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Principal Researcher, Child Welfare

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

The Principal Researcher in Child Welfare will lead business pursuits related to federal, state, and local child welfare policy and program research and evaluation. We seek a dynamic business development leader contributing to the expansion and management of a robust portfolio of contract and grant-funded policy, research and evaluation projects in child welfare. Areas of expertise by the candidate may include child welfare data system integration, cross-system data use, adoption, permanency, kinship care, foster parents, prevention, and other child welfare content, program, or policy areas. The chosen candidate will be a leader in AIR’s Children and Families portfolio of business pursuits and projects, which also includes early childhood education and care, and maternal and child health. The candidate will be proactively thinking ahead about opportunities. The candidate will have content, technical and management expertise, with the ability to build and nurture relationships with clients and leaders in the child welfare field. 

This position has the flexibility to work remotely within the United States (U.S.) or from one 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

  • Provide thought leadership, build capacity and expand eminence in child welfare. 
  • Explore opportunities and develop a marketing and business plan to grow AIR’s child welfare work. 
  • Have an interdisciplinary and innovative nature to support other intersecting fields, such as early childhood care and education, maternal and child health, children’s mental health, trauma-informed care, and social service supports. 
  • Support AIR’s growth through business development, including leading and writing proposals for grants or contracts to federal, state, and local education agencies; foundations; and other clients.
  • Manage projects, serving as principal investigator and/or project director for large and/or complex research studies and evaluations, including designing those studies, leading analytical teams, overseeing study tasks, monitoring quality assurance, managing budgets, and fostering client relationships.
  • Mentor junior colleagues by sharing best practices in conducting research, applying evaluation methods, and leading project tasks; modeling effective approaches for solving problems; and providing feedback on their work. 
  • Maintain excellent relationships with funders, clients, and other partners; serve as a primary client contact; and actively grow our portfolio of work through these relationships and by staying abreast of the field's direction. 

Qualifications:

Education, Knowledge, and Experience 

  • Doctoral degree in child development, developmental psychology, human development, education, public or social policy, economics, social welfare or a related field, with  minimum of 7 years of relevant work experience managing and conducting research, or Master’s degree and at least 11 years of relevant experience. 
  • 10 or more years of project leadership experience, including proposal writing, project management, staff supervision, report writing, and external relationship management. 
  • National and positive reputation for expertise in child welfare and well-connected in the field. 
  • Knowledge of family supports, social services and/or early childhood research. 
  • Proven record of accomplishment leading proposals and winning competitive contracts/grants from various funding organizations (e.g., Federal, state, and local government; foundations). 
  • Familiarity with federal and state procurement and contract opportunities. 
  • Experience effectively leading and mentoring diverse teams working on research-focused projects and/or tasks within large/complex projects, including team oriented to ensure project excellence, timeliness, and on-budget execution. 

Skills 

  • Strong quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method design and analysis skills to serve as a senior team leader on proposals and projects. 
  • Demonstrated strong writing skills to effectively communicate findings and policy implications from technical research for policymakers and practitioners.
  • Demonstrated clear oral communication skills, including the capacity to collaborate professionally with clients, federal or foundation project officers, implementing partners, consultants, program leadership staff, and other stakeholders.
  • Proven ability to develop staff capacity in research and evaluation design and methods, project management, client relationships, research publication and business development. 
  • Ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines independently while contributing to a collaborative team environment. 
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with attention to accuracy and research best practices. 

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) atReportFraud.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

$155,000 - $190,000 USD

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