Mixed-Methods Research Associate, Employment & Economic Opportunity

Role Overview

• Conduct literature reviews and contribute to evidence syntheses. This includes searching for and identifying relevant literature, reviewing and extracting relevant insights, and drafting summary documents.
• Coordinate or manage research study tasks, with assumption of greater responsibility over time, including developing and tracking project timelines, activities, and deliverables; supporting budget management; and preparing submissions for Institutional Review Board (IRB) and data governance review.
• Conduct quantitative and/or qualitative data collection under the guidance of senior researchers, including accessing extant data and assessing its utility for project needs; assisting with the development of data collection protocols and surveys; supporting participant recruitment; conducting interviews and note-taking; supporting survey administration; and/or supporting data analytics activities.
• Clean, code, and analyze data from interviews, observations, surveys, and administrative data using the appropriate research methods and software (e.g., STATA, R, NVIVO, or similar software).
• Draft and contribute to technical reports, policy briefs, memos, and presentations that describe and interpret findings of analyses clearly for policymakers, practitioners, funders, research and non‑technical audiences.
• Support project management tasks, including tracking timelines, coordinating data‑collection activities, and contributing to internal quality‑assurance processes.
• Support new business and proposal development efforts by engaging in tasks such as researching funding opportunities, collecting and organizing required information, and writing proposal sections.
• Support and help maintain relationships with partners, including other researchers and practitioners.
• Clearly communicate knowledge of the project purpose and objectives to clients and external partners when necessary and represent AIR in a professional manner.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree and 2+ years of experience or Master’s Degree in Social Sciences (Public Policy, Sociology, Economics, Education, Psychology, etc.)
• Familiarity with higher education and/or workforce development systems, policies, or programs
• Experience conducting qualitative and/or quantitative data collection, including survey design, administrative data collection, interviews, observations, and focus groups.
• Experience with qualitative and/or quantitative data analysis software programs including STATA, R, NVIVO, or similar software.
• Demonstrated content knowledge in workforce development, public benefits, career and technical education, or related topics.
• Prior work on federal or foundation‑funded research or evaluation projects in education or workforce policy preferred, but not required.
• Experience conducting site visits or stakeholder engagement with education or workforce organizations preferred.

Benefits

• AIR’s Total Rewards Program is designed to reward our staff competitively and motivate them to achieve our critical mission.