Research Associate, Research Assistant​/Associate, Research Scientist

Founded in 1977, ZERO TO THREE works to ensure that babies and toddlers benefit from the early connections that are critical to their well-being and development. Our mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. At ZERO TO THREE, we envision a society with the knowledge and will to support all infants and toddlers in reaching their full potential.

Our Core Values Statement:
We believe that how we do our work is as important as what we do. To learn more about ZERO TO THREE, please visit our website .

The Research Associate will support the Research Development and Support Manager and Research Director's work to inform Healthy Steps program development and grow the Healthy Steps evidence base. Primary responsibilities of the position include: (1) supporting Healthy Steps sites in conducting applied Healthy Steps research and other National Office-led research projects, (2) maintaining and updating the Healthy Steps evidence catalogue and evidence resources, and (3) mastering and maintaining areas of relevant evidence from the field of preventive pediatric primary care at large to contextualize and situate Healthy Steps evidence and the Healthy Steps model in the broader literature and inform programmatic decision-making.

This is a term-limited position through March 31, 2027, and may be extended contingent upon continued funding, organizational needs, and demonstrated performance.

• Provide research and evaluation technical assistance to Healthy Steps sites to advance the site-level Healthy Steps research strategy. Support the Research Development and Support Manager in consulting with sites on their applied Healthy Steps research by:
• Guiding research design to align with Healthy Steps model and health system priorities.
• Advising on study design, measurement strategies, and data collection methods.
• Supporting family recruitment and engagement using culturally responsive approaches.
• Collaborating on interpretation of results.
• Connecting sites with relevant research, resources, and peer learning opportunities.
• Assisting with dissemination through contribution to presentations, publications, and materials.
• Support Healthy Steps research projects by collaborating with the Research Development and Support Manager and Research Director to:
• Provide operational project support and coordinate with external partners and/or evaluation vendors.
• Provide evaluation technical assistance and support to sites participating in research projects
• Prepare agendas and participate in meetings with key partners.
• Contribute research content for proposals and reports and provide feedback on research materials.
• Lead efforts to maintain, update and disseminate the Healthy Steps evidence-base, including:
• Mastering, maintaining, and updating the Healthy Steps evidence catalogue (i.e., completed and in-progress Healthy Steps research) and related resources.
• Partnering with the Communications team on dissemination of Healthy Steps research, including supporting development and maintenance of research-related website content.
• Updating external-facing evidence documents annually and creating new resources as needed.
• Responding to evidence requests from internal staff and external partners.
• Lead efforts to review and synthesize field-level evidence, including:
• Staying informed on current evidence and best practices in pediatric primary care for infants, toddlers, and their families to inform programmatic decision-making.
• Leading regular information gathering efforts (e.g., literature reviews, interviews with key partners, etc.) to summarize evidence and best practices related to the Healthy Steps priority outcome areas and other areas as relevant and to inform the work of the model stewardship committee.
• Synthesizing and reporting findings internally and externally as appropriate.
• Reviewing and critiquing research articles to assess relevance and alignment with the Healthy Steps model and developing talking points in collaboration with communications.
• Performs other duties as assigned to ensure the efficient and effective functioning of the project.

• Research and evaluation expertise
• Minimum 4 years of experience in evaluation and/or research of human services programs; experience with pediatric and/or maternal-child health programs preferred
• Proficiency in quantitative, qualitative, and community-engaged research methods, including protocol development, measurement selection, data collection, and statistical and thematic analysis
• Experience providing research and evaluation technical assistance
• Experience conducting qualitative interviews

• Evidence management and knowledge building
  • Skilled in conducting literature searches and environmental scans to summarize evidence, identify field-level trends and best practices, and communicate findings effectively
  • Proficient at using citation-management programs (e.g., Zotero)
  • Demonstrated and current knowledge of…