Senior Research Associate-Implementation and Technical Assistance

Job Responsibilities

• Lead and manage complex research and technical assistance projects, ensuring high-quality deliverables, timelines, and client satisfaction.
• Develop work plans, budgets, and progress reports for federal and nonfederal clients.
• Manage a team, including junior staff and subcontractors, by making assignments, monitoring timelines, identifying next steps, and conducting quality assurance.
• Develop and implement processes for tracking operational needs using Excel or Smartsheet and reporting on status regularly using dashboards and data-use tools to support decision-making.
• Design and deliver technical assistance strategies to support program implementation, results, sustainability, and scaling.
• Provide interactive coaching, training, workshops and courses to cross-sector stakeholders (e.g., program administrators, practitioners, policymakers).
• Develop implementation tools, strategies, and resources aligned with Promise Neighborhoods and Full-Service Community Schools frameworks (e.g., toolkits, guides, training materials).
• Support continuous quality improvement and organizational capacity building.

Basic Qualifications

• A master’s degree in social sciences, education, public policy, or a related field with at least 6 years of relevant experience in technical assistance, process-oriented implementation or technical support, and qualitative or quantitative data collection and analysis; or a Ph.D. in social sciences, public health, public policy or a related field with 2 or more years of relevant experience in technical assistance, process-oriented implementation or technical support, and qualitative or quantitative data collection and analysis.
• Demonstrated experience working with federal or state contracts (e.g., HHS, CDC, ED, DOL) especially cradle-to-career projects such Promise Neighborhoods and Full-Service Community Schools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with results-based frameworks such as Results Count, Result-Based Accountability.
• Demonstrated communication skills and ability to translate complex technical information into plain language for various audiences.
• Demonstrated ability mentoring more junior staff and working collaboratively with more senior staff.
• Excellent attention to detail and quality assurance.
• Strong project management skills and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.