding checklists in Asana, Notion, or Google Sheets, tracking completion of each step from system access requests to first-week check-ins.

Compliance Training Enrollment & Tracking

Enroll new staff in required training platforms such as CITI Program, Collaborative IRB Training Initiative, or institutional LMS courses, and log completion records for compliance documentation.

SOP and Orientation Document Drafting

Draft or update standard operating procedures, data handling protocols, and orientation guides so new team members have a consistent, documented reference from day one.

System Access Coordination

Submit and follow up on IT and platform access requests for tools like REDCap, Qualtrics, Zotero, or institutional VPNs, ensuring new hires aren't blocked on day one.

Onboarding Communication Sequencing

Prepare and send pre-start welcome emails, first-week schedules, and stakeholder introduction notes so new hires arrive oriented rather than overwhelmed.

Tools our team works with

We adapt to your existing stack — no forced migrations.

Gusto

Rippling

Notion

Asana

Google Workspace

BambooHR

...and many more!

Trusted by research and policy organizations

Trusty Oak supports research and policy organizations including Clayton Christensen Institute — handling everything from onboarding & training to broader operational support.

What onboarding & training support costs for research and policy organizations

Drag the sliders to build a monthly plan that fits your workload.

Executive Assistants

~$35/hour

15 hours $525

Specialists

~$50/hour

10 hours $500

Fractional Executives

~$95/hour

5 hours $475

Your monthly budget

$1,500

Starting at $1,000/month. One-time $300 onboarding fee includes your Strategic Delegation Plan.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can an EA handle onboarding for grant-funded positions with specific funder requirements?

Yes — once you share the grant agreement or funder guidelines that specify required training or documentation, the EA can build an onboarding checklist that maps directly to those requirements. They'll track completions and flag anything that needs your sign-off before a deadline.

We use a mix of institutional systems and external research tools. Can an EA coordinate access across all of them?

An EA can manage the coordination and follow-up for access requests across platforms like REDCap, Qualtrics, institutional VPNs, and shared drives — they won't have admin-level system permissions themselves, but they handle the communication and tracking so nothing gets lost. You or your IT contact retain control of the actual provisioning.

How does Trusty Oak handle sensitive onboarding information like personnel files or IRB credentials?

Trusty Oak EAs work within the systems and permissions you set up, and you control what information is shared and how. If your organization has specific data handling requirements — such as those tied to a Data Use Agreement or institutional policy — your Client Success Manager will factor those into the delegation plan before work begins.

Get your research team onboarded without the administrative drag

Trusty Oak matches research and policy organizations with experienced US-based EAs who can take onboarding coordination off your plate starting at $1,000/month. Your first step is a Strategic Delegation Plan — no guesswork on what to hand off.