Test Development Manager

Ascend Learning is a national leader in data driven, online educational solutions for learners, educators and employers in high-growth, licensure-driven professions spanning healthcare, fitness and wellness, skilled trades, insurance, and financial services. We are passionate about accelerating learning while impacting job readiness, employment success and employee retention with the belief that our work changes lives.

Our culture is intentionally results-driven and selfless with a relentless focus on our customers. We believe in trust, transparency, freedom, and responsibility with a commitment to meritocracy, inclusion, and diversity of thought. Continual investment in our over 1500 employees is also a core principle realized through ongoing professional development and providing opportunities to grow, develop and lead. Ascend Learning is headquartered in Burlington, MA with additional office locations and remote workers in cities across the U.S.

The Test Development Manager ensures process and quality control excellence in the development of Ascend Learning assessments. A Test Development Manager should possess all the skills necessary to perform any of the duties of any member of the Test Development team. These include test creation, system management, coordination across departments, and incident resolution. The manager is also accountable for hiring, team performance, product quality, customer service, team training, workflow management, project prioritization, deadlines, project assignment, and oversight of day-to-day activities.

Responsibilities

A Test Development manager should be able to perform all the duties required of a Senior Test Developer:

• Use an internal database to create and maintain assessments (high stakes, low stakes, and certification) to predetermined specifications while meeting established deadlines and coordinating with cross-functional teams, including psychometrics, content experts, media development, and project management.
• Coordinate and lead Item Review meetings with content experts while transcribing the input of content experts, navigating an internal database, ensuring that everyone stays on task, and accounting for all test requirements.
• Responsible for documenting assembly tasks in detail, building tests, performing testing in a production environment, and coordinating to ensure that all issues are resolved before final product release.
• Copyedit products to ensure consistency with company standards.
• Understand the various steps within the test development process, why they are performed, and when they should be modified. Use this knowledge to contribute to process modification and/or the resolution of customer support inquiries.
• Coordinate with IT teams to create, test, and release new functionality, prevent incidents, and troubleshoot issues.
• Provide administration and management of internal databases.

A Test Development Manager should also be able to perform the following supervisory/management responsibilities:

• Manage the activities of test developers to maximize work effort, deliver products on time, ensure accuracy, and provide excellent service to business partners. This includes managing day-to-day activities and providing project oversight.
• Coordinate with resource and project management teams to develop production schedules and workflow. This includes involvement in project initiation and scope definition and/or review.
• Ensure appropriate staffing by managing the hiring process and conducting performance management of team members.
• Ensure that processes and tools are in place to efficiently produce high-quality products that satisfy business needs.
• Leverage strategies and tools for increasing item output and mitigating security risks
• Serve as liaison between Business Units and the Test Development Team.

Description of Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Manage the activities of test developers to maximize work effort, deliver products on time, ensure accuracy, and provide excellent service to business partners. This includes managing day-to-day activities and providing project oversight.
• Coordinate with resource and project management teams to develop production schedules and workflow. This includes involvement in project initiation and scope definition and/or review.
• Ensure appropriate staffing by managing the hiring process and conducting performance management of team members.
• Ensure that processes and tools are in place to efficiently produce high-quality products that satisfy business needs.
• Leverage strategies and tools for increasing item output and mitigating security risks
• Serve as liaison between Business Units and the Test Development Team.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree
• Two years of editing experience
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office
• 2 to 4 years of experience as a Test Developer

Skills & Abilities

• Ability to trouble shoot and solve problems using available resources
• Ability to multitask
• Ability to communicate effectively
• Knowledge of editing and proofreading
• Ability to follow instructions carefully and thoroughly
• Ability to plan and organize work, set priorities, and direct own activities
• Desire to take accountability of projects and quality
• Desire and ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to understand and interpret item statistics
• Understanding of basic HTML coding
• Expertise in maintenance of internal databases
• Ability to contribute to process documentation updates
• Familiarity with interconnectedness of testing platforms (creation, delivery, staging, etc.) and backend processes
• Proficiency in Ascend Learning's organizational structure and role definition
• Practiced leadership skills

Ascend Learning, LLC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer (M/F/Vets/Disabled). No agency or search firm submissions will be accepted. Applications for U.S. based positions with Ascend Learning, LLC must be legally authorized to work in the United States and verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.

#LI-KH1