Senior Researcher, Monitoring & Compliance

AIR is seeking a Senior Researcher, Monitoring & Compliance to join AIR's Health Transformation Team. We work to advance equitable, high-quality, affordable, and patient-centered care through rigorous research, evaluation, and technical assistance focused on what matters most to patients, families, clinicians, and the broader healthcare community.

Our team has a strong focus on quality measurement to help ensure patients receive safe and equitable care. We also translate research evidence to promote the understanding and adoption of best practices among patients, families, caregivers, physicians, nurses, insurers, health system leaders, and policymakers. In addition, our expertise includes promoting evidence-based care across a range of clinical conditions, improving patient safety, and engaging patients and family members in the delivery of care.

The Senior Researcher will serve as a task and project leader across a broad portfolio of health policy work, with a focus on monitoring, oversight, and program integrity. In this role, the Senior Researcher will apply rigorous analytic methods to support efforts to prevent, detect, and address fraud, waste, and abuse, and to strengthen accountability and effective program operations—particularly within Medicare and Medicaid programs.

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

• Lead monitoring and compliance activities, including the design and execution of monitoring and audit plans.
• Specify, oversee, and interpret descriptive and statistical analyses of large, complex datasets.
• Interpret policy and regulations to develop monitoring measures and audit protocols.
• Prepare high‑quality technical reports, memoranda, and documentation.
• Design and oversee dashboards and data visualizations to communicate monitoring results.
• Clearly communicate methods, findings, and implications to technical and policy audiences.
• Manage budgets and project timelines in collaboration with a Project Manager and clients.
• Ensure the quality, accuracy, and consistency of deliverables through appropriate quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) processes.
• Supervise and mentor research staff on project execution and professional development.
• Collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary teams and contribute to proposal development.

Education, Knowledge, and Experience

• Ph.D. in Economics, Finance, Public Policy, Public Administration, Public Health, or a related quantitative field with at least 4 years of relevant experience; or a Master's degree in a related field with at least 6 years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience applying a range of statistical inference methods.
• Experience developing and writing proposals for federal agencies.
• Experience designing, implementing, and executing monitoring and auditing approaches for federal programs.
• Experience with large program and administrative datasets.
• Ability to review and assess analytic code written in R, Python, SQL, and/or Stata, and to analyze quantitative data.
• Direct experience working with CMS is strongly preferred, but not required.

• Strong attention to detail.
• Strong presentation, professional development delivery, and facilitation skills.
• Ability to learn quickly, take direction, and work independently in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Comfortable working in a virtual/dispersed work environment.
• Ability to lead and collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary teams.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the U.S. on a full‑time basis. Employment‐based visa sponsorship…