[Hiring] Principal Researcher, Child Welfare @American Institutes for Research

Role Description

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 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.

Responsibilities

• 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.
• 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.
• Mentor junior colleagues by sharing best practices in conducting research, applying evaluation methods, and leading project tasks.
• Maintain excellent relationships with funders, clients, and other partners; serve as a primary client contact; and actively grow our portfolio of work.

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in child development, developmental psychology, human development, education, public or social policy, economics, social welfare or a related field, with a 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.
• 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.

Skills

• Strong quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method design and analysis skills.
• 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.
• 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 is not available for this position.
• American Institutes for Research is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer.
• AIR adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.
• 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 [email protected] or call 202.403.5000.

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Anticipated Annual Salary Range

$155,000 — $190,000 USD