Director of Assessment Operations

National Conference of Bar Examiners•Madison, WI

3d•$145,000 - $182,000•Remote

About The Position

The Director of Assessment Operations leads the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of NCBE’s assessment operating model, with particular responsibility for modernizing and digitizing the Uniform Bar Exam. Reporting to the Chief Product Officer, the Director translates assessment strategy into scalable, reliable production capabilities across assessment content operations, constructed-response grading, and the transition from fixed, event-based exams toward more flexible delivery models. The Director establishes processes, capacity plans, performance measures, governance, and cross-functional coordination to produce high-quality assessment materials and deliver timely, consistent scoring at increasing scale. In partnership with leaders in Psychometrics, Test Development, Product, User Experience, Product Engineering, and other operational functions, the Director supports effective current exam administrations while building infrastructure and production-grade processes for NCBE’s future operating model. The role is accountable for operational execution and process integrity; subject-matter, measurement, technology, and product decisions remain with their respective functional leaders. The Director is also an operational partner to external exam delivery and technology providers, coordinating plans, responsibilities, service commitments, and execution. The position may be performed remotely by applicants located in Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Washington, or Wisconsin. It may include up to 10% travel.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
At least 8–10 years of progressively responsible experience leading complex operations, production systems, program delivery, or large-scale service functions, including people and cross-functional leadership.
Demonstrated success building scalable operating processes, managing high-volume workflows, improving quality and throughput, and implementing performance measures and controls.
Ability to partner effectively with psychometric, content, engineering, product, and operational specialists without substituting for their technical expertise.
Demonstrated experience managing strategic technology or service-provider relationships, including shared operational planning, vendor performance, service levels, escalation, and cross-organizational delivery accountability.
Excellent judgment, communication, organizational, and analytical skills, with the ability to manage competing deadlines and lead through ambiguity.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in business, operations, education, assessment, or a related field.
Experience in educational assessment, licensure/certification, regulated operations, or another high-stakes, quality-sensitive environment.
Familiarity with workflow automation, production analytics, and responsible applications of AI to operational processes.

Responsibilities

Lead development and implementation of NCBE’s assessment operating model, maintaining reliable current operations and alignment with long-term modernization priorities.
Design and manage scalable assessment content production workflows, including capacity planning, schedules, resource allocation, production controls, and timely delivery.
Partner with Test Development, Psychometrics, Product Engineering, and Product to modernize content pipelines through streamlined workflows, automation, and responsible AI-assisted processes.
Lead operational planning and coordination for constructed-response grading, including grader capacity, recruitment logistics, training schedules, assignments, and workflow management.
Work with Psychometrics and Test Development to implement standardized grading operations, calibration support, quality monitoring, and processes that scale while maintaining scoring consistency.
Build operating capabilities for more frequent and flexible, potentially window-based, exam administrations, including evolving test-center and delivery models.
Establish and oversee operational readiness frameworks, implementation plans, contingency procedures, and reviews across jurisdictions, venues, and delivery environments.
Partner with Internet Testing Systems (ITS), Pearson VUE, and other strategic providers on operational planning, implementation, readiness, service delivery, and continuous improvement.
Define shared responsibilities, service expectations, performance measures, escalation paths, and governance processes for vendor-dependent operations.
Collaborate with leaders across Psychometrics, Test Development, Product, User Experience, Product Engineering, and other functions to coordinate priorities, dependencies, and execution.
Identify and implement systems, tools, documentation, standard operating procedures, and supporting infrastructure for a sustainable, production-grade operation.
Establish operational metrics and reporting to monitor throughput, quality, turnaround times, capacity, costs, partner performance, and improvement opportunities.
Identify operational risks and lead mitigation planning, issue escalation, contingency preparation, and business continuity efforts to protect exam integrity and service reliability.
Develop and manage operational budgets, staffing models, resource plans, and capacity forecasts for current commitments and future growth.
Lead organizational change and operational improvement initiatives; build and manage staff and external resources as the assessment operations function evolves.