Manager, Assessment Content

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Take ownership of the assessment content strategy and roadmap in collaboration with the Director of Assessment and Analytics Portfolio as well as the A&A Product Manager.

• Lead the execution of the assessment content roadmap; convert quarterly production plans into team assignments, milestones, and vendor scopes.

• Identify and address content gaps across all subject areas, including academic fields (ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies) and non-academic areas (Social Skills, School Climate); prioritize based on the roadmap and customer requirements.

• Keep track of changes in state and national standards across all content domains; ensure Content Leads maintain current mappings and proactively escalate cross-domain risks.

• Oversee Assessment Content Designers and Content Contributors — provide direction, coach for development, conduct regular one-on-ones and performance reviews, and build team capabilities.

• Scope, plan, and manage large-scale projects with Content Designers, freelance contributors, and third-party vendors to achieve ambitious production goals.

• Own the contributor and vendor quality framework across all content domains; facilitate calibration sessions and performance reviews directly in the absence of a Content Lead.

• Promote operational excellence by establishing clear, repeatable processes and advocating for the team's tooling requirements.

• Harmonize content processes and ensure alignment with other Newsela assessment designers and teams (e.g., editorial style, metadata tagging, accessibility standards).

• Collaborate with Product and Engineering to train AI models for content generation and assess AI-assisted authoring tools and outputs.

• Work alongside Product, Engineering, Marketing, and customer-facing teams as necessary on content tooling, customer inquiries, and market readiness.

• Perform additional duties as assigned.

⛳️ Requirements

• A minimum of 8 years of experience in assessment content development at a commercial scale (EdTech company, testing vendor, or educational publisher), including at least 2 years in a management role.

• Proven success in leading teams that comprise senior individual contributors — coaching, calibrating, and nurturing item writers and content leads.

• Proficiency in multi-subject standards: familiarity with CCSS, NGSS, and state-specific frameworks across various K–12 content areas, with the capability to establish quality and alignment expectations even in less familiar subjects.

• In-depth understanding of educational assessment design within formative, common, and summative contexts, including measurement principles and Depth of Knowledge (DOK).

• Proven track record of managing freelance contributors and third-party vendors at scale, including developing and implementing a quality framework with calibration and performance reviews.

• Strong project and production management abilities — defining work scope, setting milestones, identifying risks, and meeting tight deadlines.

• Demonstrated experience in creating repeatable processes and advocating for tools that assist a content team in scaling.

• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills — comfortable working with Product, Engineering, and customer-facing teams.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; capable of bridging the gap between content, product, and engineering audiences.

🏝️ Benefits

• Comprehensive medical benefits with employer contributions to premiums and HSA accounts.

• Additional perks such as gym reimbursement, pet insurance, free access to the Calm app, Rocket Lawyer, and more to help you maintain overall wellness: mind, body, and spirit.

• We operate as a fully remote company. A monthly tech stipend is provided to support your work-from-home needs!

• Inclusive benefits designed to support you and your family, including parental leave, fertility assistance, adoption, and more!

• Plan for your future with our 401(k) plan, which includes employer matching to help you achieve long-term financial security.

• Flexible PTO, paid sick leave, company holidays, plus seasonal breaks (Dec 24th - Jan 1st).

• Newsela provides an annual learning and development allowance to employees for attending external training sessions, classes, workshops, conferences, and acquiring educational materials to promote professional growth in their current roles and aspirations at Newsela.

• Regardless of your role or department, the work you do daily contributes to shaping the future of education and enhancing the lives of students and teachers.