AI Strategist

American Institutes for Research

AI Strategist focusing on partnership development and communication strategies for AIR's AI initiatives. Requires extensive knowledge of AI's implications and partnership engagement.

Posted 5/26/2026full-timeRemote • California, Illinois, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $115,000 - $140,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Build and maintain relationships with practitioners, researchers, funders, government agencies, and technology organizations aligned with AIR’s AI priorities.
Lead or co-lead outreach to potential partners, collaborators, and sector experts across multiple domains with the goal of advancing relationships toward defined collaboration or funding opportunities.
Develop and deliver materials for partnership meetings and external engagements that reflect partner needs, market context, and potential pathways to collaboration or funding, including concept notes, briefings, and proposals.
Represent AIR at conferences, convenings, and other external engagements related to AI, human development, and public systems to build relationships, gather market intelligence, and identify follow-on opportunities.
Contribute to the development and execution of sector-tailored outreach and engagement strategies.
Draft and develop high-quality external communications, including white papers, blog posts, research briefs, and presentations tied to AIR’s AI work.
Support AIR’s AI communications plan, including conference preparation, publications pipeline, and social media engagement.
Contribute to early-stage concept design and proposal shaping, helping position AIR for mission-aligned funding opportunities based on partner needs, market signals, and competitive context.
Monitor the AI landscape across social sectors, and translate insights into strategic recommendations that inform AIR’s external positioning and engagement priorities.
Identify emerging opportunities, risks, and market signals, including opportunities for partnership development, funding, and strategic collaboration.
Conduct partner profiling and competitive intelligence to inform AIR’s approach to sector engagement and positioning and support opportunity prioritization and capture planning.
Contribute to the launch and ongoing operation of sector-specific AI evidence generation networks, including coordinating expert convenings, communities of practice, and cross-network learning activities.
Support operational systems that enable the team to track partners, manage business development opportunities, and maintain proposal materials.
Help identify and track AI-related business development opportunities, including supporting opportunity qualification, prioritization, and coordination of inputs for proposal development.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience; or Master’s degree with a minimum of 4 years; or Ph.D. with a minimum of 3 years of experience in social sciences, public policy, education, technology, communications, or a related field.
Substantive knowledge of AI and its implications across sectors.
Experience contributing to partnership development, external engagement, or strategy initiatives in a nonprofit, government, academic, or philanthropic setting.
Demonstrated ability to build and sustain relationships with partners, clients, or stakeholders across sectors.
Experience supporting or contributing to proposals, funding applications, or business development efforts, including early-stage opportunity shaping, partner engagement, or positioning activities.
Experience conducting market analysis, partner landscape assessment, or competitive intelligence activities to inform strategy or external engagement.

Benefits

Comp & perks

AIR’s Total Rewards Program, is designed to reward our staff competitively and motivate them to achieve our critical mission.

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

market analysispartner landscape assessmentcompetitive intelligenceproposal developmentbusiness developmentfunding applicationsoutreach strategiesconcept designexternal communicationsAI knowledge

Soft Skills

relationship buildingstakeholder engagementcollaborationcommunicationstrategic thinkingorganizational skillsleadershipadaptabilityproblem-solvingcreativity

Certifications

Bachelor's degreeMaster's degreePh.D.