Senior Researcher, Medicaid Quality Measures

Company: American Institutes for Research
Location: Chicago
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

Join AIR as a Senior Researcher, Medicaid Quality Measures with our Healthcare Innovations team. Our team works collaboratively to unravel the intertwined challenges of health care quality, costs, and access. Our experts—nurses, physicians, psychologists, economists, sociologists, data scientists, and public health experts—advance evidence and save lives by leading rigorous research and evaluation; results-driven technical assistance and training; and leading-edge data science and technology tools. The Senior Researcher leads and executes applied research and analytic work end-to-end—designing rigorous studies and analytic approaches, managing teams and budgets, overseeing data collection and analysis, contributing to proposals, and communicating actionable findings as a trusted partner to clients and stakeholders. In this role, you will apply that leadership specifically to Medicaid quality measurement —supporting measure strategy, specification review/refinement, annual updates, computation, performance interpretation, and reporting that informs program monitoring and performance-based payment approaches. This position has the flexibility to work remotely within the United States (U.S.) or from one of AIR’s U.S. office locations (does not include U.S. territories). About AIR: 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: The responsibilities for the position include: Lead or co-lead the construction, interpretation, and computation of quality measures relevant to Medicaid programs and models, including work that supports program monitoring and performance-based payment approaches. Support measure strategy activities such as annual review and refinement of measure sets, assessment of specification changes and updates from measure stewards, and quantitative/qualitative evaluation of measure performance—bringing a Medicaid lens to feasibility and burden considerations. Provide guidance to clients and partners on measure use and implications of updates for feasibility, administrative burden, interoperability, and alignment with broader quality frameworks. Manage day-to-day project operations in roles such as principal investigator, project director, or task lead, ensuring deliverables are completed on time, within budget, and to a high standard. Lead collaborative project teams by developing timelines and coordinating staff assignments. Identify research problems and design rigorous applied studies, including aligned research questions, methodologies, and analytic plans. Apply subject-matter expertise to design and implement relevant, responsive, and impactful research projects. Lead and contribute to research proposals for federal, state, foundation, and other clients. Devise and implement innovative solutions to practical challenges in applied research. Lead data collection and analysis efforts, including the design of qualitative and/or quantitative data collection tools (e.g., interview protocols, focus group guides, surveys). Supervise field-based data collection activities, including interviews, observations, focus groups, and document reviews. Conduct or oversee data analysis using appropriate tools and techniques for various data types. Communicate study progress and findings clearly and effectively through reports, briefs, visualizations, and other materials. Represent the organization professionally in client interactions and manage client and stakeholder relationships with awareness of the broader policy and practice landscape. Communicate effectively with clients, partners, and stakeholders, and foster positive, collaborative working relationships. Contribute thoughtfully and creatively to project teams. Qualifications: Education, Knowledge, and Experience PhD in a related field (e.g., Health Services Research, Economics, Public Policy, Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, or related discipline) with 3 years of relevant experience, or a Master’s degree with 7 years of relevant experience. Demonstrated experience contributing to quality measurement work (e.g., measure specification review, measure refinement/updates, computation, benchmarking/scoring, and/or interpretation for monitoring/performance). Experience analyzing claims and other large or complex datasets and producing accurate, well-documented analytic outputs. Experience leading project tasks and/or managing teams on research, evaluation, analytics, implementation support, or monitoring projects. Experience translating complex technical concepts into actionable work plans, timelines, and client-ready deliverables. Experience supporting business development efforts, including proposal writing for federal and/or state clients. Experience with qualitative data collection methodologies (e.g., structured interviews, focus groups, observations, survey research) and qualitative analytic tools (e.g., NVivo) and/or quantitative analysis using tools such as Stata, R, Python, or Access. Experience working in contract research and/or evaluation organizations preferred, but not required. Skills Strong organizational and interpersonal skills, including the ability to produce concise, high-level summaries and briefings for technical and non-technical audiences. Strong client partnership skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams and external partners. Excellent written communication skills with strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy and clarity. Ability to collaborate effectively in a virtual work 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. 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 tboone@air.orgor 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 jdoe@air.org is correct and jdoe@aircareers.org is not a legitimate AIR email address. If you are unsure of the legitimacy of a communication you have received, please reach out torecruitment@air.org. 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. LI-AS1 LI-REMOTE AIR’s Total Rewards Program, is designed to reward our staff competitively and motivate them to achieve our critical mission. This position offers the anticipated annual salary as listed. 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. Anticipated Annual Salary Range $122,000 - $162,700 USD

Keywords: American Institutes for Research, Chicago , Senior Researcher, Medicaid Quality Measures, Executive , Chicago, Illinois