Principal Researcher, Youth Development New US-Remote

AIR; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

American Institutes for Research (AIR) is seeking a Principal Researcher in Youth Development to lead business pursuits, oversee research and evaluation projects, and cultivate client relationships across federal, state, and local agencies. The role emphasizes cross-disciplinary leadership and a strong track record in securing contracts and managing complex portfolios.

The candidate will guide marketing strategies, manage teams, and mentor junior colleagues, while advancing AIR’s mission to

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or Master’s with extensive research leadership experience.
• 10+ years leading proposals and managing staff.
• National reputation in youth development and field connections.
• Knowledge of youth development, adolescent health, and mobility research.
• Experience leading competitive grants from federal/state/local sources.
• Mentoring teams to ensure project excellence and budget discipline.

Responsibilities

• Provide thought leadership and expand eminence in youth development.
• Develop marketing and business plan to grow AIR’s youth work.
• Foster interdisciplinary approaches across related fields.
• Lead and write proposals for grants or contracts to various funders.
• Manage projects as PI/PD, oversee budgets and client relationships.
• Mentor junior staff and share best practices in research and TA.
• Maintain strong funder/client relationships and grow the portfolio.

Skills

Leadership

Proposal writing

Client relationships

Research design

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Budget management

Mentoring

Education

Ph.D. in child development or related field

Master’s degree + 11 years experience

Job description

ThePrincipal Researcher in Youth Development will lead business pursuits related to federal, state, and local youth development research, evaluation, and technical assistance. 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 youth development. Candidate areas of expertise may include adolescent health and wellbeing, teen pregnancy and other prevention approaches, youth economic mobility programs and measure, and other youth development content, program, or policy areas. The chosen candidate will be a leader in AIR’s Youth Development portfolio of business pursuits and projects, which also includes out of school time and summer learning, sports education, and informal learning environments. The candidate will proactively generate, plan for and pursue business development ideas related to key growth area in youth development. The candidate will have content, technical and management expertise, with the ability to build and nurture relationships with clients and leaders in the youth development 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.

Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance to address some of the most pressing challenges in the United States and globally. We generate evidence and apply data-driven solutions that expand opportunities and improve lives for all.

Responsibilities:

The responsibilities for the position include:

• Providing thought leadership, build capacity and expand eminence in youth development.
• Exploring opportunities and develop a marketing and business plan to grow AIR’s youth development work.
• Centering an interdisciplinary and innovative approach to support other intersecting fields, such as mental health, trauma-informed care, juvenile justice, and social service supports.
• Supporting 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.
• Managing projects, serving as principal investigator and/or project director for large and/or complex research studies, evaluations, or technical assistance centers, including designing project approaches, leading teams, overseeing project tasks, monitoring quality assurance, managing budgets, and fostering client relationships.
• Mentoring junior colleagues by sharing best practices in conducting research and technical assistance, applying evaluation methods, and leading project tasks; modeling effective approaches for solving problems; and providing feedback on their work.
• Maintaining excellent relationships with funders, clients, and other partners; serve as a primary client contact; and actively grow our portfolio of work through these relationships and by staying abreast of the field’s direction.

Qualifications:

Education, Knowledge, and Experience

• Ph.D. in child development, developmental psychology, human development, education, public or social policy or a related field, with 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+ 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 youth development and well-connected in the field.
• Knowledge of youth development, adolescent health and/or youth economic mobility research.
• Proven record of accomplishment leading proposals and winning competitive contracts/grants from various funding organizations (e.g., Federal, state, and local government; foundations).
• Familiarity with federal and state procurement and contract opportunities.
• Experience effectively leading and mentoring teams working large/complex projects to ensure project excellence, timeliness, and on-budget execution.

Skills

• Strong quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method design and analysis skills or technical assistance leadership to serve as a senior team leader on proposals and projects.
• Demonstrated strong writing skills to effectively communicate findings and policy implications from technical research for policymakers and practitioners.
• Demonstrated clear oral communication skills, including the capacity to collaborate professionally with clients, federal or foundation project officers, implementing partners, consultants, program leadership staff, and other stakeholders.
• Proven ability to develop staff capacity in research and evaluation design and methods, project management, client relationships, research publication and business development.
• 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 (including H-1B sponsorship) is not available for this position. Depending on project work, qualified candidates may need to meet certain residency requirements.

American Institutes for Research is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law, including, but not limited to, actual or perceived race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture, hair type, and protective hairstyles such as braid, locs, and twists), creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition (e.g., cancer), sex, gender, gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, civil union status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, genetic information, or military or veteran status. AIR adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo reference and background checks. AIR maintains a drug-free work environment.

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AIR’s Total Rewards Program, is designed to reward our staff competitively and motivate them to achieve our critical mission. This position offers the anticipated annual salary as listed. Salary offers are made based on internal equity within the institution and external equity with competitive markets. Please note this is the annual salary range for candidates that are based in the United States.

Anticipated Annual Salary Range

$150,000 - $180,000 USD

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