Associate Psychometrician

Associate Psychometrician

Location:

Remote

For full consideration, attach your resume and cover letter. For guidance, review the Applicant Resources on our website.

Job posted until filled. All application materials submitted by 11:59 pm on the IRD will be routed to the hiring team. IRD: 1/22/2026

UC Santa Cruz is a public university combining the experience of a small liberal arts college with the depth of a major research university. It is known for its unconventional spirit and innovative culture.

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) is a public agency supported by 12 states and territories. SBAC develops an online assessment system aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and tools for educators to improve teaching and learning. It is housed at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension.

The Associate Psychometrician conducts psychometric analysis, produces technical reports, prepares materials for, and facilitates data review meetings. The role requires independent work with collaboration across SBAC offices. Documentation of business and functional requirements is essential. The position supports fair, accurate, and equitable assessment experiences for all learners.

Salary: $99,040 – $106,400 per year (budgeted).
Benefits: Full benefits
Schedule: Full‑time, 40 hrs/week (Mon‑Fri, Day shift)
Classification: Career appointment
Travel: Up to 25% of the time

• 75% Operational Support – Assist with cyclical psychometric analysis, update technical reports, prepare validation and cross‑validation study reports, develop data organization systems, apply statistical procedures and programming (R, Python, PARSCALE, IRTPRO, flex
  
  MIRT), conduct validation of Consortium‑wide embedded field testing calibration, and provide psychometric support to other functional groups.
• 15% Production Planning – Under senior guidance, conduct analyses and research for member requests, deliver presentations at national conferences, plan long‑term statistical studies (proposals, survey design, sampling), manage research data databases, and prepare data for presentation.
• 5% Process Improvement – Review new software instruments, make programming modifications, participate in developing data security policies and procedures, stay abreast of technical advances, and revise documentation related to psychometric operations.
• 5% Team Building/Support – May supervise database management and research analysis activities of analysts, and implement related business processes.

• Doctoral degree in educational measurement, psychometrics, quantitative psychology, data science, statistics, or closely related subject.
• 0–3 years of operational psychometric experience.
• Experience ensuring collaborative practices among staff.
• Thorough knowledge of the research function and applied psychometric techniques (classical test theory, item response theory, test equating, scaling, linking, standard setting).
• Familiarity with software packages and programming languages used in psychometric work (R, Python, SQL, flex
  
  MIRT).
• Strong data analysis, validation, systems programming, analysis, and consultation skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills for technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Project‑management skills and demonstrated research skills for developing solutions and proposals.

• Familiarity with modern assessment designs such as computer adaptive testing and related parameter estimation methods (item response theory, adaptive item selection algorithms, Bayesian and maximum‑likelihood estimation).
• Familiarity with K‑12 education.

• Required remote work under UCSC Telecommuting/Remote Work Guidelines.
• Pass a pre‑employment criminal history background check and the employment misconduct disclosure process.
• Work long periods at a computer; occasional evenings and weekends as directed; travel nationally.
• Maintain professional conduct and manage sensitive information per data‑protection policies.
• Complete required training, including UC compliance training and…