Principal Researcher, Youth, Family, and Community Development

Join AIR as a Principal Researcher with our Youth, Family, and Community Development program to foster pathways for young people, families, and communities to thrive through the generation, dissemination, and application of evidence. This position will focus on prevention science with emphasis on preventing violence and other forms of harmful behaviors in the military. This position will require collaboration within and outside AIR, including with program providers, subject matter experts, as well as federal, state, and local agency officials.

The Principal Researcher will contribute to the strategic vision for primary prevention of violence and provide mentorship and guidance to teams. They 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 and taking a strengths‑based perspective. We are especially interested in candidates with strong project and people management skills, and experience with data dashboards.

Candidates with relevant lived experience, including military service, are encouraged to apply.

Related projects aim to use culturally responsive science to focus around one or more areas, including but not limited to:

• Primary prevention of violence, such as
  • intimate partner and sexual violence
  • child maltreatment and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
  • violence that impacts youth and community
• Suicide prevention and mental health promotion
• Military communities, readiness, and resilience
• Systems change, including organizational and culture change in the military and other community serving systems
• Public health workforce competencies and career pipelines
• Data visualization and dissemination

This position has the flexibility to work remote from anywhere in the United States or from any 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.

• Direct or help direct and manage large, complex research projects or a series of smaller projects.
• Ensure that all task activities and deliverables are completed on time, are of high quality, and align with client expectations.
• Develop strategic plans and timelines for products.
• Manage and mentor staff to build their prevention expertise.
• Oversee the planning, design, and implementation of research projects, including methods, procedures and reporting.
• Develop conceptual frameworks that address research and evaluation topics.
• Lead the review, analyses, and syntheses of data and visualization using appropriate practices and techniques and ensure that projects are designed around client needs with sound methodology.
• Serve as an expert in the field and disseminate findings through publication of papers, progress and technical reports, and presentation at seminars and research conferences.
• Curate external relationships and visibility by engaging thought leaders, innovators, and implementation partners across the public health policy arena.

Education, Knowledge, and Experience

• Ph.D. in related subject area (Anthropology, Economics, Sociology, Public Health, Psychology, or related field) with a minimum of 7 years of related experience, or a Master's and 11 year of related experience.
• Extensive experience and expertise in issues related to a public health approach to prevention and demonstrated ability to apply this knowledge to real‑world policy and programmatic decision‑making.
• Thought leader with sophisticated understanding of the policy landscape and evidence gaps in public health, as demonstrated through publications/presentations, award of contracts and grants, and overall body of work.
• Demonstrated success in leading field‑based…