Senior Director, Assessment & Psychometrics

If you're passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country-and you're committed to working hard to play your part in building that future-consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

Job Description

• Ensures the quality and integrity of competency-based assessments by collaborating with leadership across colleges, vendors, and subject matter experts.
• Designs and delivers on the vision for assessment innovation, including technologies and processes such as simulation, augmented reality, automated scoring, and computer-adaptive testing.
• Oversees the development of assessment-driven learning pathways, formative and summative assessments, and performance evaluation models.
• Drives innovations to improve assessment experiences by overseeing the analyzing of data, evaluating current practices, and identifying emerging trends.
• Chairs WGU's Assessment Council, including recruiting and retaining council members, setting quarterly agendas, and documenting outcomes and recommendations.
• Serves as the executive sponsor of the Assessment Policy Committee (formerly CASP), ensuring alignment with institutional strategy and assessment best practices.
• Develops and implements the university research agenda to continuously enhance assessment practices and student outcomes.
• Champions WGU's assessment approach and best practices through external communication, thought leadership, and engagement with industry partners.
• Presents research findings and technical information to both technical and non-technical audiences internally and externally.
• Establishes standards and requirements for assessment technologies, ensuring alignment with best practices in measurement, validity, reliability, and fairness.
• Directs the integration of psychometric and measurement activities into test design to improve assessment validity and efficacy.
• Maintains and refines assessment technologies and methodologies to ensure long-term effectiveness and relevance.
• Enables the rapid authoring and scaling of assessments to support WGU's competency-based education model.
• Leads a team people leaders overseeing psychometricians and assessment strategists, including hiring, training, mentoring, and managing performance.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

This job description includes a general representation of job requirements rather than a comprehensive inventory of all required responsibilities or work activities. The contents of this document or related job requirements may change at any time with or without notice.

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Proven track record of leading assessment projects, including applied research or psychometric analysis for improving the quality, reliability, and validity of assessments.
• Experience with competency-based education models, including teaching, learning, and assessment in an online or digital learning environment.
• Strong data analysis skills to inform assessment development and process improvements, with experience using tools like SPSS, R, or similar data platforms.
• Experience working with assessment technologies, including automated scoring, computer adaptive testing, or simulations.
• Demonstrated ability to adapt to changing situations and manage competing priorities.
• Ability to balance WGU's student-focused mission with the academic rigor required of an online, competency-based higher education institution.
• Proven ability to organize, coordinate, and lead team activities to achieve desired outcomes.
• Strong coaching and mentoring skills to develop and grow direct reports.
• Ability to work effectively within a highly matrixed organization, collaborating with remote teams and individuals across multiple locations.
• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to influence stakeholders at all organizational levels.
• Proven ability to lead and drive change in a rapidly evolving environment.
• Demonstrated proficiency in data analysis to identify trends, drive innovation, and inform process improvements.
• Strong judgment and decision-making skills, with the ability to assess risks and manage crises effectively.
• Ability to collaborate across departments to achieve shared objectives, fostering a culture of teamwork and innovation.
• Track record of leading a team to achieve ambitious goals and delivering measurable results.
• Quick learner, able to tackle unfamiliar tasks and devise new solutions.
• Deep awareness of current trends and best practices in psychometrics, assessment technologies, and competency-based education.
• Strong understanding of assessment best practices, including validity, reliability, fairness, and ethical considerations in assessment design.
• Experience working with cutting-edge assessment technologies, such as automated scoring, computer adaptive testing, and augmented reality in assessments.
• Exceptional communication skills, capable of conveying complex technical information to both technical and non-technical audiences internally and externally.

Education

• Master's degree in Educational Measurement, Psychometrics, Educational Psychology, Educational Research and Evaluation, Curriculum and Instruction or a related field (e.g., Industrial/Organization Psychology) with an emphasis on assessment, measurement and evaluation.

Experience

• Twelve (12) years of experience in assessment design, psychometrics, or educational measurement.
• Seven (7) years of leadership experience, managing leaders and teams of assessment professionals.

Preferred Qualifications

• Terminal degree in Psychometrics, Measurement and Evaluation, Educational Psychology, or a related field
• Experience in higher education, working closely with faculty, instructional designers, and academic leadership to develop and manage assessment programs.
• Industry leader with demonstrated experience with accreditation requirements and processes, including preparing reports and leading site visits.

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.

Position & Application Details

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It's not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at recruiting@wgu.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.