Psychometrician

Summary: 

DRC is seeking a Psychometrician with a strong background in educational measurement to support the design, development, validation, and analysis of large-scale assessments across a variety of programs. The Psychometrician will work with the project team, collaborating with clients to determine how DRC’s psychometric solutions match their unique program’s needs. A successful candidate will demonstrate significant understanding of best practices in assessment design and measurement theory.

Essential Position Responsibilities and Tasks:

• Define, manage, and monitor psychometric and test development activities related to assigned educational assessment projects, for example, test calibration, test equating, item analysis, and dimensionality and reliability analysis.
• Collaborate with the assigned Program Manager and cross-functional program team to determine the design, analysis, and evaluation of the systems, processes, and services required to meet or exceed contract requirements.
• Provide technical support to clients and internal staff.
• Collaborate with test development in ensuring the quality, coverage, and validity of all assessment instruments, and compliance with accepted standards established in the fields of testing and educational measurement.
• Support, design, and/or conduct psychometric research initiatives and studies to strengthen assigned assessment projects.
• Document technical procedures and contribute to technical documentation for dissemination (reports, peer-reviewed publications, and conference presentations).
• Participate in and contribute to the design of internal research and test development processes/systems, as well as with the department's business strategic plan. 
• Ensure that psychometric practices are implemented and documented consistently to meet industry standards and that quality assurance criteria, project schedules, and deadlines are met.

 Required Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, Psychology, Educational Measurement, Statistics, or related field
• Coursework in psychometric theory and statistics
• Working knowledge of testing methodologies
• Experience with statistical modeling and usage of statistical analysis software, e.g., SAS, R, Python, etc.
• Experience with psychometric analysis and usage of software, e.g., WINSTEPS, IRTPro, Parscale, MPlus, etc.
• Strong project planning and organizational skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in educational assessment and testing
• Experience with large-scale assessment

Essential Job Requirements:

• Report to work promptly when scheduled
• Be able to work under supervision and accept feedback
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite
• Relate effectively and work respectfully with diverse work groups
• Ability to consistently perform well during times of increased workload
• Set and meet deadlines
• Manage multiple job functions simultaneously

Reporting to this position: No direct reports

Physical Requirements: 

• Ability to sit and/or stand for up to 8 hour periods of time.
• Ability to look at a computer monitor, utilize a keyboard, and/or mouse for up to 8 hours per day.
• Ability to lift up to 20 pounds as necessary.
• Some travel required.

DRC retains the right to change or assign other duties to this position.