Analytical Expert - Personnel Testing and Assessment

Overview

Leidos Health & Services Sector is seeking an Analytical Expert to support the Department of Defense’s personnel testing and assessment mission. The Analytical Expert serves as the senior quantitative expert providing analytic leadership across modeling, data science, psychometrics, and statistical analysis supporting DoD’s personnel testing and assessment programs.

Note: This job posting is in anticipation of future work.

• Lead high-level statistical modeling, predictive analytics, and simulation studies.

• Oversee scoring, calibration, item pool evaluation, and classification algorithms.

• Provide subject-matter leadership on analytic modernization and data architecture.

• Ensure quality, accuracy, and methodological innovation across analytic work streams.

• Mentor analytic and data science personnel.

• Uniquely skilled and nationally known experts in an operations research, mathematics, statistics, economics, data science, engineering or computer science field.

• Education:
  
  Minimum of a Master’s or PhD plus 15+ years of experience.

• Skills:

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

  • Strong attention to detail and a commitment to accuracy.

  • Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.

  • Demonstrated ability to work independently as a member or leader of a team.

  • Demonstrated ability to plan, prioritize, and manage own work and the work of others.

  • Demonstrated commitment to meeting high standards for product and service quality.

  • Desire to learn and develop inventive methods that respond to client needs.

  • Demonstrated mastery in advanced quantitative methods, including multivariate statistics, predictive modeling, simulation, and statistical inference.

  • Deep expertise in psychometric methods such as Item Response Theory (IRT), Classical Test Theory (CTT), scaling, equating, form assembly, and scoring algorithm development.

  • Strong programming and analytic skills using R, Python, SAS, or similar statistical computing languages.

  • Ability to lead large-scale analytic studies, design analytic plans, and evaluate the statistical integrity of research and testing programs.

  • Ability to translate complex analytic and statistical findings into clear, actionable insights for technical and non-technical stakeholders.

  • Experience conducting quality assurance checks for analytic processes, including model validation, scoring verification, and data integrity reviews.

  • Proven ability to direct analytic workflows, mentor quantitative staff, and provide authoritative guidance on methodological decisions.

  • Strong scientific writing skills for producing technical reports, analytic documentation, and methodology papers.

  • Ability to collaborate effectively with psychometricians, behavioral scientists, programmers, and operational stakeholders.

Must possess or be able to obtain a DoD Common Access Card (CAC) and successfully complete a FBI fingerprint check and a National Agency Check with Written Inquiries (NACI) check. US Citizenship is required.

This position is eligible for 75% remote work with occasional on-site work as required by customer and/or contract needs. Candidate must be located or willing to relocate within commuting distance of Seaside, CA.

• Experience working with or within the DoD.

• Familiarity with DTAC and its mission and objectives.

• Familiarity with DoD or federal personnel testing, recruiting, or classification processes.

• Knowledge of military accession, recruiting, and classification processes.

• Experience supporting high stakes testing programs (e.g., federal, military, certification/licensure, educational assessment).

• Demonstrated record of publications, conference presentations, technical leadership, or national recognition in quantitative disciplines.

• Experience with adaptive testing methodologies, including CAT simulations, item pool management, and psychometric system design.

• Familiarity with large operational datasets, including demographic or longitudinal data systems.

• Experience collaborating with software development teams to implement analytic logic, scoring tools, or model-based algorithms.

• Knowledge of APA/AERA/NCME testing standards and best practices in fairness, reliability, and validity.

• Experience supporting research requiring human subjects’ protection, IRB/OMB reviews, or compliance documentation.

Note: The posting includes a marketing closing paragraph and pay range; remove non-essential promotional text when publishing the refined description.