Senior Researcher, AI Strategy and Adoption (Part-Time, Term)

RAND Corporation; United States; Remote; USD 172,000 - 283,000; Full time

Job summary

RAND Corporation seeks a Senior Researcher to lead its effort to integrate AI into RAND's research and business processes. This is a one-year term position, renewable, with a focus on setting direction for AI adoption across RAND and translating lessons from peers into scalable practice.

The role suits someone who has deployed AI in research and business contexts and can mobilize a large expert community toward practical, scalable use.

Qualifications

• Experience integrating AI to transform research and business processes.
• Ability to lead cross-organizational efforts with senior leaders.
• Synthesize evidence from interviews, usage data, and external practice.
• Move users from skepticism to routine use of new tools.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic direction for how AI fits RAND's portfolio.
• Design and test adoption approaches with researchers on real projects.
• Advise on tool landscape and resource allocation with security and budget in mind.
• Propose governance and evidence-based measures of adoption success.

Skills

AI adoption

Cross-functional leadership

Stakeholder communication

Strategic framing

Security & governance

Education

PhD in CS/Engineering or related

Master's with thesis + 13+ years experience

Job description

Job Type: Term (Fixed Term) Position

Position Description The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision-making through research and analysis. RAND is widely respected for operating independently of political and commercial pressures as a nonpartisan organization. RAND values objectivity and integrity in both its research processes and internal interactions and emphasizes a collegial environment that respects the contributions and dignity of all staff. RAND is seeking a Senior Researcher to lead its effort to integrate AI into RAND's research and into the business processes that support it. This is a one-year term position, renewable. The role helps set the direction for AI adoption across RAND: understanding where RAND is today, learning from peer organizations, defining what RAND needs to be good at in an AI world, and working with researchers and leadership to make adoption real at scale. The position is well suited to someone who has used AI directly in research and business work, has helped other organizations build AI into their core functions, and can move a large, expert community toward practical use.

Key Responsibilities

• External learning: Draw lessons from peer organizations, including FFRDCs, UARCs, and consulting firms, on what distinguishes successful adoption from failed attempts, and translate them to RAND's context.
• Strategic direction: Recommend a framework for how AI fits across RAND's diverse portfolio.
• Adoption at scale: Design and test approaches with researchers on real projects, including quick wins that build momentum, and define what AI tools need to look like to be used well inside RAND's culture and research practice.
• Tools and resources: Advise on the tool landscape (what to keep, build, buy, or stop), how separate tool efforts should work together, and how to allocate resources, with attention to security, compliance, and budget constraints.
• Governance and measurement: Propose how decisions about AI deployment should be made and define evidence-based measures of whether adoption is working.

Qualifications

All research positions at RAND require excellent analytic skills; the ability to communicate clearly and effectively in English, both orally and in writing; the ability to work effectively as a member of a multi-disciplinary team; and a strong commitment to RAND's core values of quality and objectivity.

• Experience integrating AI to transform research and business processes.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a cross-organizational effort, working with senior leaders and with technical and non-technical staff.
• Ability to synthesize evidence from interviews, usage data, and external practice into clear recommendations for leadership.
• Experience moving users from skepticism to routine use of new tools.
• Familiarity with research organizations, FFRDCs, or similar institutions.
• Experience with AI governance, security, and compliance requirements.

Education Requirements and Experience

The preferred candidate will have a PhD and 8+ years of experience, or a Master's degree with thesis and 13+ years of experience, in computer science or engineering, information science, cyber engineering, or related field (such as mathematics, operations research, physical sciences, or closely related discipline).

Location

Fully remote

Salary Range

Salary Range: $171,800 - $283,100 RAND considers a variety of factors when formulating an offer, including but not limited to, the specific role and associated responsibilities; a candidate's work experience, education/training, skills, expertise; and internal equity. This position is eligible for overtime. The salary range includes base pay plus RAND's sabbatic pay (which provides additional compensation above base pay when vacation is taken). In addition, RAND provides strong benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, paid time-off and more.

#LI-DNI

Equal Opportunity Employer

Equal Opportunity Employer RAND is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND’s research and analysis address issues that impact people everywhere, including security, health, education, sustainability, growth, and development. RAND has approximately 1,750 people working in offices in the United States, Europe, and Australia, with annual revenues of $470 million. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. Our research is sponsored by government agencies, international organizations, and foundations. We rely on philanthropic support to pursue visionary ideas; address critical problems that are under-researched; and devise innovative approaches for solving acute, complex, or provocative policy challenges. RAND values objectivity and integrity in both its research processes and internal interactions. We emphasize a collegial environment that respects the contributions and dignity of all staff. RAND's reputation is built on quality and objectivity. RAND provides an exciting intellectual environment and opportunities for career growth with challenging assignments. As collaboration in interdisciplinary teams is an essential operating principle at RAND, we hire highly qualified talent and empower our people to do their best work by fostering a culture in which different views, backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued and respected, and staff have a sense of belonging with their colleagues, fair access to opportunities, and feel comfortable bringing their best selves to work each day. As part of our commitment to Equal Opportunity Employment, we welcome all applicants from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences to apply for this exciting opportunity. RAND is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or in order to perform the essential functions of a position, please contact Human Resources at [phone] or at [e-mail] and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.