Fast Facts

NWEA is seeking a Senior Learning Scientist with expertise in validation studies for educational technology products to collaborate with cross-functional teams and enhance student learning through trustworthy machine learning and psychometric models.

Responsibilities: Lead validation studies, coordinate with stakeholders, document research results, and provide leadership in developing educational technology products focusing on student learning outcomes.

Skills: Expertise in validation processes, mixed-methods research design, coding in R/Python/SQL, and strong communication skills for effective stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications: Ph.D. in developmental or cognitive psychology or related fields, with a minimum of 5 years experience in educational technology evaluation, preferably focusing on mathematics or ELA.

Location: This is a remote position available in the USA.

Compensation: $105000 - $115000 / Annually

Job Title: Senior Learning Scientist (Validation) 

Location: Remote 

Who We Are 

NWEA® is a division of HMH that supports students and educators through research, assessment solutions, policy and advocacy services, professional learning and school improvement services that fight for equity, drive classroom impact and push for systemic change in our educational communities. For nearly 50 years, NWEA has developed innovative pre-K–12 assessments, including their flagship interim assessment, MAP® Growth™ and their reading fluency and comprehension assessment, MAP® Reading Fluency™. For more information, visit NWEA.org to learn more. 

What you will do 

The Senior Learning Scientist is critical for ensuring HMH solves the problems and helps produce and validate machine learning and psychometric models that provide sound and trustworthy information for teachers. They have demonstrable experience validating educational products involving models of student learning and measuring the trustworthiness of these products with users. Moreover, the Senior Learning Scientist will serve as a critical liaison with UX researchers, and other stakeholders providing guidance and substantive context for harmonizing model inferences and the user experiences that leverage them. They must think flexibly and creatively about research applications within specific product constraints and be able to clearly communicate ideas and findings to non-experts. 

Responsibilities

• Validation Studies: Lead the design and execution of validation studies for products related to student learning that establish trust in educational technology products. Help coordinate with various stakeholders (internal and external) to carry out validation studies. 
• Team Collaboration: Work with other learning scientists, engineers, designers, product managers, and SMEs to develop and refine educational products. 
• Documentation: Create detailed documentation of work results, including white papers, memos, technical reports, and SOPs. 
• Mixed-methods expertise: Understand the strengths and shortcomings of different qualitative and quantitative research methods, including when and how to apply them during the product development and validation process. 
• Leadership: Provide guidance and leadership to colleagues in validation of educational technology products. 

What you’ll need

• Education: PhD in developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, Educational Leadership, Research Methods, or a related field. Expertise in the specific content areas of mathematics or ELA is preferred. 
• Experience: Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience, preferably in developing and evaluating educational technology products. 

Technical & Analytical Skills 

• Verification & Validation: Experience designing verification and validation processes for educational technology products. 
• Research Design: Experience with research design utilizing various qualitative and quantitative methods (e.g., usability studies, contextual inquiry, surveys, etc.). Experience applying advanced statistical analysis methods. Experience designing, moderating, and analyzing qualitative research. Experience with product research focusing on trustworthiness of the product, either in a usability or generative setting. 
• Modeling: Familiarity with model exploration, experimentation, and selection, including causal models, psychometric models, machine learning, and Bayesian inference. 
• Coding: Familiarity with coding R, Python, and/or SQL, with familiarity in software engineering principles such as testing, code reviews, and deployment. 
• Tech Stack: Experience in programming languages for data manipulation and computational statistics (e.g., R, Python, SQL, or equivalent). Familiarity with version control systems like git. 
• Experience with AI risk management frameworks such as NIST AI RMF. 
• Stakeholder Engagement: Ability to communicate effectively with multiple stakeholders and collaborate with leaders to ensure efficient communication channels. 
• Teamwork: Experience collaborating with and understanding the needs of stakeholders from various business functions and working with domain experts to leverage their expertise into solutions. 
• Project management: Demonstrated project management skills necessary to lead and direct multiple small to medium projects. 
• Innovative Thinking: Ability to take a product-oriented mindset, using conceptual and innovative thinking to develop and apply solutions with consideration for user experience. 
• Imagination: Demonstrates imagination by looking for new ways of seeing, thinking, and working. 
• Inclusivity: Listens, encourages, and respects differences; treats all people fairly, with honesty and transparency, and encourages open communication and feedback. 

Salary range: 105k – 115k annually. 

Application Deadline: 

The application window for this position is anticipated to close on February 23, 2025. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible. The posting may be available after this date but is not guaranteed. 

HMH is fully committed to Equal Employment Opportunity and to attracting, retaining, developing and promoting the most qualified employees without regard to race, gender, color, religion, sexual orientation, family status, marital status, pregnancy, gender identity, ethnic/national origin, ancestry, age, disability, military status, genetic predisposition, citizenship status, status as a disabled veteran, recently separated veteran, Armed Forces service medal veteran, other covered veteran, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. We are dedicated to providing a work environment free from discrimination and harassment, and where employees are treated with respect and dignity. We actively participate in E-Verify.

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