Senior Manager for the ACTFL Quality Assurance Program

 This position is an integral part of the ACTFL Center for Assessment, Research and Development team. The Senior Manager for Quality Assurance uses innovative methods and approaches to maintain tester and rater readiness and ensure the quality of ACTFL’s gold standard testing program. This position actively and energetically contributes to the formation of the intellectual vision and scope of ACTFL’s assessment program.  Responsibilities of the position include but are not limited to:

1. Quality Assurance: Ensure the quality of ACTFL’s overall assessment program and maintain Tester/Rater readiness for ACTFL Assessments including the OPI (ACTFL rating protocol), AAPPL, OPIc and WPT.
   • Facilitate and/or coordinate norming sessions, quality assurance reviews, monitor rater/tester performance and analyze data for patterns
   • Develop and implement tester/rater support based on patterns of performance and implement proactive methods for ensuring the maintenance of ACTFL standards for testing/rating
   • Manage and chair quality assurance councils for each human-rated ACTFL assessment to provide language-specific QA oversight and mentoring for ACTFL testers/raters
   • Curate, oversee and maintain assessment materials inventory (e.g. samples, grids, rationales, rubrics, etc.) to be used for workshops, normings and other readiness activities
   • Serves as test adjudicator/rater, resolving rating disputes and directing rating reviews when necessary

2. Certifications: Participate in the certification and re-certification processes for AAPPL, OPIc, and WPT assessments.

• Monitor ACTFL testing/rating capacity, recruiting highly qualified candidates when necessary
• Coordinate with Workshops Program, Certification Program, and Language Testing International to contribute to a seamless transition from tester/rater training to the certification process to active testing and rating.
• Assist with the development and maintenance of certification and “refresher” test samples.

3. Administration: Plans, and coordinates administrative activities that lead to the productive management of the Quality Assurance Programs

• Communication & Data: Facilitate data-driven decision making through meticulous collection of program records, authoring of reports, and communicating about program activities, needs and requirements
  
  
  • Address tester and rater queries as well as general questions from Language Testing International and the public
  • Facilitate communication between ACTFL and certified testers/raters
  • Collaborate across ACTFL departments and with ACTFL’s testing distributor to enhance the quality of offerings

• Demonstrate good judgment, professionalism, sound application of subject matter expertise; responsiveness in support of the ACTFL mission.
• Finance Management: Serve as an ethical steward of ACTFL funds. Manage budget for the QA and certification programs, monitor expenditures with adherence to annual budget, invoice clients for services rendered, receive, verify and process consultant invoices, co-develop annual budget
• Project Management: Employ a sound project management approach
• Supervision: Oversees the work of the certification specialists, setting performance goals and monitoring performance, providing feedback, coaching and mentoring when needed.

4. Other: Participate in additional activities as needed. For example:

1. Participate in the annual ACTFL Convention
2. Facilitate workshops related to the ACTFL Assessment Program
3. Actively engage in the World Language/ESOL professional community
4. Coordinate with ACTFL staff and other members of the freelance team on various project components