Senior Research Scientist, Assessments

Let’s face it, a company whose mission is human transformation better have some fresh thinking about the employer/employee relationship.

We do. We can’t cram it all in here, but you’ll start noticing it from the first interview.

Even our candidate experience is different. And when you get an offer from us (and accept it), you get way more than a paycheck. You get a personal BetterUp Coach, a development plan, a trained and coached manager, the most amazing team you’ve ever met (yes, each with their own personal BetterUp Coach), and most importantly, work that matters.

This makes for a remarkably focused and fulfilling work experience. Frankly, it’s not for everyone. But for people with fire in their belly, it’s a game-changing, career-defining, soul-lifting move.

Join us and we promise you the most intense and fulfilling years of your career, doing life-changing work in a fun, inventive, soulful culture.

If that sounds exciting—and the job description below feels like a fit—we really should start talking. 

As a Senior Scientist and Assessment Lead, you will leverage your extensive expertise in psychometric assessment, scale development, and innovative measurement approaches to drive BetterUp's mission of advancing human flourishing through developmental interventions. In this role, you will design and implement product-centered, assessment-fueled research to create and validate developmental assessments that generate key insights for individuals, teams, and organizations. These assessments inform personalized developmental paths, contribute to workplace well-being, and support individual growth. 

You will bring a deep understanding of personality, social, or I/O psychology to develop novel tools that are both scientifically rigorous and practical for workplace applications.Using your psychometric expertise and a deep understanding of BetterUp’s product, market, and business needs, you will develop and maintain assessment content, support a broader assessment strategy, and consult on assessment-related projects. 

This is an excellent role for someone who wants to immerse themselves in and rapidly contribute to a fast-paced, scrappy, startup environment. You’ll work side-by-side with talented, mission-driven, and stimulating colleagues who thrive on solving pressing workforce challenges leveraging leading-edge technologies and uncommonly authentic and rich data sources related to human growth and well-being. 

For this role, we are seeking talented individuals who have worked for at least 3 years as an full-time applied researcher in an industry setting; required and preferred experiences are further outlined below. 

What you’ll do:

• Design and develop innovative, development-centric assessment tools, including psychometrics, validation, reporting, analytics, and data modeling.
• Analyze behavioral data uniquely high in veracity, volume, and variety to generate client insights and individualized precision development via the BetterUp product and platform.
• Produce written and visual reports of findings for internal audiences, for select clients as a behavioral science and assessment expert, and for conferences and academic publications.
• Collaborate Across Disciplines: Work closely with cross-functional teams, including data scientists, product managers, and other researchers, to ensure assessments are effectively integrated into products and deliver actionable insights.
• Champion Continuous Improvement: Regularly review and improve existing assessment tools and practices, incorporating feedback from users and advancements in the field to ensure ongoing relevance and effectiveness.
• Integrate GenAI/ML in Assessment: Explore and implement unconventional scoring methods using GenAI and machine learning to enhance the accuracy and applicability of assessments in real-world settings.
• Foster External Partnerships: Build and maintain relationships with academic institutions, industry partners, and other research organizations to foster collaboration and innovation in assessment science.
• Communicate Science: Share your findings and the impact of your work through various channels, including internal presentations, scientific publications, webinars, and conferences. Amplify BetterUp’s reputation as a global thought leader in developmental psychology and workplace well-being.

If you have some or all of the following, please apply:

• Advanced degree (PhD required) in a behavioral science or social discipline (e.g., industrial/organizational, experimental, clinical, or educational psychology; public health, cognitive neuroscience, behavioral economics, computational social science), with a heavy quantitative focus for this training.
• Required: At least 3 years (5-6 preferred) of relevant industry (non-academic, full-time, post-graduation) experience as an applied researcher. 
• Proficient in R or Python as a toolset for data access, statistical analysis, visualization, and automated reporting in the context of research and large/diverse/evolving datasets. Experience with SQL and/or Looker preferred.
• Extensive experience in developing and validating psychological assessments, particularly for developmental interventions in the workplace. 
• Expertise in human behavioral data psychometrics and analysis. Proficient in Qualtrics. Experience building data pipelines using the Qualtrics API preferred.
• Proven ability to conduct rigorous scientific research and apply findings to practical, real-world contexts.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills as exhibited by a strong ability to clearly communicate technical information to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience with GenAI/ML in unconventional scoring methods, behavioral markers of personality and their application to workplace settings, NLP techniques for developmental assessment and learning applications preferred are a strong advantage.
• A collaborative mindset, with experience building partnerships across academia, industry, and other sectors.

Benefits:

At BetterUp, we are committed to living out our mission every day and that starts with providing benefits that allow our employees to care for themselves, support their families, and give back to their community. 

• Access to BetterUp coaching; one for you and one for a friend or family member 
• A competitive compensation plan with opportunity for advancement
• Flexible paid time off
• Per year: 
  • All federal/statutory holidays observed
  • 4 BetterUp Inner Work days (https://www.betterup.co/inner-work)
  • 5 Volunteer Days to give back
  • Learning and Development stipend
  • Company wide Summer & Winter breaks 
• Year-round charitable contribution of your choice on behalf of BetterUp

We are dedicated to building diverse teams that fuel an authentic workplace and sense of belonging for each and every employee. We know applying for a job can be intimidating, please don’t hesitate to reach out — we encourage everyone interested in joining us to apply.

BetterUp Inc. provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, genetics, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status. In addition to federal law requirements, BetterUp Inc. complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Protecting your privacy and treating your personal information with care is very important to us, and central to the entire BetterUp family. By submitting your application, you acknowledge that your personal information will be processed in accordance with our Applicant Privacy Notice. If you have any questions about the privacy of your personal information or your rights with regards to your personal information, please reach out to [email protected]

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