Senior Director, Academic Content

Overview:

At ACT, Your Work Makes a Difference

Education has power – a power that changes lives forever. It creates opportunities that lift up individuals, their families, and sparks societal change that echoes through generations to come. From our grassroots we have fought the good fight for equity in education, and we remain devoted to helping anyone who struggles to access that power. This is what matters to us and we must do better -- we’ve never been more sure of our purpose. 

ACT team members are part of an organization dedicated to a mission that has never been more important:  Helping people achieve education and workplace success.  Advancing that mission within our organization, by helping our team members achieve education and workplace success of their own, is core to our values. ACT values a diverse workplace and is committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable environment in which every team member has an opportunity to grow.

We want our team members to have the well-being and confidence they need to do their best work, in an environment where both they and ACT thrive.   To support this, our total rewards include company paid life insurance, medical, dental, vision, flexible health and dependent spending accounts, 401(k) retirement savings with company match, paid holidays, paid time off, and so much more.  You can find a comprehensive list of our benefits here.

We are seeking a Senior Director, Academic Content to help us fulfill that mission. 

The Senior Director, Academic Content will be responsible for leading a team that creates, develops, and executes evidence-based product and service content to drive business outcomes.  Plays a critical role in shaping the strategic development and implementation of academic content that align with the organization’s goals and objectives. This role requires a visionary leader with a strong background in assessment research, content development, and innovation assessment creation technologies.

The finalist will be hired at the salary and level commensurate with their qualifications.  For this position, we anticipate offering an annual salary in the range $150,000 - $170,000, depending on experience.  ACT manages salaries within the range based on relevant factors including, skills, experience, and internal equity. 

Location: Remote (can also be onsite or hybrid if in Iowa City, Iowa area)

What you will be working on:

• Strategic Leadership: Develop and implement plans for academic content and assessment systems that align with the organization’s goals and objectives.
• Development: Oversee the creation and maintenance of high-quality measurement products and related content, ensuring they meet standards and address the needs of the target audience.
• Design:  Lead the team who will serve as subject matter experts in design activities related to the development of measurement products/services partnering with ACT’s measurement teams to meet the validity and efficacy claims.
• Innovation: Stay updated on latest trends and assessment technology driving transformation to cutting-edge methodologies, processes, and technologies. Lead initiatives to integrate AI/ML technologies into assessment systems to enhance accuracy, efficiency, and personalization.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Work with internal and external stakeholders specifically partnering with the leader of Research to ensure validity, reliability, content relevance and effectiveness.
• Team Leadership: Manage and mentor a team of content developers, designers, and other staff including coaching, performance management, and professional development.

Role Progression:

• 1 Month
  • Familiarize with the ACT’s mission, values, key stakeholders, markets, and customers.
  • Begin assessing the current state of academic content, identifying strengths and areas for improvement.
  • Start building relationships with team members, other departments, and key external partners/stakeholders.
• 3 Months:
  • Develop a plan for academic content, aligning with the organization’s goals and objectives.
  • Evaluate the team’s skills and capabilities, and identify any gaps. Begin implementing training or hiring plans if necessary.
  • Start key projects or initiatives that will drive improvements and transformation in academic content.
• 6 Months:
  • Begin executing the plan and monitor progress against key performance indicators (KPIs).
  • Regularly review and refine processes to ensure continuous improvement and transformation in academic content.
  • Strengthen relationships with key stakeholders and ensure their needs and feedback are being addressed.
  • Start planning for the next phase of development, setting long-term goals and objectives.

 This could be the job for you if you have (minimum requirements):

• A minimum of 10 years’ experience in assessment research and content, with 5 years in a leadership role.
• Strong understanding of assessment/measurement methodologies, tools and assessment systems with the ability to execute.
• Experience with data-driven decision making and utilizing data to develop evidence-based strategies.
• Experience in measurement design, psychometrics, data analytics, statistics, and research design
• Experience in automation, AI/ML technologies with application in assessment development
• Experience leading and/or managing teams of content developers.
• Experience in change management implementation and moving teams through transformational changes.
• Proven ability to lead and mentor teams to produce high-quality content.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate complex concepts to a variety of audiences.
• Strategic Leadership – Ability to develop and implement strategic plans.
• Collaboration – work effectively with individuals inside and outside the organization
• Communication – ability to communicate effectively across all levels in the organization
• Decision making – acts decisively with sound judgement; uses data to analyze options and form opinions
• Optimization – ability to apply continuous improvement to existing processes and programs
• Innovation – develops ideas that are new, better, or unique; embraces and promotes diverse perspectives
• Change management – ability to manage change and navigate positively in an environment experiencing change at a fast pace
• Initiative – uses self-starter approach, ability to multi-task, proactively anticipates and acts on information and details needed, completes tasks with little to no direction
• Self-development - remains current in area of expertise, seeks opportunities to expand and grow skills
• Accountability - takes responsibility and follows through on commitments; acknowledges and learns from mistakes without blaming others; recognizes the impact of one's behavior
• Bachelor’s or master's degree in education, psychometrics, business administration, related field, or equivalent work experience

 It’s a plus if you have:

• Advanced degree in assessment, education, psychometrics, or a related field preferred.

When ACT was founded in 1959, it disrupted the assessment industry with a new approach to helping students better understand their readiness so they could take steps to improve it.  By leveraging our expertise and authority in assessment and research, we will again disrupt the industry—helping more people learn, better measure their progress, and improve their navigation through life’s transitions. 

More than ever before, ACT is fulfilling its mission of helping people achieve education and workplace success. We’re doing it by pushing the boundaries of learning innovation through the work of our people, who we call team members because we’re all in this together.

We know transformation does not come without challenge. That’s why ACT invests in a variety of experiences for team members to strengthen their connections, explore ideas, learn from customers, and celebrate success.

Learn more about working at ACT at act.org!

ACT is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. ACT values diversity in people and ideas and participates in E-verify. ACT's online position announcements are intended only to provide general descriptions of employment opportunities; none of the information provided for any position should be interpreted as a commitment by ACT to specific terms and conditions for employment.

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