Vice President, Program Lead - Healthcare Innovations
About the job
- An advanced degree in Health Economics, Health Services Research, or a related field is required.
- At least 20 years of overall experience designing, implementing, and evaluating health care delivery and payment programs and policies is required.
- At least 5 years in a leadership role is required.
- Subject matter expertise in health economics and in implementing and evaluating healthcare delivery and payment models, including Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation models, is required.
- A proven track record leading proposals, winning contract work, and managing and leading teams is required.
- Experience leading multidisciplinary teams of health economists, data scientists, quantitative researchers, and qualitative researchers on large-scale federal health projects is required.
- Experience designing and successfully leading multiple complex, innovative healthcare payment and delivery model projects is required.
- Professional services industry knowledge and business development experience in federal and/or state government contracting, and/or with foundations, is required.
- Program leadership and high-level management experience, with a documented record of delivering results, is required.
- Planning skills, an analytic and process-oriented approach, and disciplined program management are required.
- Commitment to both the institution’s mission and financial viability is required.
- Experience developing and implementing a program’s strategic direction and assessing progress and performance against defined objectives is required.
- Ability to develop rapport with and lead mission-driven internal staff and external subcontractor and consultant teams is required.
- Experience integrating teams and leading through periods of transition is required.
- Commitment to supporting staff growth and creating leadership opportunities for staff at all organizational levels is required.
- Flexibility and ability to manage change and adapt to changing circumstances and needs are required.
- Communication skills, including listening to and understanding concerns and communicating clearly with internal and external audiences, are required.
- An established reputation as a thought leader through publications, presentations, advisory roles, or other contributions to the healthcare policy and research community is required.
- Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.
- Depending on project work, qualified candidates may need to meet certain residency requirements.
- Develop and implement new business plans and strategies with the Chief Program Officer and Chief Growth Officer, identify business development opportunities for the Healthcare Innovations program, and build a robust business pipeline with other Program Leads and program staff.
- Support achievement of Program Office financial and business development goals.
- Lead execution and management of the Healthcare Innovations program’s projects, people, and business pursuits.
- Serve as a subject matter expert in health economics, healthcare delivery and payment reform, Medicare and Medicaid policy, data analytics, and healthcare quality measurement.
- Provide strategic leadership in designing, implementing, and evaluating healthcare delivery and payment models using rigorous quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches.
- Contribute to developing Program Office operational plans and annual budgets in collaboration with the Chief Program Officer, and implement budgets and plans for the Healthcare Innovations program.
- Support achievement of Program Office goals related to staff engagement and development and client satisfaction.
- Lead staffing, workforce planning, and professional development efforts in the program, and implement strategies to attract, retain, and manage a cohesive, high-performing team.
- Represent AIR with clients, partners, staff, and other stakeholders, and build and maintain relationships with potential teaming partners, subcontractors, and subject matter consultants.
- Establish and maintain relationships with client organizations and serve as a trusted advisor; maintain relationships with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services contracting officers, project officers, and program staff; anticipate client needs and proactively surface insights and solutions.
- Work with Program Office leadership to develop a culture consistent with AIR’s mission and values.
- Enhance AIR’s external reputation in collaboration with the Communications and Public Affairs Office.
- Develop the overall vision and strategic direction for the program and engage in planning and problem solving to meet program goals and strengthen the leadership team’s strategic thinking, creativity, and innovation.
- Serve on the Program Office Leadership Team and collaborate closely with other Program Office leaders.
About the company
American Institutes for Research conducts behavioral and social science research and provides technical assistance in education, health, and the workforce. The organization works by collecting data and evaluating programs to provide actionable recommendations and implementation support to domestic and international clients. Unlike many research firms, it operates as a nonpartisan nonprofit that combines academic study with hands-on capacity building to bridge the gap between evidence and practice. Its goal is to use high-quality research and data analysis to improve people's lives and inform public policy decisions.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
Grant
Total Funding
$9.1M
Headquarters
null
Founded
1946
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- AIR won a $10.45 million special-education-spending study task order in July 2026.
- AIR’s Chicago office buildout finishes October 2026, signaling continued headcount and client demand.
- SREE 2026 presentations showcase AIR expertise in AI, math, and work-based learning.
What critics are saying
- AIR depends heavily on Education Department awards; DAES runs through September 2027.
