Director, Certification & Exam Products

American Bar Association•US DC Main Office, DC

1d•$112,000 - $118,000•Onsite

About The Position

This position leads the development, management, and continuous improvement of ABA’s certification exam products, including high-stakes certification exams and practice exam offerings. This role is responsible for ensuring the quality, relevance, and scalability of exam development and delivery across the certification portfolio. The position serves as a liaison between ABA, advisory boards, and external testing partners (e.g., Meazure Learning), ensuring effective execution of exam development and maintenance processes. This role also plays a key part in ensuring certification programs remain aligned with evolving industry needs. This includes monitoring market trends, identifying gaps in knowledge and skills, and recommending updates to exam content, structure, and related products (e.g., CISP, CFMP). The position leads the expansion of practice exam offerings and helps identify growth opportunities through enhancements to existing programs and exam-related products. This position will also be partnered with existing exam leadership to support knowledge transfer and the continued evolution and modernization of exam program operations over time.

Requirements

Minimum of 6 – 8 years of progressive experience in professional certification, assessment operations, credentialing, or a related field, with demonstrated responsibility for leading or managing certification exam programs or similar high-stakes assessment initiatives.
Management or support of the full certification exam lifecycle (job task analysis, item writing, exam development, maintenance, and refresh cycles)
Experience working with external testing vendors to coordinate exam development, delivery, and psychometric services
Experience partnering with advisory boards, subject matter experts (SMEs), and item writers in a structured environment required
Experience managing complex projects, timelines, and cross-functional stakeholders

Nice To Haves

Experience working for a testing or credential organization (associations, certification bodies, or licensure programs)
Practice exam or assessment product development
Scalable content development processes, including AI-assisted workflows
Applying psychometric insights to support exam quality and continuous improvement

Responsibilities

Develop a practice exam framework for all ABA certifications.
Oversee development of practice exams in partnership with advisory boards and SMEs, ensuring alignment with certification exam content and candidate preparation needs.
Establish and manage AI-assisted item development workflows, combining technology-enabled drafting with structured SME and board review.
Facilitate board validation and approval of practice exam content, including item selection, refinement, and finalization.
Establish standards for practice exam design, including scoring methodologies, answer rationales, and candidate feedback.
Partner with Online Learning and Product teams to integrate practice exams into exam preparation offerings and bundled products.
Monitor utilization, candidate performance, and feedback to continuously improve practice exam effectiveness and value.
Lead the development and lifecycle management of certification exam products, including exam forms, item banks, and refresh cycles.
Serve as the primary point of contact for external testing partners, ensuring effective execution of exam development, delivery, and maintenance.
Manage timelines and deliverables for job task analyses (JTAs), item writing, exam assembly, and ongoing exam updates.
Monitor vendor performance and ensure alignment with contractual requirements, quality standards, and service expectations.
Ensure consistency across certification programs by standardizing exam development processes and best practices.
Lead advisory board engagement related to exam product development and maintenance.
Recruit, onboard, and maintain a strong pipeline of subject matter experts (SMEs) and item writers.
Facilitate item writing workshops and working sessions in collaboration with external partners.
Ensure effective governance, participation, and quality contributions from SMEs and advisory boards.
Ensure exam development processes align with high-stakes testing standards and certification best practices.
Review exam outlines, item bank composition, and development outputs to ensure alignment with program blueprints and content coverage.
Coordinate review and implementation of psychometric analyses and recommendations provided by external partners.
Maintain exam integrity through secure item development, rotation, and refresh practices.
Support the transition and ongoing evolution of exam program processes, including modernization of workflows, board engagement models, and development practices.
Identify opportunities to improve exam development workflows, content pipelines, and operational efficiency.
Support certification program updates, including exam refreshes and content alignment efforts.
Maintain documentation, procedures, and governance standards for exam product development and management.
Collaborate with Online Learning, Marketing, Finance, and Member Engagement teams to ensure aligned delivery of exam products.
Support go-to-market efforts for certification exams and practice exam offerings, including positioning and value messaging.
Other duties as assigned by business needs.