Principal Research Scientist: AI-Driven Workforce Readiness

Educational Testing Service; Juneau (AK); On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

BRGs for career growth

Volunteer PTO

Job summary

Educational Testing Service (ETS) seeks a Principal Research Scientist to lead a broad research program on human capital development, workforce readiness, and economic mobility in an AI-enabled world.

The role advances how skills and credentials are measured, rewarded, and linked to educational attainment and labor market outcomes, guiding educators, employers, and policymakers in a rapidly changing economy.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or equivalent in Labor Economics, Economics, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Education Policy, Higher Education, Human Development, Public Policy, Assessment and Measurement, or a closely related field.
• 10+ years postdoctoral or professional research experience (for Principal Scientist level).
• Strong record of scholarly and applied research productivity with external funding or partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Lead and refine a research agenda on education and workforce readiness science and the expansion of workforce pathways.
• Advance the science of readiness for education, work, and upward mobility amid AI influences.
• Investigate how skills, credentials, and experiences predict attainment, employment, and earnings growth.
• Advance research in competency-based education (CBE) and career and technical education (CTE).
• Design and validate measures translating evidence of human capabilities into signals of readiness.
• Lead research evaluating development, measurement, and economic value of skills using diverse methods.
• Build measurement approaches for portable evidence of skills across settings.
• Generate evidence on impact of skills, credentials, and assessments to modernize systems.
• Study how AI reshapes skill demand and pathways to opportunity.
• Lead proposals, publications, convenings, and partnerships to support research agenda.
• Mentor junior staff and interns to foster collaboration.

Skills

Educational attainment research

Workforce readiness research

Human capital development

CBE/CTE experience

Quantitative methods

Large datasets analysis

Grant/proposal development

Policy communication

Partnership development

Education

Ph.D. in relevant field

10+ years postdoctoral/professional research

Job description

Educational Testing Service (ETS) seeks a Principal Research Scientist to lead a broad research program on human capital development, workforce readiness, and economic mobility in an AI-enabled world.

The role advances how skills and credentials are measured, rewarded, and linked to educational attainment and labor market outcomes, guiding educators, employers, and policymakers in a rapidly changing economy.