[YEP-DC] Employment Opportunity - Senior Research Associate / NAEP Assessment Division Support Project Director

Senior Research Associate / NAEP Assessment Division Support Project Director

Optimal Solutions Group seeks a senior research associate / project director for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Assessment Division Support contract for the National Center for Education Statistics, to provide technical and analytic support related to the NAEP.  The candidate should have broad knowledge of the psychometric and operations components and nuances of the NAEP, as well as expertise related to educational measurement, assessment, and quantitative research, as well as NAEP reporting experience, and extensive experience managing large complex research projects for the federal government.

The senior research associate / project director will join Optimal’s Education Research Center (ERC), which currently conducts a broad range of projects addressing key issues in education policy and practice. The candidate will be based at Optimal’s K Street office in Washington, DC, which is co-located with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in psychology, education, economics, public policy, or a related field
• At least 6-years of progressively higher levels of demonstrated management responsibility with a track record of solid accomplishments
• Working knowledge of and experience in providing services under the Government's statutory and regulatory requirements regarding complex contracts
• Recognized expert in the area of assessment, research, and/or development
• Experience directing large multi-site studies, developing both large and small proposals, developing budgets, and monitoring project costs
• Experience working with large-scale data sets, quality control, and writing policy-related briefs
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to work well in teams
• Experience working with the NAEP assessment preferred

Responsibilities:

• Design and monitor research projects involving advanced statistical, modeling, and analysis techniques
• Act as project director or principal investigator for research projects, supervise others working on the projects, and review their work
• Represent the company's expertise in specialized research or policy arenas through technical communications, testimony, publications, and conferences, reaching beyond the contracting agencies
• Lead team of researchers and program staff

TO APPLY:  Please send your resume with a cover letter and writing sample (i.e., policy relevant brief, etc.) to:  Jobs@optimalsolutionsgroup.comwith NAEP-PD in the subject line.

PLEASE NOTE: Qualified candidates will be contacted directly---NO CALLS PLEASE