Director of Assessment Operations

National Conference of Bar Examiners•Madison, WI

2d•Remote

About The Position

The Director of Assessment Operations leads the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the operating model supporting NCBE’s assessment programs, 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 for assessment content operations, constructed-response grading, and the transition from fixed, event-based exam administrations toward more flexible delivery models. The role 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. Working 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 also partners with external exam delivery and technology providers to establish shared plans, clear responsibilities, measurable service commitments, and coordinated execution. The Director may work remotely, with applicants considered from FL, IA, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NE, NJ, NM, NV, OK, PA, WA, and WI. The position 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.
Excellent judgment, communication, organizational, and analytical skills, with the ability to manage competing deadlines and lead through ambiguity.
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.

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, supporting reliable current operations and 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 using 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 scalable processes that maintain scoring consistency.
Build operating capabilities for more frequent, flexible, and 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.
Coordinate priorities, dependencies, and execution with leaders across Psychometrics, Test Development, Product, User Experience, Product Engineering, and other functions.
Identify and implement systems, tools, documentation, standard operating procedures, and supporting infrastructure for sustainable, production-grade operations.
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 to support current commitments and future growth.
Lead organizational change and operational improvement initiatives, and build and manage staff and external resources as the assessment operations function evolves.