Senior Researcher, Place-Based Evaluation & Learning

American Institutes for Research

Serve as a Senior Researcher at AIR leading evaluation and learning initiatives for place-based partnerships. Collaborate with stakeholders to develop frameworks and tools for community and individual level wellbeing.

Posted 6/9/2026full-timeRemote • California, Illinois, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $126,000 - $154,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

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.
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.
Produce high‑quality deliverables such as evaluation frameworks and playbooks, data collection tools and protocols, reporting templates, learning briefs, and synthesis memos.

Requirements

What you’ll need

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.

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

evaluation frameworksdata collection processesdata analysisreportingapplied researchlearning frameworkscase studieslearning productsdata entrymetrics identification

Soft Skills

collaborationcommunicationthought partnershiporganizational skillscapacity buildingtranslating researchguidance provisionproblem-solvingadaptabilitystakeholder engagement

Certifications

PhDMaster's degree