Senior Researcher, Employment & Economic Opportunity (Part-Time)
American Institutes for Research
Summary
AIR’s Employment & Economic Opportunity Program is seeking a Part-Time Senior Researcher to support project teams working on large-scale assessment contracts and related business development efforts, including the International Activities Support and NAEP Technical Support contracts. The Senior Researcher provides technical and project leadership across operational and analytic activities supporting NAEP and U.S. participation in major international large-scale assessments and surveys.
Job description
Responsibilities
- Lead the development, enhancement, and ongoing maintenance of the International Data Explorer (IDE), including integrating new international large-scale assessment datasets and preparing variables, metadata, jurisdiction information, instructional notes, footnotes, and other supporting content.
- Lead quality assurance and technical review activities for the IDE and related data products, ensuring the accuracy and consistency of datasets, specifications, calculations, tables, charts, maps, labels, documentation, and functionality.
- Maintain rigorous and well-documented quality assurance (QA) processes to support accurate, reproducible, and publication-ready products.
- Develop and manage project schedules, work plans, and across client, subcontractor, and internal teams, coordinating interdependent tasks, deliverables, staffing, and resources.
- Proactively identify risks and changing requirements and adapt priorities and schedules to accommodate shifts in data availability and study release timelines.
- Maintain project management and workflow tracking systems, such as Airtable.
- Manage subcontractor activities and deliverables, coordinating technical work, schedules, dependencies, QA requirements, and issue resolution to ensure timely and high-quality delivery.
- Lead and conduct technical reviews of international assessment and NAEP data products, including data files, data companions, technical documentation, international reports, the Nation’s Report Card, and related publications and materials.
- Review technical memoranda and other materials related to assessment operations, data analysis, and reporting.
- Conduct research and statistical analyses as needed, using R, Stata, SAS, or other appropriate analytical tools to support project and research objectives.
- Support business development activities, including proposal management and writing, technical input to proposals, and market research.
Qualifications
Education, Knowledge, and Experience
- Ph.D. in educational measurement, research and evaluation, comparative and international education, or a related field, with at least 3 years of relevant experience managing and conducting research or related work; or a master's degree with at least 7 years of relevant experience.
- Strong knowledge of the contextual, content, methodological, and technical aspects of national and international large-scale assessments and surveys such as NAEP and PISA.
- Strong understanding of complex survey methodology and statistical analysis, including complex sample designs, sampling and replicate weights, plausible values, and their implications for analysis and reporting.
- Experience developing, maintaining, or enhancing online data analysis tools or databases, and/or training various stakeholders to use such tools for data analysis and interpretation.
- Experience collaborating and coordinating with the federal government to conduct assessments and surveys.
- Experience leading cross-functional teams on federally funded research projects.
- Experience conducting statistical analyses using R, Stata, SAS, or similar analytical software.
Skills
- Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills for working with stakeholders at various levels and from a range of backgrounds.
- High attention to detail and a strong commitment to accuracy and quality.
- Strong project management skills, including timeline tracking, risk identification, and managing competing priorities.
- Self-motivated and reliable, with the ability to work independently and take ownership of complex tasks with minimal supervision.
- Excellent communication skills with a commitment to validity, clarity, and evidence-based messaging.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams and external partners in a virtual work environment.
Requirements
- Ph.D. in educational measurement, research and evaluation, comparative and international education, or a related field, with at least 3 years of relevant experience managing and conducting research or related work; or a master's degree with at least 7 years of relevant experience.
- Strong knowledge of the contextual, content, methodological, and technical aspects of national and international large-scale assessments and surveys such as NAEP and PISA.
- Strong understanding of complex survey methodology and statistical analysis, including complex sample designs, sampling and replicate weights, plausible values, and their implications for analysis and reporting.
- Experience developing, maintaining, or enhancing online data analysis tools or databases, and/or training various stakeholders to use such tools for data analysis and interpretation.
- Experience collaborating and coordinating with the federal government to conduct assessments and surveys.
- Experience leading cross-functional teams on federally funded research projects.
- Experience conducting statistical analyses using R, Stata, SAS, or similar analytical software.
- Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills for working with stakeholders at various levels and from a range of backgrounds.
- High attention to detail and a strong commitment to accuracy and quality.
- Strong project management skills, including timeline tracking, risk identification, and managing competing priorities.
- Self-motivated and reliable, with the ability to work independently and take ownership of complex tasks with minimal supervision.
- Excellent communication skills with a commitment to validity, clarity, and evidence-based messaging.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams and external partners in a virtual work environment.
- Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the U.S. on a full-time basis.
Benefits
- Remote work flexibility
- Part-time schedule
- Total Rewards Program
Company overview
The American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a leading nonprofit, nonpartisan behavioral and social science research organization founded in 1946. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, AIR operates as one of the world's largest social science research institutions with over 1,800 staff members across multiple U.S. locations and international offices. The organization specializes in conducting rigorous research, evaluation, and technical assistance across three primary domains: education, health, and workforce development. AIR's mission centers on generating and utilizing evidence-based approaches to address complex social challenges and promote equity. The institute maintains strict independence and objectivity in its work, collaborating with government agencies, educational institutions, and international development organizations. Notable initiatives include Project Talent, a landmark longitudinal study tracking 400,000 high school students, and various federal projects supporting education policy implementation and workforce development. AIR's expertise spans early childhood education, K-12 systems, higher education, healthcare delivery, mental health services, and international development programs, consistently applying scientific rigor to inform policy and practice improvements.