Senior Researcher, Employment and Economic Opportunity

American Institutes for Research

Senior Researcher advancing applied research in Employment & Economic Opportunity. Managing research projects and collaborating with teams to improve lives and expand economic opportunities.

Posted 6/11/2026part-timeRemote • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $60 - $74 per hourWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Manage day-to-day project operations in roles such as principal investigator, project director, or task lead.
Lead collaborative project teams by developing timelines, coordinating staff assignments, and ensuring deliverables are completed on time, within budget, and to a high standard.
Identify research problems and design studies to address key questions in applied research contexts.
Apply subject-matter expertise to design and implement relevant, responsive, and impactful research projects.
Develop study designs with aligned research questions, methodologies, and analytic plans.
Lead and contribute to research proposals for federal, state, foundation, and other clients.
Devise and implement innovative solutions to practical challenges in applied research.
Lead data collection and analysis efforts.
Oversee the design and planning of qualitative and/or quantitative data collection tools, such as interview protocols, focus group guides, and surveys.
Supervise field-based data collection activities, including interviews, observations, focus groups, and document reviews.
Conduct or oversee data analysis using appropriate tools and techniques for various data types.
Communicate study progress and findings clearly and effectively.
Prepare reports, briefs, visualizations, and other materials that interpret and present research findings for clients and stakeholders.
Represent the organization professionally in all client interactions.
Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with clients, partners, and stakeholders.
Foster and maintain positive, collaborative working relationships.
Manage client and stakeholder relationships with professionalism and awareness of the broader policy and practice landscape.
Contribute thoughtfully and creatively to project teams.

Requirements

What you’ll need

PhD in related subject area (e.g., Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, Public Policy, or related field) with 3+ years of relevant experience or Master’s degree with 7+ years of relevant experience
Firm understanding of implementation science
Ability to take big ideas and develop work plans and timelines
Experience at contract research and/or evaluation organization(s)
Experience with data collection methodologies (including but not limited to structured interviews, observations, survey research) and analysis activities (including but not limited to experience with quantitative and/or qualitative analytic software packages [such as STATA, R, EXCEL, NViVO, and Access])
Experience managing project and/or task teams on research and evaluation projects
Experience building and maintaining client and partner relationships
Experience with business pursuit (e.g., grant and proposal writing)

Benefits

Comp & perks

AIR’s Total Rewards Program designed to reward staff competitively
Motivating staff to achieve our critical mission

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

data collection methodologiesdata analysisstudy designresearch proposalsimplementation sciencequantitative analysisqualitative analysisproject managementgrant writingevaluation

Soft Skills

collaborationcommunicationrelationship managementproblem-solvingcreativityleadershiporganizationprofessionalismteam contributionclient interaction

Certifications

PhDMaster's degree