Senior Researcher, Place- Evaluation & Learning

Join AIR as a Senior Researcher, Place Based Evaluation & Learning and use your experience and expertise to help us deliver on our mission: to generate evidence and apply data‑driven solutions that expand opportunities and improve lives for all.

This role is designed for a senior researcher who thrives in deep partnership with place‑based organizations and the national intermediaries that support them to improve programs and practices that support community and individual level wellbeing, including economic mobility. Working alongside practitioners, the senior researcher will co‑design learning projects, translate learning priorities into measurable and feasible indicators, and help build evaluation and learning systems that drive better decisions.

In collaboration with a senior project director, the Researcher will lead components of complex projects, develop applied evaluation frameworks, and translate research into practical, actionable tools that partners can use to strengthen strategy, accountability, and continuous improvement.

This position will be primarily dedicated (approximately 80%) to supporting a research collaboration with a single national intermediary that engages place‑based partnerships nationwide, to help stand up and implement an integrated evaluation and learning agenda. Over time, the role may evolve to support additional places, partners, or cross‑site learning efforts.
This is a time‑limited position expected to last 12 months. The selected candidate will work full‑time on Place‑Based Partnerships, with potential for extension at AIR's discretion and continued business need.

This position will report to a senior leader within AIR's Employment and Economic Opportunity program and will work closely with AIR colleagues supporting place‑based initiatives and partnerships. This position may be based in either Washington, DC or New York, NY. Regular domestic travel to partner sites is expected, up to 25% time.

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.

• Partner closely with a national intermediary to design and operationalize evaluation and learning frameworks aligned with their place‑based partners' strategy, capacity, and context.
• Lead the identification of metrics, data points, data sources, and data collection processes that balance rigor with feasibility.
• Develop evaluation work plans, including timelines and sequencing for data collection, data entry, analysis, reporting, and learning cycles.
• Translate evaluation needs into clear guidance for data systems, working with partner staff and technical administrators as needed.

• Support early execution of evaluation and learning activities, particularly during startup phases, while partners build internal capacity.
• Develop tools, templates, and protocols that enable partners to sustain evaluation and learning processes over time.
• Serve as a thought partner to practitioner staff—connecting data, evidence, and learning to real‑world decision‑making.

Produce high‑quality deliverables such as:

• Evaluation frameworks and playbooks
• Data collection tools and protocols
• Reporting templates, learning briefs, and synthesis memos
• Partner‑facing guidance related to evaluation and data use
• Translate complex findings into clear, actionable insights for practitioner, funder, and field‑facing audiences.

• Lead discrete projects or major project components, including timelines, deliverables, and coordination with partners and AIR colleagues.
• Engage regularly with partners through meetings, working sessions, and briefings, building trust‑based and collaborative relationships.
• Lead and contribute to proposal development,…