Senior Researcher, Employment & Economic Opportunity (Part-Time)

AIR’s Employment & Economic Opportunity Program is seeking a Part-Time Senior Researcher to support project teams working on large-scale assessment contracts and related business development efforts, including the International Activities Support and NAEP Technical Support contracts.  

The Senior Researcher provides technical and project leadership across operational and analytic activities supporting NAEP and U.S. participation in major international large-scale assessments and surveys. Working closely with project leadership, clients, subcontractors, and international partners, the Senior Researcher will lead enhancements to online data tools such as the International Data Explorer (IDE); conduct technical reviews of assessment data, results, and documentation; oversee development, maintenance, and quality assurance activities; manage project schedules and deliverables; and contribute to research, external partnerships, and business development initiatives.

Engagements are typically project- or pursuit-based, part-time, and may vary in duration and hours depending on project needs.

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. 

About AIR:

Established in 1946, with headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, AIR is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance to solve some of the most urgent challenges in the U.S. and around the world. We generate evidence and apply data-driven solutions that expand opportunities and improve lives for all. 

Responsibilities:

The responsibilities for the position include:

• Lead the development, enhancement, and ongoing maintenance of the International Data Explorer (IDE), including integrating new international large-scale assessment datasets and preparing variables, metadata, jurisdiction information, instructional notes, footnotes, and other supporting content.
• Lead quality assurance and technical review activities for the IDE and related data products, ensuring the accuracy and consistency of datasets, specifications, calculations, tables, charts, maps, labels, documentation, and functionality. Maintain rigorous and well-documented quality assurance (QA) processes to support accurate, reproducible, and publication-ready products.
• Develop and manage project schedules, work plans, and across client, subcontractor, and internal teams, coordinating interdependent tasks, deliverables, staffing, and resources. Proactively identify risks and changing requirements and adapt priorities and schedules to accommodate shifts in data availability and study release timelines. Maintain project management and workflow tracking systems, such as Airtable.
• Manage subcontractor activities and deliverables, coordinating technical work, schedules, dependencies, QA requirements, and issue resolution to ensure timely and high-quality delivery.
• Lead and conduct technical reviews of international assessment and NAEP data products, including data files, data companions, technical documentation, international reports, the Nation’s Report Card, and related publications and materials. Review technical memoranda and other materials related to assessment operations, data analysis, and reporting.
• Conduct research and statistical analyses as needed, using R, Stata, SAS, or other appropriate analytical tools to support project and research objectives.
• Support business development activities, including proposal management and writing, technical input to proposals, and market research.

Qualifications:

Education, Knowledge, and Experience

• Ph.D. in educational measurement, research and evaluation, comparative and international education, or a related field, with at least 3 years of relevant experience managing and conducting research or related work; or a master's degree with at least 7 years of relevant experience.
• Strong knowledge of the contextual, content, methodological, and technical aspects of national and international large-scale assessments and surveys such as NAEP and PISA.
• Strong understanding of complex survey methodology and statistical analysis, including complex sample designs, sampling and replicate weights, plausible values, and their implications for analysis and reporting.
• Experience developing, maintaining, or enhancing online data analysis tools or databases, and/or training various stakeholders to use such tools for data analysis and interpretation.
• Experience collaborating and coordinating with the federal government to conduct assessments and surveys.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams on federally funded research projects.
• Experience conducting statistical analyses using R, Stata, SAS, or similar analytical software.

Skills

• Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills for working with stakeholders at various levels and from a range of backgrounds.
• High attention to detail and a strong commitment to accuracy and quality.
• Strong project management skills, including timeline tracking, risk identification, and managing competing priorities.
• Self-motivated and reliable, with the ability to work independently and take ownership of complex tasks with minimal supervision.
• Excellent communication skills with a commitment to validity, clarity, and evidence-based messaging.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams and external partners 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.