American Institutes for Research Hiring for Researcher, Education Statistics at Remote, United States Full Time

Join AIR as a Researcher with our Education Statistics team. The mission of our team of experts is to provide statistical evidence that is meaningful, timely, accurate, and trustworthy. Our Education Statistics portfolio focuses on the development, collection, analysis, and communication of international, national, and state statistics. Our primary practice hubs are:

• Measurement and statistics in large-scale surveys

• Standards and assessment

Our Education Statistics team is driven by our mission to make the world a better, more equitable place.

We are seeking a Researcher with a focus on large-scale assessments to join AIR’s Education Statistics program area. The Researcher would apply quantitative research and data science methods to improve the development, operations, and analyses in large-scale assessments with an emphasis on (1) improving measures of student performance and measures of relevant contextual variables (2) supporting large-scale operations from framework, item development, data collections, and scoring; (3) designing research and/or data analysis reports to disseminate findings, expand the utility of the data, and increase audience. The Researcher is expected to be part of a team to conduct research and development, utlizing data science methods, to support the operational efficiency, accuracy, and timeliness of a large-scale assessment or survey program.

Candidates hired for the position may work remotely within the Unites States (U.S.) or from one of our U.S. office locations.

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 advance evidence in the areas of education, health, the workforce, human services, and international development to create a better, more equitable world.

AIR’s commitment to diversity goes beyond legal compliance to its full integration in our strategy, operations, and work environment. At AIR, we define diversity broadly, considering everyone’s unique life and community experiences. We believe that embracing diverse perspectives, abilities/disabilities, racial/ethnic and cultural backgrounds, styles, ages, genders, gender identities and expressions, education backgrounds, and life stories drives innovation and employee engagement. Learn more about AIR’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategy and hear from our staff by clicking here.

The responsibilities for the position include:

• Provide input on the strategic thinking, planning, and execution of assessment operations tasks. Examples include:

• contributing to efforts on new approaches and/or technologies in item types, field operations, and measurement and how changes will impact overall assessment program(s);

• working with transactional data (i.e., process data) collected from the students’ interactions with with assessment to support improvements in operations;

• contributing to team efforts to find and automate processes to meet accuracy and timeliness goals.

• Support the development of analyses plans for research studies and lead a research team to conduct such studies;

• Disseminate results of investigations and/or research studies internally (e.g., memos and short oral presentations) and externally (e.g., journal articles, technical reports, and presentations to professional conferences);

• Manage small to medium-size tasks, including: contributing to client meetings, planning and tracking deliverables, and overseeing junior analysts conducting quantitative analyses

• Provide input for technical sections and budget estimates for proposals

• Support learning opportunities for junior staff working on large-scale assessment projects

Education, Knowledge, and Experience:

• Master’s degree with a minimum of 4 years of experience or PhD in such fields as education measurement, statistics, economics, psychometrics, psychology, computer science, or other social science related fields.

• Experience in large-scale assessment programs such as the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), or a state assessment program.

• Experience analyzing complex survey and assessment data, including appropriate handling of plausible values, weights and variance estimation, a strong plus but not required.

• Experience with computer based testing and/or computer based adaptive testing is desired but not required.

  Skills:

• Excellent interpersonal skills to ensure effective communication regarding complex research methods and findings with individuals at all levels and from diverse backgrounds.

• Strong attention to detail with commitment to accuracy when writing.

• Strong commitment to rigorous quality control at every stage of data collection, preparation, and analysis.

• Excellent organization and time management skills.

• Ability and willingness to quickly learn new research methods when necessary.

• Ability to effectively collaborate within virtual a team 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.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability.

AIR adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

AIR’s Total Rewards Program, is designed to reward our staff competitively and motivate them to achieve our critical mission. This position offers an anticipated annual salary of $85,000 – $115,000. Salary offers are made based on internal equity within the institution and external equity with competitive markets. Please note this is the annual salary range for candidates that are based in the United States.

AIR maintains a drug-free work environment.

ID: 12766

External Company Name: American Institutes for Research