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Are you an experienced psychometrician looking to apply your expertise to meaningful, real-world assessment and measurement challenges?
We're looking for a Senior Psychometrician to join our Centre for Statistics, working on a varied portfolio of national and international assessment projects. You'll have the opportunity to apply and develop your expertise across areas including classical test theory, item response theory, equating and linking, while helping shape our approach to psychometrics and supporting colleagues and clients to build their capability.
With a competitive salary, excellent benefits and the opportunity to work for an internationally respected education charity, this is a role where your technical expertise can make a genuine difference.
Salary: £51,000–£57,000 per annum (non-negotiable).
Annual Leave: Enjoy 42 days off each year: 30 days' annual leave, 4 paid closure days and 8 bank holidays.
Pension Contributions: 10% employer contributions.
Flexible Working: Home-flexible hybrid working, with typically a minimum of just one day per month at our Slough office at The Mere, Upton.
Family Support: Enhanced maternity/parental leave and paid compassionate leave.
Full-time: 35 hours per week.
JOB DESCIPTION
As a Senior Psychometrician, you'll play a key role in the design and delivery of the psychometric elements of a varied portfolio of assessment projects, from national assessment programmes to work with smaller organisations and international clients.
You'll apply your technical expertise to real-world measurement challenges, working both independently and alongside multidisciplinary project teams. As a subject matter expert, you'll provide specialist psychometric advice, help develop colleagues' capability and contribute to the development of new methods and approaches.
You'll also have opportunities to contribute to research reports, share findings with education policy and measurement communities in the UK and internationally, and support capacity-building with international partners.
This role includes working closely with international partners, particularly in countries across the Global South. As a result, candidates must be willing and able to undertake occasional international travel and in-country delivery of training and capacity-building activities where required.
Key responsibilities:
• Manage and deliver high-quality psychometric analysis across a range of assessment projects.
• Apply approaches including CTT and IRT, equating and linking to real-world assessment and measurement challenges.
• Work collaboratively with project teams and clients to shape the design and delivery of psychometric work.
• Provide specialist psychometric advice and support the development of colleagues' technical capability.
• Ensure robust quality assurance, methodologies and standards across psychometric outputs.
• Contribute to the development of new methods and innovative approaches to psychometric analysis.
• Share findings through reports, papers, presentations and engagement with education and measurement communities in the UK and internationally.
• Contribute technical expertise to the development of proposals and new opportunities for psychometric work
This role will involve occasional international travel, as and when required.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential skills and experience:
• Strong practical experience of psychometric analysis, including classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT), applied to real-world assessment or measurement issues.
• Confident user of R for statistical analysis, with experience of relevant psychometric or statistical software such as flexMIRT, SPSS or other IRT packages.
• Experience of delivering psychometric or assessment work in an applied setting.
• Sound understanding of measurement principles including validity, reliability, equating and/or linking.
• Ability to communicate complex analytical findings clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
• A practical, organised approach to managing analysis and delivering high-quality outputs to deadlines.
Other roles you may have experience of include: Psychometrician, Senior Psychometrician, Assessment Researcher, Quantitative Researcher, Measurement Specialist, Assessment Specialist, Statistical Researcher or Quantitative Specialist.
WHY NFER?
At NFER, our mission is to improve outcomes for future generations and support positive change in education systems. As part of our Centre for Statistics, you'll have the opportunity to apply your psychometric expertise to assessment challenges with real-world impact, working alongside experienced researchers and statisticians on projects in the UK and internationally.
You'll join an environment where technical quality matters, where you'll have scope to influence and improve our approaches, and where collaboration, flexibility and professional development are valued.
What we offer:
• A supportive and inclusive workplace culture.
• Opportunities to develop your skills and advance your career.
• Flexible working arrangements to support work-life balance from day 1.
• The chance to make a real difference in the education sector.
APPLICATION PROCESS
We operate a rolling recruitment process and will review applications as they are received. We encourage early applications, as interviews may be arranged with suitable candidates as they are identified.
We are an equal opportunities employer. We welcome and encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, and are committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process. If you require any adjustments, alternative document formats or accommodations at any stage, please do not hesitate to contact us at HR@nfer.ac.uk. Further details can also be found in the Job Information Pack.
If you’re ready to bring your skills and passion to a role that makes a difference, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now and start your journey with NFER.