Research Scientist

This job involves working with new technology and re-imagining existing products that are sold ‘off the shelf.’ There can be a lot of ambiguity in the projects because there isn’t a step-by-step guide for doing everything you will do. You’ll often need to be determined and resourceful, especially when others tell you that something is impossible or won’t work. The team will support you every step of the way; we will figure it out together. 

This individual will contribute to the design, validation, and continuous improvement of leadership assessments and related talent solutions. This role combines expertise in industrial-organizational psychology, psychometrics, and applied research to develop scientifically sound, innovative, and practical assessment products. The individual will work across the product lifecycle, from concept and design through validation, implementation, reporting, and ongoing enhancement, while collaborating with internal teams and select clients. 

Responsibilities 

Assessment Design & Product Innovation 

• Provide input on the future direction of new assessment solutions and roadmaps for existing tests and assessment products, including enhancements, upgrades, and new applications.  
• Design, develop, refine, and integrate innovative content, methods, and scoring approaches for leadership tests, simulations, and other assessment solutions. 
• Identify and develop ways to integrate assessments into the learning and development process (e.g., a test linked to a learning experience). 
• Maintain and enhance existing tests and assessment products through ongoing monitoring, evaluation, and refresh efforts. 

Research, Psychometrics, & Validation 

• Apply I-O psychology and psychometric principles to assessment design, scoring, validation, norming, and ongoing product improvement. 
• Manage and conduct validation studies for newly developed and existing assessment solutions, including analyses of reliability, validity, subgroup differences, fairness, and practical utility. 
• Analyze cross-client datasets to develop norms, benchmarks, and score interpretation frameworks. 
• Ensure assessment solutions align with professional testing standards, fairness expectations, and applicable legal and ethical guidelines. 
• Keep pace with the advances in agentic AI and apply new technologies responsibility across the role. 

Reporting & Insights 

• Write technical documentation and research reports. 
• Design feedback reports and score interpretation resources that promote user insight, development, and action planning. 
• Present analytical findings and research insights to both technical and non-technical audiences. 
• Serve as a thought leader on leadership testing, assessment, and development topics through conference presentations, white papers, and other external-facing contributions.  

Collaboration & Client Engagement 

• Partner with cross-functional teams, including product, consulting, and technology partners, to support implementation and scale assessment solutions effectively. 
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure solutions meet client needs and deliver measurable impact. 

(These are the minimum qualifications you need to be considered for the job) 

• Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology or closely related field. MA-level will be considered if you have exceptional experience and skills.  
• 1-2 years in a position focused on assessment or assessment design/implementation.  
• Advanced proficiency in R for data management, statistical analysis, psychometric modeling, and reporting. 
• Deep knowledge of assessment development, test validation, norming, and multivariate statistical methods.  
• Applied experience responsibly and ethically applying agentic AI to the workplace; preferred depth with regard to leadership assessment and validation practices.  
• Experience managing large datasets and presenting analytic findings to technical and non-technical audiences.  
• Effective writing skills, including the ability to develop research manuscripts, technical documentation, reports, assessment content, and feedback language. 
• Demonstrated ability to manage projects, work independently, and adapt quickly to changing priorities.  
• Strong planning, organization, communication, customer focus, attention to detail, and collaboration skills are essential to the role.  

Preferred Qualifications 

• Proficiency in Python for statistical analyses and visualizations. 
• Knowledge and experience in advanced psychometric methods such as Item Response Theory, Structural Equation Modeling, Multilevel Modeling, or Network Analysis. 
• Knowledge and experience in applying Natural Language Processing and Large Language Models to assessment design and validation.  

Salary: The anticipated hiring range for this position is listed below. Numbers shown reflect base pay only.

Bonus/Variable Pay: 10%

The exact compensation offered will vary based on skills, experience, and geographic location.

Benefits: Click here for an overview of the benefits DDI offers.