Lead Assessment Strategist

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.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities
Participate in the development of assessment-driven learning pathways, diagnostic assessments, and competency-based assessments for college programs
Consult on or develop models for both formative and summative assessments, as well as rubric-driven performance assessments
Ensure that production goals for assessments are clearly conveyed through educational design, interface and navigation, and production values of the deliverables
Ensure alignment of assessment traverse with proficiencies, skills and competencies in programs and courses
Collaborate to ensure alignment of assessment traverse with course learning material and student engagement strategies
Provide thought leadership and advocacy for innovative, valid, reliable, cost-effective formative and summative assessment approaches
Collaborate with the technology and design and development teams to ensure the creation and adoption of flexible, valid, reliable, data-driven assessment tools
Translate requirements into defined specifications
As required, provide training, consultation, or guidance to team members and partners on assessment models, assessment design and development practices, and data-driven, evidence-based practices in assessment
Consult with program development, data & learning science, and the psychometrics team on validity studies, scoring methods, rubric development, and other assessment tools, models, and issues
Collaborate with executive leadership and cross-functional teams to decide on innovations and improvements to the existing student experience and processes, based on data, key performance indicators, current practice, and emerging trends
Provide thought leadership and vision for the continuous improvement of student outcomes and overall health and quality of assessments
Contribute to establishing best practices for assessment design, development, and continuous improvement
Ensure a consistent strategy for assessments is deployed across all colleges
Responsible for achieving college AQI (Assessment Quality Index) goals
Monitor assessment portfolio health across the assessment lifecycle
Produce timely, consistent, and accurate reports for stakeholders and executives
 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Demonstrated technical knowledge of high-stakes assessment development and management practices
Demonstrated ability to proactively and creatively solve problems related to assessment design and development
Practical understanding of teaching and learning, educational trends and research
Demonstrated skill in providing technical training as well as persuasively explaining complex assessment policy and best practices to a lay audience
Ability to work effectively in a highly matrixed organization
Ability to build relationships and influence at all levels
Ability to be an agent of change in a rapidly changing environment
Proven ability to analyze data to identify trends and drive innovative process improvement
Excellent organizational and project management skills, including the ability to effectively handle multiple tasks and pay attention to detail
Sound judgement and decision-making skills

Competencies
Influences Others and Communicates Effectively: Communicates to improve and promote teamwork, decision making, and problem solving. Listens and responds effectively to the reactions and positions of others and encourages the expression of diverse ideas and opinions. Adjusts message and style to fit the audience. Provides timely and helpful feedback. Communicates appropriately to win support with all audiences.
Collaborates: Works cooperatively with others across the organization to achieve shared objectives. Represents own interests while being fair to others and their areas. Partners with others to get work done. Credits others for their contributions and accomplishments. Gains buy-in, trust and support of others.
Manages Ambiguity: Deals comfortably with the uncertainty of change. Effectively handles risk. Can decide to act without the total picture. Is calm and productive, even when things are up in the air. Deals constructively with problems that do not have clear solutions or outcomes.
Being Resilient: Is confident under pressure. Handles and manages crises effectively. Maintains a positive attitude despite adversity. Bounces back from obstacles and setbacks. Grows from hardships and negative experiences.
Drives for Results: Has a strong outcomes-based orientation. Persists in accomplishing objectives despite obstacles and setbacks. Has a track record of successfully achieving goals. Pushes self and helps others achieve results. Has a continuous improvement mindset.
Organizational Learning: Learns quickly when facing new situations. Experiments to find new solutions. Takes on challenges of unfamiliar tasks. Extracts lessons learned from failures and mistakes. Expands knowledge base through ongoing curiosity.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:
Master’s degree in relevant field
At least three years of experience developing high-stakes educational or licensure assessments at the course or program level
A self-starter who can quickly jump in without a lot of direction, and learn by asking questions
Excellent organizational and communication skills
Experience with three or more of the following: adaptive assessment, competency-based assessment, psychometrics, rubric development, technology-enhanced items, prototyping and validating new item types and/or test designs
Experience facilitating workshops and leading training in assessment development
Relentless attention to quality and evangelistic passion about authentic, high-impact, engaging, valid assessment tools and techniques
Ability to be an agent of change in a rapidly changing environment

Preferred Qualifications:
Demonstrated understanding of the higher education environment
Demonstrated experience with process development and implementation
Demonstrated success with change management, particularly stabilizing and structuring diffuse and ambiguous situations
Experience in higher education or educational publishing
Ability to present ideas clearly; inspire thoughtful contemplation; spark innovation in others with discussion and insight
Experience selecting and implementing assessment technology solutions at scale
Background in assessment for learning (formative assessment) best practices

Working Conditions
Travel up to 15-20% for college specific business

#LI-JW1

#LI-REMOTE

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:
 

How to apply: apply online

Full-time Regular Positions (FT classification, standard working hours = 40)

This is a full-time, regular position that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

The University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.