Address
Form of workWe are seeking a part-time Senior Researcher with a focus on large-scale assessment delivery systems to join AIR's Education Statistics program area. The Senior Researcher would support the design, development, maintenance, improvement, and evaluation of large-scale assessment digital delivery system. System components may include the platform used to deliver student assessments, the assessment management platform, or the survey data collection delivery platform. The combination of these individual platforms and the interactions between them are the foundation of the assessment delivery systems to be supported. Emphasis is on (1) improving quality, efficiency, utility, and transparency of the individual assessment platforms; and (2) supporting the use of digital platforms and the assessment system to carryout large-scale assessment operations.
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:
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. At AIR, we define diversity broadly, considering everyone's unique life and community experiences. We believe that embracing diverse perspectives, abilities/disabilities, racial/ethnic and cultural backgrounds, styles, ages, genders, gender identities and expressions, education backgrounds, and life stories drives innovation and employee engagement. Learn more about AIR's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategy and hear from our staff by clicking here.
ResponsibilitiesThe responsibilities for the position include:
- Provide strategic thinking, planning, execution, and evaluation of assessment operations tasks, specifically related to assessment delivery systems such as a large-scale student delivery platform, assessment operations management systems, and large-scale survey delivery platforms. Examples include:
- leading efforts on reviewing new or changes to approaches and/or technologies related to item formats, field operations, and platform; Assessing and/or tracking how such changes align with industry standards and their impact across assessment components or the systems as a whole;
- designing or reviewing requirements and/or specifications for such systems;
- developing quality assurance plan criteria, reviewing quality assurance plans and conducting independent quality audits of assessment systems or individual system components;
- developing and evaluating system performance metrics;
- reporting findings and recommendations to clients and other contractors.
- working with transactional data (i.e., process data) collected from respondent interactions with assessment management or delivery platforms to support improvements in delivery platforms and the use of those platforms as a part of assessment operations;
- contributing or reviewing materials for an expert panel to provide an independent evaluation to inform strategic planning and decisions for the implementation of technological advancements or changes in the assessment platforms and delivery system.
- Disseminate results of investigations and/or research studies internally (e.g., memos and short oral presentations) and externally (e.g., journal articles, technical reports, and presentations to professional conferences).
- Manage medium-size to large-tasks and projects, including: liaising with clients, reviewing deliverables, tracking costs, resource allocation, and overseeing junior analysts conducting quantitative analyses.
- Participate in business development activities, including writing technical sections of proposals, providing budget and level of effort estimates, providing input on opportunities for pursuit of work.
- Actively participate in communities of practice and other knowledge sharing activities related to expertise.
- Mentor and train junior staff working on large-scale assessment projects.
Education, Knowledge, and Experience:
- Master's degree with a minimum of 10 years of experience or PhD with a minimum of 5 years experience in such fields as education measurement, statistics, economics, psychometrics, psychology, computer science, or other related fields.
- Experience in large-scale assessment programs such as state accountability systems, the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP), or the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and/or experience in large scale enterprise software applications.
- Experience determining requirements, specifications, and testing protocols for computer based testing platforms, assessment management platforms and/or computer based adaptive testing (or similar technology).
- Experience with agile methodology to build and test products.
Skills:
- Excellent interpersonal skills to ensure effective communication regarding complex research methods and findings with individuals at all levels and from diverse backgrounds.
- Strong attention to detail with commitment to accuracy when writing.
- Strong attention to detail with commitment to rigorous quality control at every stage of data collection, preparation, and analysis.
- Excellent organization and time management skills; ability and willingness to quickly learn new research methods when necessary.
Excellent communication skills with the ability to collaborate efficiently in a virtual work environment.
Disclosures:
This position is open to U.S. citizens only. Upon hire, incumbent will be required to obtain clearance through the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) system.
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.
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's Total Rewards Program, is designed to reward our staff competitively and motivate them to achieve our critical mission. This position offers an anticipated rate of $56.00 - $67.00 per hour. Salary offers are made based on internal equity within the institution and external equity with competitive markets. Please note this is the hourly range for candidates that are based in the United States.
AIR maintains a drug-free work environment.
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 to recruitment@air.org.
If you see a job scam, or lose money to one, report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. You can also report it to your state attorney general. Find out more about how to avoid scams at ftc.gov/scams.
#LI-DC1 #LI-Remote
Employment Type: OTHER
