Lead Certification Program Manager

About this role

We are thrilled to offer an exciting opportunity to join the Achievement Team as a Lead Certification Program Manager. As a critical member of the team, you will have ownership over the design, development, and maintenance of various projects related to our portfolio of offerings, which includes Skill Badges, Super Badges, and Certifications. 

You will interlock with different teams across Okta to identify and prioritize new achievement needs and recruit subject matter experts who will support the development of assessment content. You will assist with the development of growth strategies for the Achievement Ecosystem and the daily operations of our program, including the planning and execution of assessment projects and facilitation of development workshops. You will establish operational and outcome-based success metrics and drive projects to completion. You will also manage assessment delivery platforms and testing vendors to ensure compliance with contracts and overall satisfactory performance.

The ideal candidate for this role has 5+ years of experience developing certification exams or other assessments for a technical audience.  You have experience creating performance-based assessment content for microcredentials and certification programs, and you have used innovative approaches, such as AI or automated-item generation, to create knowledge based items. 

You are passionate about creating impactful work, take the lead on projects, and can drive a project from start to finish. You are excited to use your exam development experience to make a meaningful impact. You thrive in a dynamic and fast-paced environment, embrace change, can coach a team of subject matter experts, and can effectively lead a project from end-to-end.

Joining our team means being part of a supportive and creative environment where your work is valued and significantly impacts our customers' success.

Duties and responsibilities   

• Scoping and designing knowledge-based and  performance-based content to meet the needs of customers who use Okta to build and manage identities in consumer and SaaS apps.
• Collaborating with internal and external subject matter experts to create and update certification exams, microcredentials, preparatory materials, and other assessments.
• Managing the development of diverse certification exam item (question) types, including performance-based items and simulations.
• Facilitating analysis, design, development, and review workshops to ensure the exam content reflects the skill and knowledge needs of the target audience.
• Utilizing innovative approaches (e.g., AI and auto-item generation) to create and manage robust item banks.
• Conducting in-service analysis on exam performance, including pass rates and item difficulty, to assess exam performance.
• Facilitating standard setting sessions to ensure exam validity and reliability.
• Maintaining and enforcing program policies to ensure consistency and fairness.
• Aggregating, reviewing, summarizing, and taking action on in-exam feedback and feedback received through other media to improve exam content regularly.
• Reviewing and reporting on exam performance data, creating and communicating improvement plans to key stakeholders, and executing improvement plans.
• Recommending, designing, and delivering plans to drive engagement in the Achievement Ecosystem.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Psychology, Management, or a related discipline preferred.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience and proven expertise in IT Certification exam development and digital badging.
• Experience managing the development of performance-based testing items (e.g., live application delivery, simulations, etc.) 
• Experience with developing interactive simulation-based questions that replicate real-world tasks or scenarios to assess hands-on practical skills preferred.
• Some knowledge and experience in Identity and Access Management (IAM) and Security space is preferred but not required.
• Experience utilizing AI tools, including auto-item generation and smart items, to enhance the item development process, streamline question creation, and improve the quality and relevance of exam content is preferred.
• Strong attention to detail, highly organized, and a self-starter who can multitask effectively. Demonstrated ability to take a project from ideation to completion and deliver results.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with a proven ability to work collaboratively across functions.
• Resourceful and skilled at managing a diverse group of stakeholders, including internal groups and external groups, such as customers, partners, and vendors.
• Strong customer service skills.

Technical Qualifications

• Experience with exam development (item banking), delivery, remote proctoring and scoring applications (e.g., Scorpion, Questionmark, MeazureLearning)
• Knowledge of basic security concepts
• Proficient in Google Workspace or MS Office

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