Senior Growth Strategy Specialist

American Institutes for Research (AIR) seeks a Senior Growth Strategy Specialist to support the organization’s strategic growth and revenue diversification efforts. This role plays a critical part in sustaining momentum, quality, and follow-through across prospective opportunities by operationalizing work shaped by the Growth Office. The Senior Growth Strategy Specialist coordinates inputs across teams, prepares pitch and follow-up materials, tracks opportunities and next steps, supports early pilots and incubation work, and ensures consistent use of Growth Office tools and processes. This role translates strategic direction into well-executed action, enabling opportunities to move forward efficiently and positioning AIR for long-term sustainability and impact.

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. The role requires regular domestic and international travel.

About AIR:

Established in 1946, with headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, AIR is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance to solve some of the most urgent challenges in the U.S. and around the world. We advance evidence in the areas of education, health, the workforce, human services, and international development to create a better, more equitable world. AIR's commitment to diversity goes beyond legal compliance to its full integration in our strategy, operations, and work environment.

Responsibilities:

The responsibilities for the position include:

Opportunity Execution & Coordination

• Lead preparation of pitch materials, briefings, follow up content, and supporting documentation for prospective partners, funders, and clients.
• Coordinate with the Program Office and internal contributors to manage timelines, inputs, reviews, and handoffs for opportunities across the Growth Office.
• Track opportunities, funder and partner interactions, decisions, and next steps to ensure continuity, accountability, and follow through.
• Support opportunity progression by identifying risks, gaps, and dependencies and flagging them early.
• Develop and ensure consistent use of Growth Office tools, templates, and operating processes across opportunities and focus areas.

Market & Competitive Intelligence

• Conduct background research, landscape scans, and partner profiling to inform market and competitive intelligence.
• Support early pilots, concept testing, and incubation efforts for business development focus areas by coordinating activities and synthesizing insights.
• Synthesize partner input and market signals into actionable recommendations and next steps.

Operational Excellence

• Support and apply established processes to track goals, KPIs, and performance against growth targets.
• Partner closely with Business Development Operations to align execution with compliance, strategic pricing, and effective proposal management practices.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with internal decision makers, including program leaders and cross functional teams.
• Share lessons learned, insights, and best practices from execution activities to support continuous improvement across the Growth Office.
• Contribute to a collaborative, transparent, and execution-oriented culture across AIR’s growth and development efforts.

Qualifications:

Education, Knowledge, and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree and 9+ years of experience in business, social sciences, public policy, technology, or a related field.
• Experience supporting business development, strategy, or complex, cross functional initiatives.
• Demonstrated exposure to non-government revenue efforts, including foundations, nonprofits, and/or commercial or industry clients.
• Experience supporting venture, start up, incubator, or accelerator style initiatives.

Skills

• Highly organized, detail oriented, and comfortable managing multiple workstreams simultaneously.
• Strong writing, synthesis, and coordination skills, with the ability to turn ideas into clear, actionable materials.
• System-oriented, with experience using tools, templates, dashboards, and tracking mechanisms to support execution.
• Effective communicator who can collaborate across functions, roles, and leadership levels in a virtual environment.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, prioritize objectives, and meet timelines in a dynamic environment.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Commitment to AIR’s mission, values, and long-term impact.

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