Senior Research & Validation Manager

Location: Cambridge/Hybrid (min. 2 days per week in the office)

Contract: Fixed term (until end July 2026), Full time 35 Hours Per Week

Are you passionate about language assessment and validation? As a Senior Research & Validation Manager, you'll play a crucial role in ensuring the quality, reliability, and credibility of IELTS. Your expertise in research and validation will support the development of innovative product features, ensuring they meet the highest standards in language assessment.

About The Role 

In this role, you will lead research and validation efforts that underpin IELTS product enhancements. You will be responsible for confirming assessment criteria, refining results determination processes, and maintaining equivalence across different test features. You will lead on IELTS test and test taker performance reporting, taking accountability for key internal and external reports often liaising with key senior data roles across both internal and external data teams (e.g. Regulation, English, Finance, IELTS Partners, IELTS UK) 

Collaboration is key—you'll work closely with data management teams, IELTS colleagues, international partners, and key stakeholders such as immigration authorities and professional bodies. Your insights and recommendations will directly impact the successful launch of new IELTS product features, contributing to our strategic goals and global reputation.

About You

We're looking for a highly analytical and detail-oriented professional with:

• Strong numeracy and data analysis skills, including proficiency in Excel, Power BI, or Tableau.
• Ability to program (e.g. SAS, Python, R, SQL, VBA)
• Familiarity with language assessment theory and practice
• An understanding of IELTS test constructs, test production, and results determination.
• Proven experience in test validation and stakeholder engagement.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to present complex findings clearly and persuasively.
• A track record of working in complex, high-stakes environments, particularly with externally regulated products.

If you thrive in an innovative and research-driven setting, this role offers a unique opportunity to make a tangible impact on one of the world's most trusted language assessments.

Rewards and benefits

We will support you to be at your best in work and to live well outside of it. In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a world-class, flexible rewards package, featuring family-friendly and planet-friendly benefits including:

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Private medical, Dental and Permanent Health Insurance
• Discretionary annual bonus
• Group personal pension scheme
• Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary
• Green travel schemes

We are a hybrid working organisation, and we offer a range of flexible working options from day one. We expect most hybrid-working colleagues to spend 40-60% of their time at their dedicated office or location. We will also consider other work arrangements if you wish to work more flexibly or require adjustments due to a disability.

Ready to pursue your potential? Apply now.

We review applications on an ongoing basis, with a closing date for all applications being 11 April 2025 and interviews are scheduled to take place week commencing 14 April 2025.

Please note that successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory background checks including DBS due to working in a regulated industry. 

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is an approved UK employer for the sponsorship of eligible roles and applicants under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please refer to the gov.uk website for guidance to understand your own eligibility based on the role you are applying for.

Why join us 

Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You'll belong to a collaborative team that's exploring new and better ways to serve students, teachers and researchers across the globe – for the benefit of individuals, society and the world. Sharing our mission will inspire your own growth, development and progress, in an environment which embraces difference, change and aspiration. 

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is committed to being a place where anyone can enjoy a successful career, where it's safe to speak up, and where we learn continuously to improve together. We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographic characteristics (age, disability, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender, marital status, neurodiversity, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual identity), cultural, or social class/background.

We believe better outcomes come through diversity of thought, background and approach. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and communities, actively seeking to employ people from a wide range of different communities.