Senior Researcher, Monitoring & Compliance

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

Job Description:

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. 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: 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. Qualifications: 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. Skills 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. 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 $122,070 - $162,760 USD

Keywords: American Institutes for Research, Chicago , Senior Researcher, Monitoring & Compliance, Human Resources , Chicago, Illinois