Working With Us

Careers

JBA is a small business that delivers big results. Driven by a shared passion for improving the lives of others, staff collaborate on an array of challenging projects with local and national significance.

We offer a comprehensive and generous benefits package that includes excellent health care coverage, a 401(k) plan with an above-average company match, and reliable profit sharing. Bonuses are awarded annually for exceptional performance.

Various federal agencies with whom we contract require that staff successfully undergo a background investigation or security clearance as a condition of working on the project. If you are assigned to such a project, you will be required to obtain the requisite security clearance.

An affirmative action, equal opportunity employer, we value and actively seek diversity in the workforce. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected status under applicable law. We are committed to excellence and inclusion in our work and in our practice, and we encourage individuals of diverse backgrounds with multidisciplinary experience to apply. Browse our current opportunities below.

Current Opportunities

Research Associate, Child and Family Development

JBA is currently seeking a Research Associate to join our Child and Family Development Practice Area. We are looking for an individual who can contribute to all aspects of continuous quality improvement (CQI) on a project and provide technical assistance (TA) to state awardees of federal funding and early childhood programs.

The position may be located in our Arlington, VA, office or in another location by telecommuting. Some travel required.

Responsibilities

Lead or participate in teams, drawing on experience, analytic skills, and technical knowledge
Design and conduct research and evaluation for state, federal, and private-sector projects
Provide evaluation, CQI, and performance measurement TA to state awardees of federal funding and early childhood programs
Advise early childhood programs with planning and implementing comprehensive CQI projects
Critically review performance measurement and CQI plans and reports and provide feedback to align with project guidance and best practice
Build early childhood programs’ capacity to collect, manage, and report data
Participate in the critical analysis of performance and outcome measures, identify issues or trends, initiate effective problem-solving, and develop improvement plans
Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual CQI reports for project meetings and leadership as required
Lead or contribute to universal TA products
Apply rigorous analytic thinking to the collection and interpretation of quantitative data
Engage in business development activities, including idea generation, grant writing, and responding to requests for proposals (RFPs)
Bring creative ideas to the development of proposals for new projects
Author reports, memos, TA tools, issue briefs, webinar presentations, and journal manuscripts

Required Qualifications

PhD with 5+ years of experience or master’s degree with 10+ years of experience
Project development experience, including proposal writing
Advanced knowledge of research design and quantitative methods
2–3 years of experience using CQI methods (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma, Model for Improvement)
Serve as an improvement advisor
Excellent written and oral communication skills, including group facilitation skills
Ability to collaborate and build strong working relationships with others, including working effectively as part of a team
Experience in client communication and relationship management
Ability to provide TA to human services programs to build their evaluation, CQI, and performance measurement capacity
Strong organizational skills and high level of attention to detail; flexibility to lead and manage multiple priorities, sometimes simultaneously, under deadlines

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced training in education, child or human development, family studies, sociology, public policy, public health, psychology, or related field
Advanced CQI training and/or certification (e.g., Six Sigma Black Belt, IHI Breakthrough Series, ASQ certification)
Broad understanding of early childhood field (home visiting, child welfare, children’s mental health, two-generation programs, early care and education) and policy issues
Experience developing measurement tools for early childhood research
Experience providing TA to human services programs to build their capacity
Experience managing projects or tasks
Experience leading a learning collaborative

Excellent salary and benefits. Email cover letter with salary requirements, resume, and writing sample.

Apply

Senior Research Associate, Child and Family Development

JBA is looking for an individual who can strengthen our expertise in early care and education research and evaluation, including child care, Head Start and Early Head Start, or early childhood systems of care. This position will be expected to help develop and nurture a funded research portfolio in this area. It may be located in our Arlington, Virginia, office or in another location by telecommuting. Some travel required.