- Trump-era IES cuts and canceled contracts shrink AIR’s evaluation pipeline immediately.
- Federal agency reprioritization can gut AIR’s core business and force layoffs within months.
What makes American Institutes for Research unique
- AIR runs federal-grade education evaluation, not generic consulting, anchored by IES contracts.
- AIR launched NSF-backed STEM Center with SREB and USC on September 2026.
- AIR added CTO Richard Jacik in October 2025 to modernize data systems.
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Benefits
Remote Work Options
Flexible Work Hours
Health Insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan
401(k) Company Match
Paid Vacation
Paid Holidays
Phone/Internet Stipend
Wellness Program
Mental Health Support
Conference Attendance Budget
Professional Development Budget
Training Programs
Stock Options
Company Equity
Paid Sick Leave
Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account
Hybrid Work Options
Childcare Support
Family Planning Benefits
Fertility Treatment Support
Adoption Assistance
Relocation Assistance
Parental Leave
Meal Benefits
Gym Membership
Commuter Benefits
Pet Insurance
Tuition Reimbursement
Professional Certification Support
Mentorship Program
Employee Discounts
Employee Social Events
Home Office Stipend
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
3%1 year growth
4%2 year growth
4%Neuroscientist Gayathri "Gaya" Dowling has joined the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to lead the AI Century Study, a 100-year project tracking how artificial intelligence (AI) shapes human development, education, and opportunity. Dowling led the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study for more than a decade. The $500 million National Institutes of Health project follows nearly 12,000 students from late childhood into young adulthood. The AI Century Study, announced in March, is a national longitudinal study using surveys, interviews, and administrative records. It will document patterns rather than intervene or manipulate AI exposure, and results will be released on an ongoing basis. "The AI Century Study will provide much-needed evidence for policy leaders, decisionmakers, and the greater public," said Jessica Heppen, AIR president and chief executive officer.
Birmingham Promise and AIR launch partnership to expand college and career pathways for local students. ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 6, 2026/PRNewswire/ - Birmingham Promise and the American Institutes for Research(R)(AIR) have launched a new partnership to strengthen how student data are used to understand and support young people as they move from high school to college and careers. Birmingham...
AIR experts to present at the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness 2026 annual conference. Sep 18, 2026, 11:27 ET ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Experts from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) will present at several sessions during the 2026 Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) conference. The conference will be held September 23-26, 2026, at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront in Baltimore, MD. AIR experts will share their work across a variety of topics, including work-based learning, high-quality instructional materials; individualized math instruction; digital learning programs; and more. Built around the theme, "Education and Public Trust: Evidence and Accountability in a Changing Landscape," the conference will bring together education researchers, policy leaders, and professionals from around the country. AIR is a Silver Conference Sponsor and will have a booth available in the Exhibitor Hall. Sessions featuring AIR experts and their work are listed below (all times are in Eastern Daylight Time). Learn more about all conference presentations and activities on the conference website. Wednesday, September 23 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Workshop: Matching Methods for Multilevel Data in Education Research: A Practical Guide and Illustration of Approaches in R Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Laurel AB 2:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. Paper Presentation: Impacts of Work-Based Learning Programs on Student Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Laurel CD Paper Presentation: From Foundational Skills to Community College: A Quasi-Experimental Study of Illinois Bridge Programs for Adult Learners Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Laurel CD AIR Presenters/Authors: Neha Nanda, Amani Talwar, Roman Ruiz, Jessica Stockham, and Oshin Khachikian 4:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Harborside Foyer Poster Session: Motivation and Engagement Profiles in Middle School Social Studies and Their Instructional Implications AIR Presenters/Authors: Alida Hudson, Lauren Artzi, Patrick Steele, Hannah Keepers, and Isabelle D'Souza Poster Session: Ready Set Succeed: Examining the Impacts and Costs of a Kindergarten Transition Program AIR Presenters/Authors: Leanne Elliott, Rachel Feldman, Danielle Riser, Lara Iqbal, Eboni Howard, and Hans Bos Poster Session: Teaching Tomorrow's Skills Today: Insights from the Teach Tech Kentucky Project AIR Presenters/Authors: Laura Buckley, Rachel Garrett, and Eben Witherspoon Poster Session: Building Trust in Educational Evidence: A Study of Reporting Bias in Impact Evaluations