Description

What is WIDA? For over 20 years, WIDA has provided a trusted, comprehensive approach to supporting, teaching, and assessing multilingual learners. We are an educational services organization that advances language development and academic achievement for multilingual children in early childhood and grades K-12. In short, we provide educators around the world with high-quality language standards, assessments, professional learning, and research. We are proud to be a part of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) within UW-Madison's nationally ranked School of Education. Visit https://wida.wisc.edu/about/careers and watch our Introduction to WIDA video to see why WIDA is an incredible place to work!

The Director of Psychometrics and Research position is located within the Assessment department and will report to the Chief Assessment Officer. This position will be responsible for directing activities related to psychometrics, data systems and management, applied quantitative research, and technical assistance. This role will oversee a team whose activities include conducting psychometric review and evaluation of WIDA’s assessments, managing WIDA’s comprehensive data warehouse and assessment database systems, directing research projects applying psychometric, quantitative, and mixed methodologies, and leading technical assistance activities supporting WIDA states, and collaborating to ensure the consortium meet rigorous standards for peer review. The Director of Psychometrics and Research will serve as a subject matter expert in these areas for WIDA’s internal and external stakeholders. This position directs the identification and implementation of research design, studies, and communicates findings in a variety of venues, including national conference presentations, research reports, and professional publications.

This position will be eligible for fully remote work as assigned by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A successful candidate will have the ability to work from home or an alternate office location as the position's Headquarters Location. This means that business travel and travel back to UW-Madison's campus would be compensated and eligible for reimbursement. More information and expectations of remote work can be found in the following UW Remote Work Policy (UW-5087).

WIDA operates in a Windows-based environment and a Dell PC laptop will be issued for use in this role.Software and virtual connection tools that are critical to our work dictate that WIDA staff work on a PC.

• Key Job Responsibilities:
  Identifies, writes, or assists in developing grant opportunities, grant applications, and proposals to secure research funding
  Attends and assists with the facilitation of scholarly events and presentations in support of continued professional development and the dissemination of research information
  Conducts literature reviews, prepares reports and materials and, disseminates information to appropriate entities
  Collects and analyzes highly complex research data, conducts experiments and interviews, and documents results according to established policies and procedures
  Identifies research problems and develops highly complex research methodologies and procedures. Publishes and presents results to help advance research
  Monitors program budget and approves unit expenditures
  Serves as an institutional subject matter expert and liaison with key internal and external stakeholders providing expert level information and representing the interests of a specialized research area
  May supervise the day-to-day activities of a research unit and staff and resolve routine personnel issues

Requirements

Required Qualifications:

• A minimum of 5 years of progressive responsibility for leading research and/or psychometrics in an educational institution, government education agency, for-profit or non-profit education-related business, or other relevant research organization. 
• Expertise in quantitative research and/or psychometrics, with experience managing operational and research projects from design through dissemination.
• Advanced knowledge of best practices, education research process, and educational measurement.
• Proven leadership experience overseeing complex projects
• Proven experience managing and coaching a team (manager or director-level preferred)
• Exceptional verbal communication, written communication, and presentation skills  
• Demonstrated proficiency in psychometric and statistics software and tools (i.e. SAS, R, SPSS, Winsteps, etc.) 
• Knowledge of and ability to keep up with evolving legislative and technical perspectives in educational assessment practices
• Skilled in problem analysis and solution development with strong attention to detail
   

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience leading large-scale assessment development, data management, or research
• Experience in K-12 educational assessments, especially as it relates to multilingual learners
• Record of leading grant proposals or grant-funded projects as principal investigator (PI) or co-PI
   

Education:

PhD in Educational Measurement, Psychometrics, Quantitative Psychology, Educational Psychology, or Education Policy, or related field is required.