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Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Research Associate

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

AIR’s Human Capital Strategies team is seeking an Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychology Research Associate to support research, assessment development, and client-facing work across workforce, educational, and high-stakes assessment projects. This role will contribute to job analyses, competency modeling, validation efforts, data collection and analysis, psychometric coordination, item-development and field-test workflows, and project tracking. The position is well suited for someone who is detail-oriented, collaborative, and able to translate technical information into clear, useful summaries for internal teams and clients.

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:

  • Conduct literature reviews and contribute to evidence syntheses. This includes searching for and identifying relevant literature, reviewing and extracting relevant insights, and drafting summary documents.
  • Conduct quantitative and/or qualitative data collection under the guidance of senior researchers, including assisting with the development of data collection protocols and surveys; supporting participant recruitment; conducting interviews and note-taking; supporting survey administration; and/or supporting data analysis and psychometrics activities.
  • Clean, code, and analyze data from interviews, observations, surveys, and administrative data using the appropriate research methods and software (e.g., STATA, R, NVIVO, or similar software).
  • Support psychometric coordination and field test planning by reviewing calibration and equating documentation, synthesizing subject matter expert (SME) input, helping define field test goals, tracking progress, and communicating status, gaps, and updates to project leadership and clients.
  • Create, maintain, and use tracking systems (e.g., Excel-based tools) to summarize SME recommendations, field test assignments, status updates, timelines, and progress toward development goals, while supporting internal quality assurance and version control.
  • Process and coordinate item development report feedback from the client, including making straightforward corrections, routing substantive issues to subject matter experts or senior staff, and ensuring changes are documented and completed accurately.
  • Conduct item-level and passage-level test development quality-control reviews, helping identify editorial, content, formatting, and documentation issues before materials move forward.
  • Organize recurring test development and technical meetings, including assembling agendas, gathering topic approvals, documenting action items, and following through on assigned next steps.
  • Draft and contribute to technical reports, policy briefs, memos, and presentations that describe and interpret findings of analyses clearly for policymakers, practitioners, funders, research and non‑technical audiences.
  • Support project management tasks, including tracking timelines, coordinating data‑collection activities, organizing meetings and contributing to internal quality‑assurance processes.
  • Contribute to business development activities, include capture planning and proposal development.

Qualifications:

Education, Knowledge, and Experience

  • Master's Degree in I/O Psychology.
  • Background in supporting educational assessment, admissions testing, workforce assessment, program evaluation, or another structured research or measurement environment.
  • Experience reviewing technical or psychometric documentation carefully and synthesizing feedback from multiple stakeholders.
  • Familiarity with operational assessment programs, field test workflows, calibration or equating summaries, item development processes, quality-control review, or comparable activities.
  • Demonstrated skill in preparing materials for client meetings or participating in client-facing discussions involving technical content.
  • Proficiency using statistical or analytical software (e.g., R, Python, SAS, or Stata) to prepare data summaries, review outputs, or support troubleshooting.
  • Proven success working in a deadline-driven environment in which priorities must be balanced across multiple contributors or projects.
  • Strong collaboration skills across technical, content, and project-management functions.
  • Experience conducted quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.

Skills

  • Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in multidisciplinary and virtual team environments.
  • Strong research and analysis skills, including quantitative and qualitative skills 
  • Comfort working with detailed tracking files, structured documentation, and data summaries. 
  • Effective communication skills, including the ability to produce concise technical summaries and client-ready materials.
  • Ability to translate technical or psychometric information into clear summaries for non-technical audiences.
  • Strong attention to detail, organizational and project-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines across more than one project.
  • Strong professional judgment, diplomacy, and ability to navigate complex client and stakeholder contexts.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite or equivalent productivity tools (word processing, Excel, presentation software).

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

$68,000 - $83,000 USD

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