Thursday, September 24 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Paper Presentation: The Impact of Teacher Professional Learning Designed to Support Effective Use of High-Quality Instructional Materials Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Harbor D Paper Presentation: From Interviews to Evidence: Using Large Language Models Responsibly in Program Evaluation Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Laurel AB AIR Presenters/Authors: Ruhan Circi, Burhan Ogut, Tabitha Tezil, Eben Witherspoon, and Amelia Vasquez 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Harborside Foyer Poster Session: Building Validity for AI-Supported Formative Assessment: Evidence From Phase 1 of the ADAPT-AI Project Poster Session: The Associations Between Preparation and Pathways and the Composition, Distribution, and Stability of Special Educators AIR Presenter/Author: Allison Gilmour and Roddy Theobald Poster Session: Research on Using Simulation to Practice Evidence-Based Math Instruction Poster Session: Of 'Dear Colleague' Letters and Federal Injunctions: How Federal DEI Actions Influence Teachers' Use of Culturally Responsive Practices Poster Session: Teaching with AI: Building Evidence for Professional Learning That Supports Responsible Classroom Integration Poster Session: Synthesizing Evidence on Standalone Digital Learning Programs in Math and Science to Inform K-12 Instructional Strategies 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Panel: URE Moderated Discussion - Trusted by Whom? Rethinking Public Trust in Education Research Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Harbor E AIR Organizer & Panel Chair: Rachel Garrett AIR Presenters/Authors: Joseph Taylor and Rachel Garrett Friday, September 25 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Panel: RM Moderated Discussion - Supporting Early-Career Education Researchers Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Harbor B Paper Presentation: Propensity Score Matching in Multilevel Educational Settings: A Review and Guide for Applied Researchers Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Laurel AB AIR Presenters/Authors: Jordan Rickles, Alberto Guzman-Alvarez and Qi Zhang Paper Presentation: The Benefits and Costs of Educational Inclusion: Evidence from an Evaluation of the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools Program Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Galena AIR Presenters/Authors: Jesse Levin, Rachel Feldman, Katie Laird, and Brad Salvato 10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Keynote Panel: The Education Research Ecosystem: What Would it Take for Evidence to Matter More? Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Harborside C Ballroom 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Harborside Foyer Poster Session: In-the-Pipeline: Individualized Math Instruction with The Modern Classrooms Project - Preliminary Analyses Poster Session: Using Retrospective Pretest Items in Educational Program AIR Presenters/Authors: Diana Oh and Margarita Olivera-Aguilar Poster Session: Designing and Evaluating AI-Assisted Qualitative Analysis Workflows for Education Impact Studies Panel: OSS Invited Moderated Discussion - School Accountability and Turnaround in a Time of Federal Limbo Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Galena Paper Presentation: Nudged, But at What Cost? Assessing the State of Economic Evaluation in a Systematic Review of Postsecondary Nudge Interventions Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Laurel CD AIR Presenters/Authors: Chris Brooks, Melissa Rodgers, Charleen Gust, Amanda Danks, and Megan Austin Paper Presentation: Scaling Effective Educational Interventions Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Kent AB AIR Presenters/Authors: Yinmei Wan Saturday, September 26 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Paper Presentation: Student Engagement as a Pathway Linking Teacher Support to Mathematics Achievement: A Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Modeling Review Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Laurel CD AIR Presenters/Authors: Qi Zhang and Yibing Li Paper Presentation: Student Perceptions of and Performance in Math: Effects of Middle School Access to Real-World Math Lessons Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Laurel CD AIR Presenters/Authors: Jordan Rickles, Fei Tan, Santiago Nicotera, and Amelia Auchstetter 10:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Paper Presentation: Evaluation Findings of the Equity Leader Accelerator Program Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Laurel AB AIR Presenters/Authors: Martyna Citkowicz, Sarah Mae Olivar, Sarah Peko-Spicer, Jasmine James, Sonica Dhillon, and Jill Bowdon Paper Presentation: Impacts of a Rural, Community-Based Summer Literacy Program on Early Elementary Struggling Readers' Outcomes: Evidence from a Quasi-Experimental Study Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront - Kent AB AIR Presenters/Authors: Patrick Rich, Karen Manship, Aleksandra Holod, and Alberto Guzman-Alvarez About AIR Established in 1946, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of education, health, and the workforce. With headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, AIR has offices across the U.S. and abroad. For more information, visit www.air.org. SOURCE American Institutes for Research
