Senior Director, Assessment Solutions and Technical Strategy

Job description

At Curriculum Associates, we believe in the potential of every child and are changing the face of education technology with award-winning learning programs like i-Ready that serve a third of the nation’s K–8 students. For more than 50 years, our commitment to making classrooms better places, serving educators, and supporting accessible learning experiences for all students has driven the continuous improvement of our innovative programs. Our team of more than 2,500 employees is composed of lifelong learners who stand behind this mission, working tirelessly to serve the educational community with world-class programs and support every day. At Curriculum Associates, our goal is to make classrooms better places for students and teachers. By providing high-quality, research-based, engaging, and culturally sustaining content to the schools we serve, along with assessment tools for setting high expectations , we believe that we can help schools create a learning environment where every student succeeds. This role is part of the Assessment Solutions team and reports to the Associate Vice President of Assessment Solutions. The Assessment Solutions team is one of the Assessment and Psychometrics team within Assessment Programs group. This position sits at the intersection of psychometric expertise and strategic communication, bringing deep technical knowledge of educational measurement to bear on the documentation, proposal, and knowledge-translation work that enables Curriculum Associates’ assessment products to succeed in competitive state and district markets. In this role, working closely with leaders across the Assessment Programs team, you will work closely with a team of people across departments that include Bids and Proposals, Sales, and Marketing teams, and others. You’ll work with a dynamic and diverse team of associate vice presidents, directors, project managers, writers, researchers, marketing personnel, and assessment designers all focused on making classrooms better places for students and teachers. Responsible AI use is a core expectation of this role. The Senior Director is expected to model effective AI adoption and build AI fluency - using AI tools to accelerate analysis, sharpen writing and communication, and manage technical projects. Essential duties/responsibilities: Lead proposal response strategy on behalf of the Assessment and Psychometrics teams to best position our Curriculum Associates assessment products to meet state and district needs while balanc ing the needs of our product roadmaps . Drive the development of and lead ongoing management of the proposal response process for the Assessment and Psychometrics teams to create proposal responses which will showcase Curriculum Associate’s principled approach to assessment, coherence with instruction, deep psychometric expertise , and best in class assessment solutions. Translate high-quality technical documentation into proposal text, assessment boilerplate, and technical reference materials that are a ccurate , psychometrically grounded, and accessible to the target audience , l everaging AI-tools as a ppropriate . Apply e xpertise in educational measurement to ensure documentation reflects the technical rigor expected by sophisticated state and district evaluators. Manage assessment boilerplate text, technical documentation libraries, and versioning of materials as new assessment products, psychometric analyses, and research findings are generated. Maintain consistency and technical accuracy across all documentation as the assessment product portfolio evolves. Use AI-assisted tools to accelerate proposal drafting, boilerplate development, and technical documentation workflows, ensuring all AI-assisted output undergoes expert review for psychometric accuracy and technical rigor before use. Work closely with the Assessment, Psychometrics, and Marketing teams to develop an in-depth and continuously current understanding of Curriculum Associates’ assessment products, the psychometric and research foundations behind them, and how they are implemented in districts and classrooms across the country. Serve as a primary translator between technical psychometric and measurement expertise and the documentation, proposal, and strategic communication needs of the broader team. Serve as a psychometric and assessment subject matter expert to diagnose gaps in proposals, conceptualize and develop technically rigorous solutions, and provide input when custom product expertise and implementation guidance are required to address state or large district purchasing or review requirements. Report to the larger Assessment team the market needs and assessment capability gaps demonstrated in these proposals and drive strategic decisions on how to fill them. Review requests for proposals, information, and qualifications with a critical psychometric and assessment design lens. Identify technical and strategic challenges, propose and develop solutions that draw on deep measurement expertise , and communicate findings and recommendations clearly to the broader team. Provide guidance on communicating relevant assessment, research, and implementation topics for the cross-departmental team that works on bids and proposals. Contribute to and lead the preparation of third party-reviewed publications, technical reports, a nd presentations for academic and professional conferences in educational measurement and assessment. Use AI tools to produce high-quality, well-structured, and technically-sound publications. Represent Curriculum Associates as a thought leader at conferences such as NCME, CCSSO, and AERA, advancing both the organization’s external reputation and the field’s understanding of applied psychometrics in K–12 assessment . Required job skills: Strong analytical/critical and creative thinking skills, including an ability to analyze data to inform both relevant response/market needs and existing capabilities relative to those needs Ability to work in a self-directed and action-oriented way, anticipating and synthesizing needs, and developing a plan of action to meet deadlines with high-quality deliverables Curiosity and initiative to learn new information , technologies, and skills, and to procure information using available resources Excellent written and verbal communication Experience leveraging AI tools (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot) to support proposal development, technical writing, and documentation management. Deep expertise in psychometrics and educational measurement, including applied experience with item response theory, test development, validity, reliability, and standard setting. Demonstrated ability to analyze, synthesize, and translate sophisticated psychometric technical materials into clear, compelling language for district, state, and policy audiences. Demonstrated expertise in K–12 assessment design and technical content, with the credibility and communication skills to engage productively with psychometricians, researchers, product teams, and external assessment experts on strategy and solutions Ability to manage multiple tasks/projects concurrently, anticipate and solve problems, and develop creative solutions Proven ability to work collaboratively and effectively across departments and business units with competing needs Minimum qualifications: Doctorate (Ph.D. or Ed.D.) in Educational Measurement, Psychometrics, or a closely related field required ; or Masters level qualification plus relevant experience in K-12 assessment instead . Knowledge of psychometric methodology t hat includes Classical Test Theory, Item Response Theory, Computer Adaptive Testing, Standard Setting, Field Testing, Scaling and Equating, Reliability, Validity, Classification Accuracy, and bias and DIF analyses. A minimum of 5 years of technical writing experience with assessments Demonstrated experience communicating about K-12 digital assessment and learning, specifically with district or state level audiences Preferred qualifications: Experience in educational publishing proposal writing, particularly for state or large district RFPs in assessment or educational measurement Record of peer-reviewed publication or professional conference presentations in educational measurement, psychometrics, or K–12 assessment Experience applying psychometric methods in an operational K–12 assessment context, such as test development, standard setting, or technical manual preparation Detailed knowledge of key state and national policies and trends on educational assessment Benefits and Pay Range: Pay Range – This role’s range is $164,250. - $196,500 . The wage range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that Curriculum Associates considers in making compensation decisions based on our Compensation Philosophy. Actual base pay within that range will vary based upon several factors including, but not limited to, prior experience and relevant skill sets. At Curriculum Associates, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances for each case. This role is also eligible to participate in the company bonus plan. The Company recognizes that minimum wage varies by location and will ensure all compensation decisions comply with applicable state and local laws. Benefits – Benefit eligible employees (and their families) are covered by medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance. Employees can enroll in our company’s 401k plan and receive an employer match. Employees have access to a flexible vacation and sick policy in addition to twelve paid holidays and a winter office closure between Christmas and New Year's, as well as a number of additional perks and benefits.