Senior Researcher, Place-Based Evaluation & Learning

Join AIR as a Senior Researcher Place Based Evaluation & Learning and use your experience and expertise to help us deliver on our mission: to generate evidence and apply data driven solutions that expand opportunities and improve lives for all.

This role is designed for a senior researcher who thrives in deep partnership with place-based organizations and the national intermediaries that support them to improve programs and practices that support community and individual level wellbeing including economic mobility. Working alongside practitioners the senior researcher will co design learning projects translate learning priorities into measurable and feasible indicators and help build evaluation and learning systems that drive better collaboration with a senior project director the Researcher will lead components of complex projects develop applied evaluation frameworks and translate research into practical actionable tools that partners can use to strengthen strategy accountability and continuous improvement.

This position will be primarily dedicated (approximately 80%) to supporting a research collaboration with a single national intermediary that engages place-based partnerships nationwide to help stand up and implement an integrated evaluation and learning agenda. Over time the role may evolve to support additional places partners or cross site learning efforts. This is a time-limited position expected to last 12 months. The selected candidate will work full-time on Place-Based Partnerships with potential for extension at AIRs discretion and continued business need.

This position will report to a senior leader within AIRs Employment and Economic Opportunity program and will work closely with AIR colleagues supporting place-based initiatives and partnerships. This position may be based in either Washington DC or New York NY. Regular domestic travel to partner sites is expected up to 25% time.

Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Arlington Virginia the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance to address some of the most pressing challenges in the United States and globally. We generate evidence and apply data-driven solutions that expand opportunities and improve lives for all.

PlaceBased Evaluation and Learning

• Partner closely with a national intermediary to design and operationalize evaluation and learning frameworks aligned with their place-based partners strategy capacity and context.
• Lead the identification of metrics data points data sources and data collection processes that balance rigor with feasibility.
• Develop evaluation work plans including timelines and sequencing for data collection data entry analysis reporting and learning cycles.
• Translate evaluation needs into clear guidance for data systems working with partner staff and technical administrators as needed.

Implementation and CapacityBuilding

• Support early execution of evaluation and learning activities particularly during startup phases while partners build internal capacity.
• Develop tools templates and protocols that enable partners to sustain evaluation and learning processes over time.
• Serve as a thought partner to practitioner staffconnecting data evidence and learning to realworld decisionmaking.

Deliverables and Knowledge Products

Produce highquality deliverables such as:

• Evaluation frameworks and playbooks
• Data collection tools and protocols
• Reporting templates learning briefs and synthesis memos
• Partnerfacing guidance related to evaluation and data use
• Translate complex findings into clear actionable insights for practitioner funder and fieldfacing audiences.

Project and Relationship Management

• Lead discrete projects or major project components including timelines deliverables and coordination with partners and AIR colleagues.
• Engage regularly with partners through meetings working sessions and briefings building trustbased and collaborative relationships.
• Lead and contribute to proposal development including writing technical sections and shaping evaluation approaches for placebased work.

Collaboration and Culture

• Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary AIR teams including researchers data scientists and technical assistance providers.
• Mentor junior staff and contribute to a collaborative inclusive work environment that values diverse perspectives and lived experience.
• Travel to partner sites as necessary.

Education Knowledge and Experience

• PhD and 3 years of relevant experience in a related field (Education Sociology Public Policy Economics Human Development Public Health Political Science Psychology or related discipline) or a masters degree with a minimum of 7 years of relevant applied research or evaluation experience.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing applied evaluation or learning frameworks ideally in partnership with nonprofit communitybased or publicsector organizations.
• Experience working in close collaboration with practitioners translating research into usable tools and systems.
• Experience supporting placebased partnerships cradletocareer initiatives or communitylevel systems change.
• Experience developing case studies learning products or fieldfacing knowledge resources.
• Interest in topics such as education youth development housing and homelessness workforce development and neighborhoodbased strategies.
• Willingness and ability to travel to partner sites as needed.
• Familiarity with placebased systemschange or multipartner initiatives is preferred but not required.

Skills

• Strong qualitative and/or quantitative research skills with proficiency in at least one analytic tool (e.g. R Stata NVivo Dedoose ).
• Experience working with or alongside data systems (e.g. Salesforce or similar platforms) to support learning and reporting.
• Effective communication skills with the ability to convey complex ideas clearly and practically.
• Strong organizational and timemanagement skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in partnershipdriven environments.
• Ability to work independently while remaining closely aligned with partner needs and AIR project teams.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and virtual collaboration tools (e.g. Zoom Teams SharePoint).

Disclosures:Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the U.S. on a full-time basis. Employment-based visa sponsorship (including H-1B sponsorship) is not available for this position. Depending on project work qualified candidates may need to meet certain residency requirements.

American Institutes for Research is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable federal state or local law including but not limited to actual or perceived race (including traits historically associated with race such as hair texture hair type and protective hairstyles such as braid locks and twists) creed color religion alienage or national origin ancestry citizenship status age physical or mental disability medical condition (e.g. cancer) sex gendergender identity or expression (including transgender status) sexual orientation marital status civil union status pregnancy childbirth or related medical conditions genetic information or military or veteran status. AIR adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo reference and background checks. AIR maintains a drug-free work environment.

ACCESSIBILITY NOTICE:If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process due to a physical or mental disability please send an email to Taliba Boone at or call 202.403.5000.

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