Associate Director, Test Development

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About the Team
The Research and Development (R&D) Unit of the College Board Latin America Office (CB-LATAM) leads research and development efforts, test design strategy as well as production and publishing cycles to deliver high-quality assessments and advance our mission to connect students with college success and career opportunities so that they can own their future. Our programs include the following: PAA, CB-LATAM's flagship college readiness assessment, Pruebas de Ingreso y Evaluación para el Nivel Secundario (PIENSE), Conoce, Explora, Planifica y Actúa (CEPA) and Prueba de Nivel Avanzado (PNA) - collectively known as CB-LATAM's PAA Suite of Assessments. Other CB-LATAM programs include: English Language Assessment System for Hispanics (ELASH) and Prueba para la Certificación de Maestros - Puerto Rico (PCMAS).
About the Opportunity
As Associate Director, Test Development, of the Research and Development (R&D) Unit at the College Board LATAM, you have a dual role in planning, organizing, and reviewing the work of item writers, editors, proofreaders, consultants, and committee of examiners for CB-LATAM's PCMAS and CEPA assessments which is central to College Board's business. In collaboration with R&D's leadership team, you will lead external SMEs trainings, typically college professors and schoolteachers, on assessment development protocols for PCMAS and CEPA. As a program owner, primary point of contact and accountable for program deliverables for PCMAS, you are expected to be knowledgeable of teacher preparation policies at the local, national, federal and market-level (including LATAM), well-versed in accreditation procedures and requirements of educator preparation programs, as well as in regulations governing use of teacher preparation assessments including contracted deliverables educational organizations. As a program owner and primary point of contact in College Board LATAM for CEPA, you are expected to be actively engaged in developing and innovating the CEPA Suite, including partnering up with external stakeholders with soft-skills and occupational assessment experience to expand program offerings as well as creating engaging program materials. This position requires not only subject-matter expertise but also extensive knowledge of educator preparation programs and related policies, soft-skill, and occupational assessment experience, as well as skills in technologies relevant for item creation, Test Development and testing.
In this role, you will:
Test Design and Development (60%)

• Responsible for the development of paper-pencil and digital testing the PCMAS assessment and maintenance and future developments of the CEPA assessment.
• Exercise discretion and independent judgment with respect to leadership, planning, organization and reviewing the work of the content specialists, item writers, editors, proofreaders, consultants, and committee of examiners for our programs.
• Organize the work of content managers for the test assembly of new operational forms for the assigned programs.
• Responsible for establishing and updating annual test calendars or development cycles for PCMAS and CEPA.
• Plan accurately with Item bank management the new item development needs for the assigned programs.
• Responsible for authoring/revising assessment content and training educator constituents to author assessment content, including selection of appropriate stimulus material, and applying best assessment practices. Ensure compliance of test parameters for new forms (test specifications, blueprints, and master data); teamwork with the Research, Measurement, and Psychometrics team and follow standards agreed with the Quality Assurance team.
• Deliver "first draft" of tests to the Publishing team (paper-pencil and digital) with the established quality controls.
• Train item writers and assess their work.
• Provide training to teachers, school staff, administration, and academic managers about interpretation of results, qualitative analyses, and the incorporation of results into the teaching and learning processes, as well as any changes in the PCMAS or CEPA suite.
• Develop program materials, study guides, and hands-on documents for students, teachers, and users of PCMAS and CEPA suite.
• Conduct multiple face-to-face and virtual meetings with each of the committees within your stewardship as well as other committee meetings in the discipline as needed.
• Actively support strategic initiatives for future developments.

Program Management (40%)

• Primary point of contact in College Board LATAM for PCMAS and CEPA.
• Work with other CB-LATAM teams as well as higher ed strategic partners to co-develop and implement plans to raise K-12, college and university awareness of CEPA and PCMAS.
• Represent and promote support for the PCMAS and CEPA among external stakeholders through various strategies and initiatives.
• Develop the year plan budget of the PCMAS and CEPA suite.
• Accountable for program deliverables for PCMAS: you are expected to be knowledgeable of teacher preparation policies at the local, national, federal and market-level (including LATAM), well-versed in accreditation procedures and requirements of educator preparation programs, as well as in regulations governing use of teacher preparation assessments including contracted deliverables educational organizations.
• Accountable for program deliverables for CEPA: you are expected to be knowledgeable of soft-skills and occupational assessments to expand CEPA.
• Responsible for recommending strategies to effectively scale up CEPA as well as to encourage increased usage in PR and LATAM.
• Lead the successful scoring of student PCMAS open-ended constructed responses at the annual scoring event in person or online.

About You
You have:

• Master or Doctoral degree (preferred) with graduate or postgraduate studies in Education, Psychology or Counseling.
• Extensive knowledge and experience with Teacher Report Card (TRC), Institution and Program Report Card (IPRC) data collection cycles and requirements as well as accreditation procedures and requirements of educator preparation programs.
• Experienced college-level faculty with academic expertise in teacher preparation programs and educational counselling with soft-skill and occupational assessment experience.
• Experience with instructional design and implementation of professional learning for educators.
• Superior language skills in Spanish and good communications skills in English.
• Excellent interpersonal and collaboration skills, including the ability to interact with staff at all levels and give and receive feedback.
• Strong individual contributor and team player with a sense of ownership, persistent with sharp attention to detail, and the ability to work on several projects simultaneously with minimal supervision.
• Excellent organizational and planning skills, including the ability to effectively handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Meticulous attention to detail, including the ability to closely proofread assessment material.
• Excellent skills in process and procedure implementation, including adhering to project plans and schedules, and maintaining project management documentation for tracking.
• Takes initiative and uses best judgment to make decisions in the absence of specific directions.
• Willingness to give, accept, and address constructive feedback with positivity.
• Willingness to travel within Puerto Rico and to LATAM.
• You are authorized to work in the US.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of educational and psychological assessment, Test Development processes, including item development cycles and test assembly procedures.

• Experience with Microsoft Project, CRMs, Zoho, and agile methodology.

Our Benefits & Compensation:

• College Board offers a strong compensation and benefits package that attracts top talent looking to make a difference in education.
• Our robust benefits package includes health, dental, and vision insurance, tuition assistance, paid time off, paid parental leave, retirement benefits with a generous matching program, and more.
• We reward performance through annual bonuses and provide opportunities for salary growth over time through base compensation increases, merit raises and promotions.
• We believe in compensating staff members fairly in relation to each other, their qualifications, and their impact. The salary range for a new employee in this position is $39,000 to $58,000. The salary offer of an individual candidate within this range is specific to their location and qualifications.
• Each salary offer is determined carefully using internal and external benchmarking and adjusting for the candidate's location. You will have an opportunity to discuss salary in more detail after you begin the application process.
• As a self-sustaining non-profit organization with global impact, College Board offers a job that matters, a team that cares, and a place to learn, innovate and thrive!

About Our Culture
Our community matters, and we strive to practice and improve our culture daily. Here are some headlines:

• We are motivated to positively impact the educational and career trajectories of millions of students a year.
• We prioritize building a diverse and inclusive team where every employee can thrive, and every voice is heard.
• We value learning and growth; we offer formal and informal ways to lead through your superpowers, sharpen your strengths, and meet your development goals.
• We know that our impact is strongest together. Our College Board Cares program offers all staff up to $1,000 annual match against partner non-profit organizations.
• We offer a transparent approach to promotions and merit raises, annual performance-based bonuses, and how to grow your career here over time.

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