Senior Psychometric Analyst

Job content

You’ll play a key role in supporting the running of our existing business offer and contribute to growing our suite of online recruitment tests. These include assessing verbal ability, numerical ability and job-specific skills.

You will be instrumental in monitoring, updating and improving the tests.

The Senior Psychometric Analyst will also work very closely with a multi-disciplinary digital team operating an agile project management approach. The team is split across multiple sites: Leeds, Manchester, London and Bristol. Occasional travel within the UK will be a requirement of the role. You will be expected to contribute to the development of professional practice and work collaboratively with colleagues on a wider portfolio of activities when the need arises.

Key Responsibilities Include

Assessment Design, Trialling and Evaluation

• Evaluating and contributing to assessment blueprints to establish the most appropriate psychometric solution;
• Under the direction of the Lead Psychometrician, translating the blueprints into a workable trialling approach (involving trial design, test construction, trialling implementation and data capture);
• Using online assessment platforms to implement and support delivery of assessment solutions; working with digital, data assurance and diversity colleagues to ensure new assessments are psychometrically sound, compliant, fair and meet customer and user needs;
• Arranging for accurate data capture for assessment analyses;
• Data matching and validation;
• Applying Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory analyses to assessment data;
• Managing multiple assessment projects at all stages of the test development cycle;
• Working with customers to ensure best practice use of assessments to support client decision making including pass-mark setting, moderation processes, and reducing risk of adverse impact;
• Evaluating the effectiveness of assessment solutions by identifying appropriate statistical methods/techniques and interrogation of data to ensure they are robust, fair, reliable and valid (e.g. differential item functioning, predictive validity, adverse impact analysis).
• Line management of at least one staff (EO).
  

Training & development

• Keeping up-to-date with the latest innovations in psychometrics and in particular recruitment testing;
• Developing standard tools for psychometric analyses and providing training to the wider team in their use.
  

Consultancy and Research

• Providing professional psychometric advice and guidance to clients and senior leaders to ensure adherence to industry best practice and the highest data ethical standards;
• Representing the Occupational Psychology Service Team at working groups, committees and other forums, within Civil Service HR (CSHR) and across government to inform policy and operations;
• Collaborating with the Lead Psychometrician to research new and emerging assessment methods/processes; setting up and conducting detailed studies to explore their impact and efficacy.
  

Responsibilities

Person Specification

As well as in-depth knowledge and practical experience of test development theories, you’ll need experience of SPSS or another statistical programming language such as R. You’ll also be well versed in psychometric methods, modern statistical and psychometric theories, measurement principles, test design, and validation.

We’re looking for expertise in test development and psychometric methods, along with a good grasp of data analysis for CTT and IRT test analysis. Experience in managing large-scale research and testing programmes is also essential. If you have a Masters in either Educational Measurement & Statistics, Quantitative Research Methods, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Psychometrics, or highly-related discipline, so much the better.

In order to be successful in this role you will:

• Have in-depth knowledge and practical experience of test development theories (Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory);
• Have excellent knowledge of SPSS (including writing own syntax) or another statistical programming language such as R;
• Have good knowledge of Excel for data management;
• Have experience working with large datasets and strong data manipulation skills;
• High attention to detail;
• Have strong communication skills (both verbal and written) and be able to explain complex information so others can easily understand;
• Be willing to learn new programming languages and analytical techniques;
• Be able to manage and prioritise workload to meet changing demands and delivery targets;
• Be effective in building and maintaining relationships, both with clients and colleagues;
• Be proactive, taking ownership and accountability for decisions and commitments;
• Be strong in creativity, producing new and original ideas and creating analytical outputs in novel and imaginative ways;
• Demonstrate persistence, achieving success by delivering despite obstacles or difficulties.
  

You’ll be reporting directly to the Principal Psychometrician (Grade 7). You will work with a variety of clients, departments and professions across government. You will need to be able to demonstrate flexibility, the ability to deliver at pace and be someone who your team can really rely on.

You’ll need to demonstrate real passion for applying psychometric expertise and evidence based practice. Finally, we are a forward-looking team and so you will need to be too. You’ll embrace change and be eager to learn from it to develop and strengthen your role.

Do you see yourself as a talented individual that can achieve all this, progressing yourself and our team to the next level?

Essential Knowledge, Skills And Experience

• Degree educated in a numerate discipline with a strong statistics background;
• Well versed in psychometric methods, modern statistical and psychometric theories, measurement principles, test design, and validation, preferably in an educational or occupational setting;
• Expertise in use of CTT test design and data analysis;
• Some experience of IRT test design and data analysis;
• Experience with managing large-scale research and testing programs, either of norm trialling, volume recruitment testing, certification and/or licensure applications is required
• Experience using psychometric statistics in a test development environment (for example, academia, education, pharmaceutical, clinical, workplace);
• In-depth knowledge and expertise to conduct psychometric and statistical analyses using a statistical programming language such as SPSS/R, ideally in support of research projects;
• Ability to run and interpret statistical tests relating to test development;
• High level data manipulation skills.
  

Desirable Experience And Knowledge

• BPS Test User: Occupational, Ability (Level A) or willing to undertake;
• BPS Test User: Occupational, Personality (Level B) or willing to undertake.
• Experience using data visualisation techniques and tools to explain research/analytical findings
  

Where will I be based?

Roles can be based across all Cabinet Office locations, including: Glasgow, Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, York, and London. There will be some scope for home working across the week.

Eligibility

Applicants must be a British Citizens, citizens of the British Commonwealth, EC nationals or nationals of specified Member States of the European Free Trade Area.

Development Opportunities

Civil Service HR is committed to the development of staff. All employees are encouraged to undertake a minimum of 5 days learning per year. Training in psychometric instruments, and necessary online assessment platforms that are frequently used will be provided as appropriate.

The candidate will be required to undertake BPS Test User training if they do not currently hold this qualification.

For further details, please see the Candidate Pack (attached)