AIR seeks a Senior Researcher for the Human and Community Development program to advance evidence and practice related to suicide prevention in the military, law enforcement, and community with an understanding on broad safety and justice systems. This position will focus on prevention science with emphasis on preventing violence and other forms of harmful behaviors. The Senior Researcher will lead and/or manage complex research and evaluation efforts; collaborate with internal and external partners, including federal, state, and local agencies; and contribute to strategic visioning that strengthens suicide prevention and safety outcomes, and provide mentorship and guidance to teams. This position will also provide oversight on data collection, management, analysis, and visualization for contract and grant research and evaluation projects. The ideal candidate is committed to building out our prevention portfolio, particularly in suicide prevention, and taking a strengths-based perspective. We are especially interested in candidates that have direct experience with suicide prevention, preferably in the military, law enforcement, and justice system context, and who have strong project and people management skills.
Related projects aim to use prevention science to focus around one or more areas, including but not limited to:
Content areas:
- Suicide prevention
- Public health approach to primary prevention of violence, such as
- community violence
- youth violence
- intimate partner and sexual violence
- child maltreatment and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
- Military communities, readiness, and resilience
- Systems change, including organizational and culture change in community-serving systems and in the military
- Public health workforce competencies and career pipelines
- Data visualization and dissemination
Candidates hired for the position may work remotely within the United States (U.S.) or from one of our U.S. office locations. This does not include U.S. territories.
About AIR:
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:
Project & Portfolio Leadership
- Manage large, complex research projects or a portfolio of smaller studies, ensuring alignment with client expectations and organizational priorities.
- Oversee project planning, design, and implementation, including development of methods, procedures, timelines, and reporting structures.
- Anticipate project risks and develop mitigation strategies to ensure timely, high‑quality deliverables.
- Ensure compliance with ethical standards, IRB requirements, and data governance policies.
Methodological & Technical Expertise
- Serve as a methodological authority, advising teams on advanced quantitative, qualitative, and mixed‑methods approaches.
- Develop conceptual frameworks and innovative research methodologies that advance understanding of prevention and evaluation topics.
- Lead the review, analysis, synthesis, and visualization of data using appropriate practices and techniques.
- Ensure data integrity, reproducibility, and strong documentation across all analytic workflows.
Strategic & Organizational Contribution
- Contribute to organizational strategy by identifying emerging research needs, funding trends, and opportunities for innovation in public health and prevention science.
- Represent the organization in national working groups, advisory panels, and technical expert meetings.
- Lead internal capacity‑building efforts through trainings, workshops, and knowledge‑sharing initiatives.
Client, Partner & Stakeholder Engagement
- Communicate effectively—both orally and in writing—with clients, partners, funders, and other key stakeholders.
- Translate complex research findings into actionable insights tailored to policymakers, practitioners, and community partners.
- Manage client and stakeholder relationships with professionalism and awareness of the broader policy and practice landscape.
- Curate external relationships by engaging thought leaders, innovators, and implementation partners across the public health arena.
Dissemination & Field Leadership
- Serve as a subject‑matter expert and disseminate findings through peer‑reviewed publications, technical reports, policy briefs, and presentations at conferences and seminars.
- Strengthen the organization’s visibility and influence within the public health and prevention research communities.
Proposal Development & Business Growth
- Lead and contribute to research proposals for federal, state, foundation, and other client opportunities.
- Develop competitive proposal strategies, including conceptual design, methodological plans, staffing, and budgets.
- Identify new business opportunities and cultivate partnerships that advance the organization’s mission.
Team Leadership & Mentorship
- Manage and mentor staff to build prevention expertise, strengthen technical capacity, and support professional growth.
- Provide thought partnership and coaching to mid‑level researchers on research design, analysis, and dissemination.
- Model inclusive leadership practices and foster a collaborative team environment.
Qualifications:
Education, Knowledge, and Experience
- 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).
Skills
- Strong organizational and interpersonal skills including strong communication skills with the ability to produce concise, high-level summaries and briefings.
- Strong negotiator and communicator, with excellent client management skills.
- Strong presentation, professional development delivery, and facilitation skills.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy when writing.
- Can collaborate effectively in a virtual work environment.
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, locks, 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.
ACCESSIBILITY NOTICE: If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process due to a physical or mental disability, please send an email to Taliba Boone at [email protected] or call 202.403.5000.
Fraudulent Job Scams Warning & Disclaimer: AIR is aware of individuals falsely presenting themselves as AIR representatives. Fraudulent job scams seek to extract sensitive information or money from victims. To protect yourself, please be aware that AIR recruitment will only email you from an “@air.org” domain. Please take extra caution while examining the email address, for example [email protected] is correct and [email protected] is not a legitimate AIR email address. If you are unsure of the legitimacy of a communication you have received, please reach out to [email protected]. If you see a job scam, or lose money to one, report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. You can also report it to your state attorney general. Find out more about how to avoid scams atftc.gov/scams.
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