Center Director Jobs in Nebraska

The Buros Center for Testing, housed in the Department of Educational Psychology (EDPS) in the College of Education and Human Sciences (CEHS) at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL), seeks an accomplished academic leader to serve as Director. The Director serves as the chief executive and academic leader of the Buros Center for Testing, a globally respected, non-profit organization committed to improving the science and practice of testing and assessment through rigorous scholarship, psychometric research, and editorial leadership of industry-standard test reviews. The director works at the intersection of academia and practical, high-stakes testing, focusing on ensuring that assessments meet rigorous standards for testing validity and reliability.

Why this role, why now.

The Center is entering a pivotal leadership transition following more than two decades of sustained growth and success under its current director. The Director plays a critical role in sustaining the Center’s financial self-sufficiency, advancing its research mission, and maximizing its economic and scholarly impact. A new Director is essential to provide leadership for long-term planning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and external partnerships, while ensuring continuation of the mission to improve the science and practice of testing and assessment.

The Center is financially stable, highly productive, and supported by an experienced team. The Center’s strong tradition of integrity coupled with its progressive vision has made it a premier research and resource center for testing that continues to influence the use and understanding of measurements. The work of the Center serves to enhance the quality of tests worldwide and to provide evaluation services and research leadership essential to improving the science and practice of testing and assessment.

Key Responsibilities

Academic and Editorial Leadership

- Co-editing key publications, including the Mental Measurements Yearbook, Tests in Print, and Pruebas Publicadas en Español.
- Editing the journal Applied Measurement in Education.
- Supervising personnel and managing the daily operations of the Center.
- Teaching, advising, and mentoring students within the Department of Educational Psychology.

Psychometric and Evaluation Services

- Directing projects related to the independent evaluation of test quality and fairness.
- Providing technical consultation and oversight for proprietary testing programs in education, licensure, certification, and employment.
- Ensuring the integrity of test reviews and maintaining the Oscar K. Buros Library of Mental Measurements, the world’s largest collection of commercially available tests.

Advocacy and Administration

- Promoting assessment literacy through outreach, webinars, and workshops.
- Initiating, developing, and securing contract/grant activities to fund the Center’s research and development work.
- Representing the Center on national and international committees related to testing standards, policy, and ethics.
- Managing financial resources, physical space, and personnel.

The Director will report to the CEHS Dean and will hold a faculty appointment within EDPS. The position is expected to be a fiscal year (FY) appointment with a split FTE of up to 0.51 FTE as Director apportioned as 100% administration. The position is expected to have an apportionment that is aligned with teaching a minimum of one course a year. The successful candidate should have academic and scholarly achievements that support the rank of Full Professor with tenure, according to CEHS and UNL standards.

Minimum Required Qualifications

- Earned doctorate in educational psychology, psychometrics, measurement, or a closely related field.
- Nationally recognized academic and scholarly achievements that support the rank of full professor with tenure, according to CEHS and UNL qualifications and standards.
- Strong scholarly record appropriate for rank of full professor, including peer-reviewed publications and sustained contributions to the candidate’s field(s).
- Evidence of success and established record in obtaining and managing externally funded grants and contracts.
- Proven ability to mentor and support staff and colleagues across the career span.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, with an emphasis on communication with a variety of stakeholder groups (faculty, staff, administrators, funding agencies, and external partners).

Preferred Qualifications

- Demonstrated leadership experience in higher education, such as directing a research center, institute, or large program of research; or leading multi-investigator and/or interdisciplinary research initiatives.
- Record of nationally recognized achievement in psychometrics and measurement.
- Experience with leading and managing a complex enterprise, including managing financial, physical, and human resources.
- Demonstrated leadership experience working across disciplinary and programmatic boundaries.
- Active involvement and/or service in leadership roles in prominent professional organizations, such as the American Psychological Association (APA) and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME).

Posted Salary

How to Apply

Click “Apply for this Job,” complete the Faculty/Academic Administrative Information Form, and attach the following documents:
- Letter of application describing your qualifications and your leadership approach specific to this position.
- Curriculum vitae.
- Contact information for three professional references that can speak to your abilities to carry out the responsibilities of the position. Please include mailing address, phone number, and email.
- Three samples of professional scholarly materials. Combine into a single document and attach as “Other Document.”

For more information, contact Dr. Susan Swearer, Search Committee Chair via email at sswearer@unl.edu.

The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its programs, activities, or employment. See https://equity.unl.edu/notice-nondiscrimination/.