[Hiring] Principal Researcher @American Institutes for Research

Role Description

The Principal Researcher in Youth Development will lead business pursuits related to federal, state, and local youth development research, evaluation, and technical assistance. 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 youth development. The chosen candidate will be a leader in AIR’s Youth Development portfolio of business pursuits and projects, which also includes out of school time and summer learning, sports education, and informal learning environments.

• Providing thought leadership, build capacity and expand eminence in youth development.
• Exploring opportunities and develop a marketing and business plan to grow AIR’s youth development work.
• Centering an interdisciplinary and innovative approach to support other intersecting fields, such as mental health, trauma-informed care, juvenile justice, and social service supports.
• Supporting 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.
• Managing projects, serving as principal investigator and/or project director for large and/or complex research studies, evaluations, or technical assistance centers.
• Mentoring junior colleagues by sharing best practices in conducting research and technical assistance, applying evaluation methods, and leading project tasks.
• Maintaining excellent relationships with funders, clients, and other partners; serve as a primary client contact.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in child development, developmental psychology, human development, education, public or social policy 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+ 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 youth development and well-connected in the field.
• Knowledge of youth development, adolescent health and/or youth economic mobility research.
• Proven record of accomplishment leading proposals and winning competitive contracts/grants from various funding organizations.
• Familiarity with federal and state procurement and contract opportunities.
• Experience effectively leading and mentoring teams working large/complex projects to ensure project excellence, timeliness, and on-budget execution.

Requirements

• Strong quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method design and analysis skills or technical assistance leadership.
• Demonstrated strong writing skills to effectively communicate findings and policy implications from technical research.
• Demonstrated clear oral communication skills, including the capacity to collaborate professionally with clients and 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.

Benefits

• Anticipated annual salary range: $150,000 — $180,000 USD.