I/O Psychologist: Assessment Development & Validation (Phase 1, Consulting /...

Istss; New York, Northern (NY, KY); Hybrid; USD 83,000 - 152,000; Full time

Job summary

Istss seeks an experienced I/O psychologist to collaborate on developing and psychometrically validating the AQ assessment. You will translate AQ constructs and archetypes into a structured item pool and design a pilot study to test initial factor structure.

You will conduct exploratory factor analysis and reliability testing, deliver a clear, documented pilot report with Phase 2 recommendations, and translate findings into practical outputs for business adoption, working closely with the

Qualifications

• PhD, PhD candidate, or MA/MS student in I/O psychology with relevant coursework in psychometrics, test construction, or factor analysis.
• MA/MS applicants should have faculty supervision or mentorship available for the analysis portion of the project.
• Fluency in core psychometric methods: item writing, exploratory factor analysis, reliability testing.
• Able to translate technical work into practical output.
• Comfortable working with a non-academic founder/author and translate findings into business language.
• Open to continuing into a larger Phase 2 engagement if Phase 1 succeeds.

Responsibilities

• Assessment development: translating existing AQ constructs and archetypes into a well-structured item pool.
• Design and run a pilot study on a moderate sample to test initial factor structure.
• Conduct exploratory factor analysis and basic reliability testing (internal consistency).
• Deliver a clear, documented summary of pilot findings and recommendations for Phase 2.
• Collaborate closely with Liz throughout, translating psychometric findings into practical, business-ready language.

Skills

Item writing

Exploratory factor analysis

Reliability testing

Psychometrics

Education

PhD

MA/MS student in I/O psychology

Relevant coursework in psychometrics

Job description

Overview:
Liz Tran, leadership coach and bestselling author of AQ: A New Kind of Intelligence for a World That's Always Changing (translated into a dozen languages), is seeking an experienced I/O psychologist to collaborate on the development and psychometric validation of the AQ (Agility Quotient) assessment. AQ is a framework developed by Tran, popularized by her book, and already adopted by organizations including Apple, Google, AstraZeneca, and the US Army.

About AQ:
AQ (Agility Quotient) is a new kind of intelligence, as significant as IQ or EQ, that measures one's capacity to handle change, disappointment, and uncertainty, particularly for teams and individuals in the workplace. AQ centers on the four archetypes (Firefighter, Novelist, Astronaut, and Neurosurgeon) and constructs such as the Levels of AQ, the ABCs of Agility, Possibility Radius, and Recovery Rate. With strong existing market traction and brand recognition from the book, we're now looking to formalize AQ into a standalone, commercially viable, psychometrically validated assessment tool for corporate teams, comparable in rigor to instruments like the Hogan or EQ-i.

What You'd Do:

• Assessment development: translating existing AQ constructs and archetypes into a well-structured item pool
• Design and run a pilot study on a moderate sample to test initial factor structure
• Conduct exploratory factor analysis and basic reliability testing (internal consistency)
• Deliver a clear, documented summary of pilot findings and recommendations for Phase 2 (larger-scale norming and validity testing)
• Collaborate closely with Liz throughout, translating psychometric findings into practical, business-ready language

Structure & Compensation:
This is a paid consulting engagement. The scope and rate to be discussed based on experience and proposed approach. Open to structuring as a fixed-fee project, hourly consulting, or an ongoing advisory relationship depending on fit.

Location: Remote / Flexible

• PhD, PhD candidate, or current MA/MS student in I/O psychology with relevant coursework in psychometrics, test construction, or factor analysis
• MA/MS applicants should have faculty supervision or mentorship available for the analysis portion of the project
• Fluency in core psychometric methods: item writing, exploratory factor analysis, reliability testing (or strong working knowledge with faculty support)
• Comfortable working directly with a non-academic founder/author, and able to translate technical work into practical output
• Open to potentially continuing into a larger Phase 2 engagement if Phase 1 goes well