The power of peer collaboration. Teachers know that students learn best when they are actively engaged in their own learning. The same applies to teacher professional development. TxCEE's Collaborative Language Acquisition Strategies for Success (CLASS) project is built on exactly this premise. Rather than positioning teachers as passive recipients of training, CLASS treats teachers as active contributors to one another's growth, thus leveraging collective expertise through structured collaboration to drive meaningful instructional improvement. How peer collaboration is embedded in CLASS. The CLASS model is intentionally designed around Collaborative Learning Communities (CLCs), the central mechanism through which peer collaboration occurs. In these communities, teachers meet regularly to focus on instruction, student learning, and continuous improvement. In these collaborative spaces, teachers work together to analyze student needs and progress, apply and test evidence-based instructional strategies, reflect on what works in real classroom settings, and refine their approaches over time. This structure ensures that collaboration is not just frequent, but purposeful and directly tied to classroom practice. But does this collaborative approach really work? What the evidence shows. The American Institutes for Research (AIR) has partnered with TxCEE to independently evaluate the CLASS program. Based on surveys, interviews, and focus groups with participating teachers, findings suggest that this collaborative approach is already yielding important benefits. As shown in the infographic below, most teachers perceived CLCs as moderately or extremely effective for: * Reviewing student data * Reflecting on instructional strategies * Learning new instructional strategies * Collaborating with colleagues on problems of practice * Engaging in authentic discussions with colleagues In interviews, teachers and school leaders described CLCs as energizing spaces for shared learning and reflection. As a participating 4th grade teacher noted, "I think the CLC meetings are really, really enriching. I enjoy going in there and sharing what we know and also bouncing off each other's strategies." A school principal echoed this enthusiasm, explaining that what stands out most is seeing teachers light up as they engage with one another's ideas and become open to trying new approaches in their classrooms. Beyond training: A shift in professional learning. Ultimately, the success of peer collaboration in CLASS reflects a broader shift in how professional learning is conceptualized. Rather than relying on external expertise alone, the project recognizes that teachers themselves are powerful learning resources. By centering collaboration, CLASS transforms professional development into an ongoing, interactive process where teachers learn from each other's experiences and continuously improve through shared reflection. This approach not only strengthens instruction in the short term but also builds lasting capacity within schools. As the CLASS project continues, it offers a compelling example of the power of collaboration to foster professional growth and strengthen instructional practice.
J.C. Anderson selected to build new Chicago office for American Institutes for Research. J.C. Anderson has been selected as the general contractor for a new office renovation for American Institutes for Research (AIR) at 200 South Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago. Construction is scheduled to begin in July 2026. Designed by Ware Malcomb, the project will transform the space into AIR's new Chicago office, creating a modern workplace that supports collaboration, flexibility, and technology. The interior buildout will feature premium finishes and furnishings, upgraded IT infrastructure, and enhanced audiovisual capabilities to accommodate today's evolving workplace needs. The new office will incorporate DIRTT demountable office fronts throughout the space, providing long-term flexibility while maintaining a refined aesthetic. A telescoping partition in the primary conference room will allow the space to adapt for meetings and events of varying sizes, while specialty ceilings and custom millwork will further elevate the overall workplace experience. The project presents several technical challenges, including the installation of supplemental structural steel to support the telescoping partition and extensive coordination of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems above the specialty ceiling layouts. J.C. Anderson will work closely with the design team and trade partners to ensure the project's high-performance design is executed efficiently while maintaining schedule and quality. "We're excited to partner with American Institutes for Research and the project team to bring this new workplace to life," said Jon Zawiski, Project Executive at J.C. Anderson. "This project combines thoughtful design with technical complexity, and we're looking forward to delivering a space that supports AIR's mission while providing a flexible, modern environment for its Chicago team." Ware Malcomb is providing architectural services, Cresa is serving as project manager and Glenstar is the property's management company. Construction is expected to be completed in October 2026. Corporate headquarters. 834 North Church Road Elmhurst, IL 60126 630.834.1669 Chicago office. 225 W. Washington Street Suite 1250 Chicago, IL 60606