Director — Talent Assessment Science, Washington, D.C.​

Set the direction and shape the science behind who gets hired. 

At Gallup, our pre-hire assessment science is backed by decades of research, millions of data points and a body of work that has influenced how organizations select talent around the world. We are looking for a director to lead the next chapter of that science in close partnership with the researchers, technologists and client teams who carry it to market.  

The work of our Hiring Analytics practice spans the full range, from building proprietary instruments to curating and validating the best of what already exists. Leading this practice requires exceptional judgment to choose the right solution and strategic vision to modernize and advance assessment science in a rapidly evolving industry.  

This is a player-coach role in the truest sense: senior enough to set where the portfolio goes, yet close enough to the methods that the work still carries your fingerprints. You will guide the practice into adaptive testing, AI-augmented assessment and modern validation while developing a small, senior team that grows because you are in the work alongside them. 

What You’ll Do  

• Lead the construction and validation of assessments from the ground up across cognitive, behavioral, situational and work-sample formats: item writing at scale; scale development; IRT calibration; and the criterion, content and construct validation that hold up to EEOC and Uniform Guidelines scrutiny. 

• Partner directly with clients, scoping needs, shaping solutions, presenting psychometric findings and defending the science with equal fluency to legal teams, executives and non-technical stakeholders. 

• Build structured interview systems at speed, developing behaviorally anchored, job-relevant guides that balance scientific rigor against commercial timelines — two demands that rarely agree — so clients have tools they can actually use. 

• Draw discoveries out of our data, mining Gallup’s 17M+ pre-hire assessment dataset for novel validity evidence, performance predictors, subgroup patterns and insights that serve clients and advance the field, including the occasional inconvenient result. 

• Advance the methodology in CAT, IRT, AI-assisted item generation, automated scoring, and candidate evaluation models; connect that science to CliftonStrengths® and the talent philosophy the firm is built on; and serve as the authoritative voice on AI in assessment and where its fast-moving regulation is heading. 

• Develop your people through real reps on real problems. Set the scientific standard; coach researchers and psychometricians on method and craft; and guide the assessment science on major client engagements alongside strategy, analytics, technology and client-service colleagues.  

What Makes You Stand Out 

• Validation rigor across the full arc: You have done confirmatory factor analysis for construct validity, criterion-related designs that predict rather than merely correlate, norming and standardization, and adverse impact analysis that you have taken through to remediation. 

• A researcher’s instinct for discovery: You treat a dataset as territory to explore rather than merely validate, alongside fluency in AI as both tool and context, building with it and thinking ahead about what it means for the integrity and fairness of hiring decisions. 

• Assessment science expertise: You have deep knowledge of EEOC regulations, the Uniform Guidelines and SIOP principles, and you have confidently defended assessment methodologies to legal stakeholders and regulatory audiences. 

• The temperament of a player-coach: You are senior enough to set the standard, secure enough to stay in the craft, and willing to tell a room of executives something it would rather not hear. Your credibility comes from your science, not your title. 

What You Need — Requirements 

• A Ph.D. in I-O psychology or a closely related field  

• At least 10 years of experience building assessments for clients, on commercial timelines, that businesses paid for and used, with at least five years in an applied, non-academic setting 

• Demonstrated test construction, not merely an acquaintance with it; you have experience writing items at scale with quality and bias review, scale development you have actually shipped, and IRT modeling 

• Deep knowledge of EEOC regulations, the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures and SIOP principles, with experience conducting job analyses and defending assessments in legal/EEOC contexts 

• Statistical analysis experience using R, Python or similar tools 

• A commitment to working on-site at Gallup’s Washington, D.C., office at least three days per week  

• Eligibility to work in the United States; this position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship 

Why Lead Hiring Analytics at Gallup 

We exist for our clients, and they come to us to answer a simple question: Who should we trust with this work? The answer reshapes a person’s career and a company’s trajectory, and getting it right is our mission. The science is how we keep that promise, drawn from the same body of research that produced CliftonStrengths, employee engagement, and manager and leadership development — some of the most recognized workplace science in the world. 

Gallup’s hiring analytics are backed by a foundation few organizations can match: 

• 60+ years studying how organizations find, select and develop top performers, and a conviction about human potential that has not wavered across any of it 

• 17 million completed pre-hire assessments: a dataset built to fuel validation, benchmarking and the next generation of adaptive, AI-augmented hiring tools 

• A deep, loyal client base and the appetite to invest in what the AI era now demands 

About Gallup 

At Gallup, we change the world, one client at a time, through extraordinary analytics and advice on everything important facing humankind. Learn more about our work and life at Gallup. 

Gallup offers a robust benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, life and other insurance options; a fully vested 401(k) retirement savings plan with company matching; an employee stock ownership program; mass transit reimbursement; family-building benefits; an employee assistance program; and various reimbursements and activities that enhance our associates’ wellbeing. We also offer an estimated annual salary range of $150,000-$200,000 for this role. Salaries are based on a variety of factors, including an individual’s education, experience and skills. 

Gallup is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other legally protected basis, in accordance with applicable law. 

To review Gallup’s Privacy Statement, please click this link: https://www.gallup.com/privacy. This privacy policy is meant to help you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, and how you can update, manage and delete your information. Your application and the information you provide will be processed and stored in the United States. 

#LI-Hybrid 

#LI-JM1