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 decisions. In 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 AIR’s discretion and continued business need. 

This position will report to a senior leader within AIR’s 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. 

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:

Place‑Based 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 Capacity‑Building

• Support early execution of evaluation and learning activities, particularly during start‑up 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 staff—connecting data, evidence, and learning to real‑world decision‑making. 

Deliverables and Knowledge Products 

Produce high‑quality deliverables such as: 

• Evaluation frameworks and playbooks 
• Data collection tools and protocols 
• Reporting templates, learning briefs, and synthesis memos 
• Partner‑facing guidance related to evaluation and data use 
• Translate complex findings into clear, actionable insights for practitioner, funder, and field‑facing 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 trust‑based and collaborative relationships. 
• Lead and contribute to proposal development, including writing technical sections and shaping evaluation approaches for place‑based 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.

Qualifications:

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 master’s 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, community‑based, or public‑sector organizations. 
• Experience working in close collaboration with practitioners, translating research into usable tools and systems. 
• Experience supporting place‑based partnerships, cradle‑to‑career initiatives, or community‑level systems change. 
• Experience developing case studies, learning products, or field‑facing knowledge resources. 
• Interest in topics such as education, youth development, housing and homelessness, workforce development, and neighborhood‑based strategies. 
• Willingness and ability to travel to partner sites as needed. 
• Familiarity with place‑based, systems‑change, or multi‑partner 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, Atlas.ti). 
• 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 time‑management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in partnership‑driven 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, gender, gender 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 tboone@air.org or 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 to recruitment@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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