Responsibilities

Lead or participate in teams, drawing on experience, analytic skills, and technical knowledge
Design and conduct research and evaluation for state, federal, and private-sector projects
Provide evaluation technical assistance (TA) to state awardees of federal funding and early childhood programs
Apply rigorous analytic thinking to the collection and interpretation of quantitative data
Engage in business development activities, including idea generation, grant writing, and responding to requests for proposals (RFPs)
Bring creative ideas to the development of proposals for new projects
Author reports, memos, TA tools, issue briefs, webinar presentations, and journal manuscripts
Mentor junior staff

Required Qualifications

Ph.D. with 5+ years of experience or master’s degree with 10+ years of experience
Project leadership experience as either project director or principal investigator, including staff supervision, budget management, and report writing
Project development experience, including proposal writing and budget development
Proven track record of winning competitive contracts/grants from various funding organizations (e.g., federal, state, and local government; foundations)
Expertise in early care and education research and policy
Advanced knowledge of research design and quantitative methods
Excellent written and oral communication skills, including group facilitation skills
Ability to collaborate and build strong working relationships with others, including working effectively as part of a team
Experience in client communication and relationship management
Ability to provide TA to human services programs to build their evaluation capacity
Strong organizational skills and high level of attention to detail; flexibility to lead and manage multiple priorities, sometimes simultaneously, under deadlines

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced training in education, child or human development, family studies, sociology, public policy, psychology, or related field
Experience leading federal projects or substantial foundation projects
Broad understanding of early childhood field (home visiting, child welfare, children’s mental health, two-generation programs) and policy issues
Experience developing measurement tools for early childhood research
Experience providing TA to human service programs to build their evaluation capacity

Excellent salary and benefits. Email cover letter with salary requirements, resume, and writing sample.

Apply

Senior Research Methodologist, Child and Family Development

JBA is looking for an individual who can enhance our team’s expertise in quantitative methods and support two high-profile home visiting projects, as well as other projects across the practice area. This position will assist federally funded awardees to design, implement, and report on high-quality, rigorous research and evaluation. It will also support the application of innovative research methods to advance the field of home visiting. The position may be located in our Arlington, Virginia, office or in another location by telecommuting. Some travel required.

Responsibilities

Contribute to the conceptualization of research and evaluation designs, development of surveys and measurement tools, and data analysis
Advise Project Directors and Task Leaders on statistical and methodological issues
Lead or participate in teams, drawing on experience, analytic skills, and technical knowledge
Design and conduct research and evaluation for state, federal, and private-sector projects
Provide evaluation technical assistance (TA) to state awardees of federal funding and early childhood programs
Apply rigorous analytic thinking to the collection and interpretation of quantitative data
Contribute to business development activities, including idea generation, grant writing, and responding to requests for proposals (RFPs)
Bring creative ideas to the development of proposals for new projects
Author technical memos, TA tools, issue briefs, webinar presentations, sections of reports, and journal manuscripts
Translate complex, technical behavioral and social sciences research for end users with nontechnical backgrounds

Required Qualifications

Ph.D. with 5+ years of experience or master’s degree with 10+ years of experience in statistics, research methodology, epidemiology, or social sciences
Expertise in research methodology and evaluation design
Experience developing and implementing design, sampling, and analytic plans for effectiveness studies of early childhood or human services programs
Proficiency in one or more statistical packages such as SAS, SPSS, or R
Excellent written and oral communication skills
Ability to collaborate and build strong working relationships with others, including working effectively as part of a team
Ability to provide TA to human services programs to build their evaluation capacity
Strong organizational skills and high level of attention to detail; flexibility to lead and manage multiple priorities, sometimes simultaneously, under deadlines

Preferred Qualifications

Project leadership experience, including task management, staff supervision, and report writing
Broad understanding of early childhood field (home visiting, child welfare, children’s mental health, two-generation programs) and policy issues
Experience applying Bayesian methods to evaluation of human service programs
Proven track record in research methods as demonstrated by publications in peer-review journals and presentations at professional conferences
Experience providing TA to human service programs to build their evaluation capacity

Excellent salary and benefits. Email cover letter with salary requirements, resume, and writing sample.

Apply

Business Development Associate

This full-time position will provide strategic vision and support for marketing and business development; support the production of key sections of proposals; and build, maintain, and manage the firm’s extensive collection of corporate qualifications, project descriptions, resumes, bios, proposals, and collateral marketing materials.

Qualifications

Candidates are required to have a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, marketing, business, communications, or journalism; minimum of 3 years previous experience (research and evaluation preferred); and prior experience with proposals for federal and state government agencies and foundations preferred.

Excellent salary and benefits. Email resume and cover letter with salary requirements.

Apply