Vice President Measurement

Education is ever-evolving. And so are we.

We seek passionate people from diverse backgrounds who are committed to helping improve the work of schools as a trusted partner in advancing learning. By joining the Cognia team, you will be immersed in a community of energetic and resourceful people dedicated to a common vision to impact and inspire education providers to advance and enable pathways of success for all learners. At Cognia we have developed a holistic approach to education that empowers schools to create real outcomes and optimize learning for students of all backgrounds, servicing more than 36,000 institutions, 5 million teachers, and 25 million students in 85 countries. When you join Cognia, you join a team of experts passionate about our mission and embracing our core values in everything we do.

The Assessment Services Division of Cognia has a clear mission: In partnership with states and districts, we design and build aligned, coherent, and high-quality assessment systems that support a model of continuous improvement and empower stakeholders to use critical academic performance data to improve outcomes for all students.

NATURE AND SCOPE:

Reporting to the Chief Assessment Officer, the VP Measurement will serve as the organization's leading expert in educational measurement. This position requires deep technical expertise as well as a spirit of innovation and will ensure the organization is at the forefront of excellence in assessment.

As a key member of the Assessment Services Leadership Team, the VP Measurement will oversee the Psychometrics and Reporting departments and work closely with state and district partners as well as internal corporate operational groups to ensure the validity, reliability, and efficiency of all operational psychometric processes - including related psychometric and analysis requirements. They have oversight responsibility for ensuring the delivery of all Cognia contracted psychometric analysis and reporting deliverables, according to contracted specifications, and client and company standards, timelines, and budgets. As an Assessment Services Leadership Team Member, they will lead their team in the development of goals and strategies as well as implementation plans.

The VP Measurement will serve as a subject matter expert on measurement issues more generally, serving as a leading spokesperson on behalf of the organization, advocating for best practices in psychometrics and reporting, and interfacing with senior-level clients and other internal/external stakeholders of Cognia's work, as needed.

This individual will also help lead the development of Cognia's proposal language and related psychometric strategies that are included in responses to applicable Requests for Proposals (RFP's) submitted by the organization, and will work closely with senior corporate management to define the technical support requirements of strategic goals and objectives, while also overseeing the conceptualization and design of research plans for statewide contracts, technical reports, and statewide testing programs, and/or other areas - in conjunction with teams under management.

Finally, this leadership role will develop and propose research opportunities and strategies working in collaboration with external subject matter experts in areas related to educational measurement.

PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES:

• Provide leadership and oversight to the Psychometrics and Reporting departments. Cultivate a high-functioning and collaborative team culture.
• Oversee operational psychometric and reporting activities, and contribute to solutioning methodologies and approaches to psychometric analyses, scaling, equating, standard setting, etc.
• Represent Cognia as a leader and expert in educational measurement by engaging with professional organizations, participating on boards and committees, conducting research and presenting at conferences.
• Provide technical expertise to clients and policymakers, and present on relevant topics at Technical Advisory Committee meetings.
• Represent the company at client meetings and other high-level contract or external industry meetings to resolve important and/or complex measurement questions or issues relating to data components of education testing contracts or research programs in a manner that reinforces the company's reputation for quality, innovation, and leadership.
• Ensure and oversee the optimal use and application of technology to streamline, improve and integrate psychometric operations, and associated work in the areas of psychometrics, data management, integration, and analysis.
• Set a technical/research agenda for Cognia's Assessment Services and oversee the phases of the research process, including designing, development, monitoring, data analysis, report generation, and presentation.
• Facilitate the streamlining of work processes, resulting in the delivery of high-quality products and services while meeting established timelines and schedules. This includes guiding the development of psychometric specific software and tools.
• Expand the definition of and monitor quality metrics and processes within division and associated departments.
• Lead planning and forecasting for their team's annual budget, capital cost expenditures, and staffing needs.
• Lead the psychometrics team in design, resource planning, and budgeting for Assessment Services RFP proposals.
• Provide coaching to internal team members and support career development planning.
• Champion the adoption and implementation of company strategy in Assessment Services.
• Performs duties and fulfills responsibilities that may, from time to time, include related or unrelated tasks.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

Education & Experience:

• Doctoral degree in Psychometrics, Educational Measurement, Educational Psychology (with a concentration in Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics), Quantitative Psychology, Statistics (with a concentration in education) or a doctoral degree in a related field accompanied by comparable work experience required
• A minimum of ten (10) years of broad-based assessment program experience in complex educational assessment or related settings, including:
  • A minimum of five (5) years of experience managing staff;
  • At least seven (7) years of large-scale assessment experience;
  • Advanced knowledge of assessment program elements, including operational psychometrics, test development, and production workflow, and how those components need to be integrated and managed to ensure adherence to high standards of quality, accuracy, and efficiency
  • In-depth knowledge (including published research) of topics and issues in the field of assessment, including areas of research that support and advance the mission of Cognia, and its reputation for innovation and impact in the assessment industry
  • Proven leadership and management skills in creating and leading educational measurement and research organizations, with a track record of strategic thinking, and problem solving
• Thorough knowledge of K-12 assessment, educational testing operations, and related services; ability to lead and manage complex systems and processes; demonstrated ability to lead and engage large work groups to reach desired objectives required
• Demonstrated proficiency in the use of psychometric software and tools including flexMirt, parscale, winsteps, etc., as well as proficiency in a scripting language including python or R required
• Advanced knowledge of industry issues and best practices, including item/test development, psychometrics, data deliverables, and production workflow, along with the ability to cost effectively scale and adapt production to meet the needs of different business segments required
• Advanced knowledge and/or experience with item response theory (IRT) and other advanced psychometric models required
• Demonstrated ability to define and drive an operational research vision, including identifying important issues/trends and taking advantage of or creating opportunities in support of the corporate mission required
• Broad political and technical understanding of current educational and assessment trends and practices as well as proven ability to successfully interact with colleagues, clients and stakeholders in the field on substantive issues required
• Proven experience in successfully managing and meeting operational and research budgets and relevant financial metrics required

Core Competencies:

• Knowledge and ability to successfully manage (initiate, plan, execute, control and close) multiple projects and tasks in K-12 education
• Strategic thinker with strong analytical skills who can dissect complex issues and make thoughtful recommendations and action plans
• Ability to interpret research findings, contract deliverables, and trends to clients, policymakers, scholars, and the media
• Ability to establish credibility throughout the organization by effectively balancing strategic vision with tactical implementation
• Proven ability to persuade, build consensus and work on a collaborative team basis with all levels of management, internally and externally
• Results oriented and performance driven
• Ability to organize and prioritize work schedule of others on long-term (greater than 6 months) basis.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical information to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Ability to collaborate with team and staff members
• Think creatively and futuristically about global school/institution improvement
• Superior problem-identification and problem-solving skills; collaboration and exploration of issues concerning those problems; negotiation and integration of different viewpoints into an agreeable solution
• Self-driven, motivated, organized, and detail oriented

Anticipated Travel (may include local, national, and/or international travel):

• Occasional travel (10-20%)
• Travel to All Staff Company Meeting required

At Cognia, we recognize the critical role played by our teams in carrying out the organization's important educational mission. As a reflection of that recognition our exceptional benefits offerings include generous paid time off and holiday breaks, comprehensive insurance plans, and a 12.5% retirement savings contribution which is immediately vested, all effective on your date of hire. This represents a strong commitment by the organization to attract and retain the highest quality workforce - to ensure our continued ability to effectively serve our mission for years to come.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy-related conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, protected veteran status, genetic information or any other characteristics protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations. Cognia is an Equal Opportunity Employer.