Measurement and Assessments Expert

Company Overview:

Since the establishment of the union of the United Arab Emirates in 1971, education has received the utmost attention of the founding leader, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may Allah have mercy on him, and his founding brothers. They believed that education was the cornerstone of building an enabled community that could keep pace with the advancements. Over the past decades, the wise leadership of the country was keen on building an educational system that matched its counterparts in the advanced nations. It harnessed for this purpose all the required capabilities, to achieve the country's agenda and national vision in this regard. Sincere efforts have also been made to develop education and adopt the best systems that achieve high-quality education outputs, to achieve the future visions and aspirations of wise leadership.

Since investing in human capital is the main objective, the UAE has been keen on establishing the Ministry of Education and creating the appropriate environment to build pioneering Emirati schools, in terms of standards, form, and content they provide. It also made sure that such schools provided high-quality educational environment and owned the most technically advanced tools to be able to graduate generations that could pursue their university education confidently in higher education institutions to fulfil the requirements of labour market.

The MOE has also provided a smart learning system and high-quality digital platforms, side by side with the continuous development of school curriculums, according to national learning standards, assessment policy that is based on assessing for learning, and highest quality standards that match the best international practices. Various learning tracks, moreover, have been provided to support the capabilities and skills of students and achieve the country's strategy of encouraging the culture of creativity and innovation through providing the students with the skills of the 21st century and motivating them to have new ideas that relate to the reality they live in and foresee the future. This will eventually help in finding radical, sustainable solutions to the major issues, improving competitiveness, and supporting smart government in its attempts to keep pace with global advancements, advance education, and push it to broad horizons of excellence, leadership, and competitiveness.

Department Definition:

The Testing and Assessments department is responsible for developing policies governing centralized and standardized assessments in alignment with the strategic vision and the objectives of general education. It also establishes the overall framework for assessments and develops their tools in accordance with national learning standards, ensuring their proper implementation. The department further prepares procedural and guidance manuals to regulate implementation processes for various target groups.

In addition, the department is responsible for building item banks and developing smart assessments. It manages the execution of assessments in coordination with relevant entities and prepares national reports to measure performance levels and academic achievement. Moreover, it conducts analytical studies and provides recommendations for continuous improvement.

Contributing to the development of strategic directions and plans for the educational measurement and Assessments system, and overseeing its comprehensive advancement, including tools and procedures, in line with international best practices and standards.

Also responsible for supervising the design of assessments and their development methodologies, as well as monitoring the analysis and interpretation of their results, in a manner that enhances the quality of educational outcomes, strengthens institutional integration, and supports data-driven decision-making.The role further encompasses leading knowledge management within the field of specialization by directing the preparation and review of analytical studies and reports, overseeing the implementation of related initiatives and projects, and contributing to the development of public policies and regulatory frameworks associated with assessments.

In addition, it includes providing technical consultations and professional recommendations to senior management and organizational units, ensuring the efficient and high-quality achievement of strategic objectives.

Main Job Duties & Responsibilities:

• Leading the development of measurement and assessments frameworks and policies at the education system level, ensuring alignment with international best practices.
• Overseeing the quality of the assessment and testing system (validity, reliability, fairness) and endorsing the governing technical standards.
• Directing educational data analysis methodologies and supervising the outputs of strategic analytical reports to support decision-making.
• Leading and supervising specialized studies and research in the field of measurement and assessments and providing evidence-based recommendations.
• Approving and developing national performance indicators related to assessment and monitoring their impact on learning outcomes.
• Overseeing the development of item banks and related policies and ensuring the quality of test items at the system level.
• Leading the development and implementation of national standardized assessments and overseeing their alignment with the Ministry’s strategic directions.
• Supervising the management of the country’s participation in international studies (such as TIMSS, PIRLS, and PISA) and directing the analysis and utilization of their results.
• Leading the alignment of national frameworks with the requirements of international studies and proposing necessary improvements to policies and practices.
• Overseeing the development and implementation of training plans in the field of measurement and assessments, and approving training package content.
• Directing the analysis of curriculum frameworks across different systems and supervising the development of recommendations related to certificate equivalency and qualification recognition.
• Approving and developing standards and procedures for certificate equivalency, ensuring consistency with national policies.
• Overseeing the implementation of specialized projects in the field of measurement and assessments and monitoring the achievement of their objectives.
• Providing technical advisory services to senior management and organizational units and contributing to shaping general directions and policies.
• Representing the entity in relevant local and international technical meetings and committees.
• Promoting integration and coordination among different departments and relevant entities to ensure efficient implementation of the assessment system.
• Overseeing the preparation of strategic reports and executive presentations and submitting them to senior management.
• Monitoring team performance, providing technical guidance, and building specialized capacities in the field of measurement and assessments.
• Ensuring the governance of assessment and testing processes, and adherence to approved policies and procedures.
• Carrying out any other strategic tasks assigned by the line manager.

• Bachelor’s degree in education / Measurement and Assessments / Statistics, or a related educational specialization.
• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, or related fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Analysis, Cloud Computing, Database Systems, Intelligent Systems, Big Data, Educational Data Engineering, Policy, Management, Data Engineering and Project Management, Psychometrics and Educational Analytics and Educational Digital Governance,
• A master’s degree in one of the above-mentioned scientific disciplines is preferred.
• Professional courses or certifications in statistical analysis, test construction, or standardization of educational assessments are considered an added advantage.
• Proficiency in English.
• Minimum practical experience of:
• 12 years for those holding a bachelor’s degree,
• 10 years for those holding a master’s degree,
• 8 years for those holding a Doctorate degree.
• Experience in developing or implementing assessment and diagnostic tools.
• Experience in analysing educational data, preparing reports, and deriving indicators.
• Experience in business or project management.
• Experience in preparing procedural manuals or participating in policy development or service quality improvement projects.
• Experience in training and developing training packages/materials.
• Specialized Knowledge and Skills:
• Advanced knowledge of assessment methods, tools, and standardized measures in the field of measurement and assessments.
• Ability to coordinate the development, standardization, and localization of assessment tools to align with the environment of the United Arab Emirates.
• Preparing and developing professional frameworks and procedural guidelines.
• Strong data analysis skills and the ability to derive indicators to support decision-making.
• Familiarity with measurement and assessments strategies.
• Experience in study design and large-scale sample analysis.
• Ability to prepare norm tables and apply statistical equating and calibration methods.
• Managing large-scale data collection processes and analysing results using advanced methodologies. 
• Leadership skills, technical supervision, and capacity building of specialists.
• Planning, time management, and prioritization skills.
• Communication skills and working in multidisciplinary teams.
• Technical reporting and recommendation skills.
• Problem-solving and data-driven decision-making skills.