Technical Assistance Consultant, Employment and Economic Opportunity

AIR’s Employment & Economic Opportunity Program is seeking a Technical Assistance Consultant to work on projects that broaden workforce opportunities for youth and adults seeking better pathways to good jobs by strengthening economic mobility programs and improving talent pipelines for employers. Our projects focus on areas of transformational change, such as systems alignment and the future of work, especially in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Topics range across the career readiness to the lifelong learning landscape, such as work-based learning strategies, adult education, career pathways, and industry sector strategies.

The Technical Assistance Consultant will develop user-centered content and work side-by-side with our clients and community partners to conduct strategic planning, implement change management strategies, and identify proof points and strong models that lead to sustainability and scaling. 

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.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct needs sensing and synthesize needs to develop technical assistance plans.
• Design and deliver technical assistance and training in virtual and in-person settings. 
• Create content for technical assistance and capacity-building materials such as toolkits, guides, fact sheets, training materials, and web-based resources.
• Facilitate meetings, communities of practice, and stakeholder engagement sessions.
• Provide subject matter expertise on employment and economic opportunity topics.
• Support research activities, such as focus groups, surveys, and case studies.
• Contribute to the development of reports that describe and interpret findings for clients, partners, and other relevant audiences. 
• Represent the organization in interactions with state, local, and site-based staff; potential clients; and partner organizations.
• Work on collaborative project teams, including supervision of  junior colleagues as a task or functional lead. 
• Contribute to team efforts to develop new business opportunities including strategic planning, identification and pursuit of opportunities, and proposal development. 
• Manage or lead projects or tasks, with assumption of greater responsibility over time. 

Qualifications:

Education, Knowledge, and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree with 6+ years of relevant experience or a Master’s degree with 4+ years of relevant experience in social sciences, public policy, public administration, and other relevant fields.
• Demonstrated content knowledge in topic areas related to employment and economic opportunity. 
• Experience in effectively working across diverse clients, funders, and communities to implement innovations on economic mobility and workforce development. 
• Experience assessing needs and developing and delivering technical assistance and training to workforce, education, government, and/or industry organizations.
• Experience designing technical assistance content and approaches that reflect multiple user perspectives.
• Foundational understanding of dynamics and trends impacting the future of work, including AI.
• Foundational understanding of AI limitations, bias, data privacy, and organizational guardrails.

Skills

• Ability to integrate AI into the development of practical tools, guides, and learning resources.
• Ability to identify opportunities for integrating AI into innovative practices.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication 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 organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously. 
• Effective communication skills with the ability to collaborate efficiently in both in-person and virtual environments. 
• Ability to develop technical assistance content that is clear, compelling, and responsive to audience needs.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.

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.

American Institutes for Research is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer. 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 reference and background checks. AIR maintains a drug-free work environment. 

ACCESSIBILITY NOTICE: If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process due to a physical or mental disability, please send an email to Taliba Boone at [email protected] call 202.403.5000.

Fraudulent Job Scams Warning & Disclaimer: AIR is aware of individuals falsely presenting themselves as AIR representatives. Fraudulent job scams seek to extract sensitive information or money from victims. To protect yourself, please be aware that AIR recruitment will only email you from an “@air.org” domain. Please take extra caution while examining the email address, for example [email protected] is correct and [email protected] is not a legitimate AIR email address. If you are unsure of the legitimacy of a communication you have received, please reach out [email protected]. If you see a job scam, or lose money to one, report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) atReportFraud.ftc.gov. You can also report it to your state attorney general. Find out more about how to avoid scams atftc.gov/scams.

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