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Principal Researcher, Youth, Family, and Community Development

US-Remote | US-VA-Arlington | US-NC-Chapel Hill | US-IL-Chicago | US-CA-Sacramento | US-TX-Austin

Join AIR as a Principal Researcher with our Youth, Family, and Community Development program to foster pathways for young people, families, and communities to thrive through the generation, dissemination, and application of evidence. This position will focus on prevention science with emphasis on preventing violence and other forms of harmful behaviors in the military. This position will require collaboration within and outside AIR, including with program providers, subject matter experts, as well as federal, state, and local agency officials. The Principal Researcher will contribute to the strategic vision for primary prevention of violence and provide mentorship and guidance to teams. They will also provide oversight on data collection, management, analysis, and visualization for contract and grant research and evaluation projects. The ideal candidate is committed to building out our prevention portfolio and taking a strengths-based perspective. We are especially interested in candidates with strong project and people management skills, and experience with data dashboards. Candidates with relevant lived experience, including military service, are encouraged to apply.

Related projects aim to use culturally responsive science to focus around one or more areas, including but not limited to: 

Content Areas:

  • Primary prevention of violence, such as
    • intimate partner and sexual violence
    • child maltreatment and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
    • violence that impacts youth and community
  • Suicide prevention and mental health promotion
  • Military communities, readiness, and resilience
  • Systems change, including organizational and culture change in the military and other community serving systems
  • Public health workforce competencies and career pipelines
  • Data visualization and dissemination

This position has the flexibility to work remote from anywhere in the United States or from any of AIR's U.S. office locations. This does not include U.S. territories. 

About AIR:

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.

Responsibilities:

The responsibilities for the position include:

  • Direct or help direct and manage large, complex research projects or a series of smaller projects.
  • Ensure that all task activities and deliverables are completed on time, are of high quality, and align with client expectations.
  • Develop strategic plans and timelines for products.
  • Manage and mentor staff to build their prevention expertise.
  • Oversee the planning, design, and implementation of research projects, including methods, procedures and reporting.
  • Develop conceptual frameworks that address research and evaluation topics.
  • Lead the review, analyses, and syntheses of data and visualization using appropriate practices and techniques and ensure that projects are designed around client needs with sound methodology.
  • Serve as an expert in the field and disseminate findings through publication of papers, progress and technical reports, and presentation at seminars and research conferences.
  • Curate external relationships and visibility by engaging thought leaders, innovators, and implementation partners across the public health policy arena.

Qualifications:

Education, Knowledge, and Experience

  • Ph.D. in related subject area (Anthropology, Economics, Sociology, Public Health, Psychology, or related field) with a minimum of 7 years of related experience, or a Master's and 11 year of related experience.
  • Extensive experience and expertise in issues related to a public health approach to prevention and demonstrated ability to apply this knowledge to real-world policy and programmatic decision-making.
  • Thought leader with sophisticated understanding of the policy landscape and evidence gaps in public health, as demonstrated through publications/presentations, award of contracts and grants, and overall body of work.
  • Demonstrated success in leading field-based research projects.
  • Demonstrated experience in leading projects utilizing data visualization and interpretation, rapid-cycle evaluations, complex qualitative designs, or other cutting-edge methodologies.
  • Extensive project leadership and business development experience, including proposal writing, project management, staff supervision and report writing.
  • Knowledge of the landscape of what works to prevent violence across the social ecology.
 Skills
  • Expert on the public health approach to primary prevention.
  • Collaborative leadership, organizational, and interpersonal skills at a senior level.
  • Proven ability to develop research staff capacity in primary prevention, research design and methods, project management, client relationships, research publication and business development.
  • Commitment to AIR’s Mission and the application of research findings for the benefit of stakeholders.
  • Attention to detail and commitment to accuracy when writing.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively with individuals at all levels and from diverse backgrounds.
  • Data fluency, including comfort with leading technical data analytic and visualization teams.
  • Excellent communication skills with the ability to work efficiently in a virtual work environment.
  • Flexible and adaptive to evolving landscapes and science.

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 age, race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability. 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 tboone@air.orgor call 202.403.5000.

Fraudulent Job Scams Warning & Disclaimer: AIR is aware of individuals falsely presenting themselves as AIR representatives. Fraudulent job scams seek to extract sensitive information or money from victims. To protect yourself, please be aware that AIR recruitment will only email you from an “@air.org” domain. Please take extra caution while examining the email address, for example jdoe@air.org is correct and jdoe@aircareers.org is not a legitimate AIR email address. If you are unsure of the legitimacy of a communication you have received, please reach out torecruitment@air.org. If you see a job scam, or lose money to one, report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. You can also report it to your state attorney general. Find out more about how to avoid scams atftc.gov/scams.

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AIR’s Total Rewards Program, is designed to reward our staff competitively and motivate them to achieve our critical mission. This position offers the anticipated annual salary as listed. Salary offers are made based on internal equity within the institution and external equity with competitive markets. Please note this is the annual salary range for candidates that are based in the United States.

Anticipated Annual Salary Range

$147,600 - $196,800 USD

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