Principal Research Scientist — AI-Driven Human Capital

Educational Testing Service, Inc.; Lansing (MI); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

BRGs for career growth

Volunteer PTO

Job summary

Educational Testing Service (ETS) is seeking a Principal Research Scientist to lead a research agenda on human capital development, workforce readiness, and economic mobility in an AI-enabled world. The role focuses on measuring skills, credentials, and pathways that influence educational attainment and labor market success across diverse populations.

The successful candidate will join a collaborative team advancing frameworks, assessments, and evidence to inform educators, employers,

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or equivalent required in a relevant field.
• For Principal Scientist: substantial postdoctoral or professional research experience (typically 10+ years).
• Strong record of scholarly and applied research productivity.

Responsibilities

• Lead and refine a multi-year research agenda on education-to-work transitions and skill development.
• Advance the science of readiness for education, work, and upward mobility in an AI-enabled economy.
• Investigate how skills, credentials, and experiences predict attainment, employment, and earnings growth.
• Design and validate measures translating evidence of human capabilities into trusted readiness signals.
• Lead proposals, publications, conferences, and external partnerships to support the agenda.
• Mentor junior staff, postdocs, and interns to foster a collaborative research culture.

Skills

Educational research

Workforce readiness

Human capital development

Quantitative methods

Longitudinal data

Causal inference

Policy communication

Education

Ph.D. in related field

Job description

Educational Testing Service (ETS) is seeking a Principal Research Scientist to lead a research agenda on human capital development, workforce readiness, and economic mobility in an AI-enabled world. The role focuses on measuring skills, credentials, and pathways that influence educational attainment and labor market success across diverse populations.

The successful candidate will join a collaborative team advancing frameworks, assessments, and evidence to inform educators, employers,