Post Doctoral Scholar

The Ohio State University • Columbus, OH

12d • $63,000 - $68,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Assessment Program at EHE’s Center on Education and Training for Employment is seeking a Post Doctoral Scholar to assist with test development activities for workforce development courses and certification exams. This role primarily works with psychometrics staff to perform test development and revision activities. They will also assist with writing technical reports, white papers, and scholarly papers (e.g., conference proposals, journal articles) using data from these test development, revision, and administration activities. The Post Doctoral Scholar will receive structured training and mentoring that prepare them for future roles in university-based research centers, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and other credentialing and high-stakes testing organizations. In alignment with CETE’s mission, the scholar will engage in translational research activities that (a) generate knowledge, (b) translate findings to real-world practice, and (c) contribute to policy-relevant insights. It extends that commitment beyond traditional academic programs into workforce development, fostering innovation and real-world impact in keeping with Ohio State’s land-grant mission. This position provides opportunities to: Contribute to the development of impactful, high-stakes assessment programs and products. Conduct research that bridges scholarship, design, implementation, and evaluation in authentic educational and workforce training settings. Be mentored in high-stakes assessment development, applied research, project management, and stakeholder engagement. Prepare technical and other reports and present findings. Provide educational sessions and professional learning opportunities for CETE staff and project partners. Engage in national professional networks related to assessment, psychometrics, workforce development, and career-technical education. The Post Doctoral Scholar must be willing to relocate to Ohio before beginning the position. A remote hybrid option will be ed for scholars residing in Ohio outside of the greater Columbus, OH metropolitan area. Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Working knowledge of Zoom.
• Background in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Psychometrics, Educational Measurement, Quantitative Methodology, or a related field.
• Experience with at least one advanced statistical software (R, SPSS, SAS, Lertap, etc.).
• Strong report and research writing skills.
• Previous education, training, and/or experience in psychometrics and assessment development processes for education, training, or selection processes.
• PhD from an accredited college or university in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Quantitative Psychology, Psychometrics, Educational Measurement, or Quantitative Methodology.
• Candidates who are ABD but will earn their PhD by the start date will be considered.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with analyzing large data sets using R.
• Multi-level modeling.
• Writing white papers or similar papers for non-technical audiences.
• Previous education, training, and/or experience on assessment development processes specifically for measures of work/job skills, abilities, knowledge, or other traits and competencies.
• Experience designing and overseeing Qualtrics surveys.

Responsibilities

• Design and monitor surveys in Qualtrics.
• Analyze test-taker data for revision and maintenance of test item banks.
• Prepare technical manuals.
• Gather, analyze, summarize, synthesize, and disseminate testing-related information in reports.
• Create knowledge management documents, FAQs, presentations, field communication materials, and other documents to explain psychometric concepts to broad audiences.
• Facilitate SME groups during Zoom-based item writing activities as needed.
• Use recent research to suggest improvements to the test development and maintenance processes.
• Perform other miscellaneous activities related to the test construction and revision process.
• Formulating research ideas using existing data from test development and administration activities (as approved by the sponsors).
• Contributing to peer-reviewed journal manuscripts, conference proposals, and other materials for academic, practitioner, and stakeholder audiences.
• Writing practitioner-focused literature reviews, reports, and research summaries for the CETE Assessment Program’s revitalized white paper series.

Benefits

• Medical, dental and vision coverage, with Ohio State paying a significant portion of the cost.
• Paid time off, including sick and vacation time and 11 holidays.
• State retirement plan or an alternative retirement plan, both with generous employer contributions.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree