Senior Director, Policy Research Center

Senior Director, Policy Research Center
• Job Level : Any
• Level of Education : Doctoral Degree
• Job Type : Full-Time/Regular
• Date Updated : 02/12/2026
• Years of Experience : Not Applicable
• Will this position have direct reports? : Yes
• Salary : $230,000 USD - $250,000 USD

Job Description
About ETS:
ETS is a global education and talent solutions organization enabling lifelong learners worldwide to be future-ready. For more than 75 years, we've been advancing the science of measurement to build benchmarks for fair and valid skill assessment across cultures and borders. Our worldwide impact extends through our renowned assessments including TOEFL®, TOEIC®, GRE® and Praxis® tests, serving millions of learners in more than 200 countries and territories. Through strategic acquisitions, we've expanded our global capabilities: PSI strengthens our workforce assessment solutions, while Edusoft, Kira Talent, Pipplet, Vericant, and Wheebox enhance our educational technology and assessment platforms across critical markets worldwide.

Through ETS Research Institute and ETS Solutions, we're partnering with educational institutions, governments, and organizations globally to promote skill proficiency, empower upward mobility, and unlock opportunities for everyone, everywhere. With offices and partners across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas, we deliver nearly 50 million tests annually. Join us in our journey of measuring progress to power human progress worldwide.

Position Summary
The ETS Research Institute seeks a Senior Director for the Policy Center to provide intellectual and strategic leadership for policy-focused research on education systems and workforce readiness. The Policy Center advances rigorous, academically grounded research that informs policy decisions across the education-to-workforce continuum, with an emphasis on strengthening system design, institutional capacity, and the effective use of evidence.

The Senior Director will lead a multidisciplinary team of researchers, shape a forward-looking research agenda, and contribute to national and international policy discourse. This role is well suited to a senior scholar with a strong record of policy-relevant research, experience engaging with policymakers, and an interest in how education systems prepare individuals for further learning, work, and civic life.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic and Intellectual Leadership
• Set and advance the intellectual direction of the Policy Center, with a focus on education systems, workforce readiness, and the transition from education to work.
• Identify consequential policy questions related to education, skills development, credentialing, assessment, governance, and system performance.
• Develop a coherent, multi-year research agenda that contributes to scholarly knowledge while addressing pressing policy challenges.

Research Leadership and Scholarship
• Lead and contribute to high-quality policy research using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches.
• Oversee program evaluation, policy analysis, and systems-level research that examines how policies function in practice.
• Ensure the Policy Center’s work meets high academic standards and contributes to peer-reviewed and policy-facing publications.

Policy Engagement and Dissemination
• Engage with policymakers, research organizations, foundations, and practitioner communities to inform and shape policy conversations.
• Translate research findings into policy briefs, reports, convenings, and presentations for diverse audiences.
• Represent ETS Research in domestic policy forums and, as appropriate, international discussions related to education and workforce development.

Team Leadership and Mentorship
• Lead, mentor, and support a team of research scientists, analysts, and affiliated staff.
• Foster an intellectually rigorous, collaborative environment that supports high-quality scholarship and professional development.
• Support the development of early-career researchers working at the intersection of research and policy.

Funding and Partnerships
• Lead proposal development for government and foundation funding to support the Policy Center’s research agenda.
• Build and sustain partnerships with domestic and international organizations engaged in education and workforce policy.
• Collaborate with ETS leadership to align the Policy Center’s work with institutional priorities.

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Experience and Skills
Qualifications

Required
• Ph.D. or equivalent in education policy, public policy, economics, sociology, political science, or a closely related field.
• Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible research and/or program leadership experience post-Ph.D., including evidence of both research excellence and administrative/people leadership.
• Established record of scholarly and applied policy research relevant to education systems and workforce readiness.
• Experience translating research findings into policy