Description
POSITION SUMMARY: CCO is seeking a Senior Manager, Certification Program Operations, to lead assigned certification programs and strengthen operational consistency across the Certification Department.
This is a senior-level certification role with responsibility for both direct program management and portfolio-level process improvement. The position will manage assigned certification programs while also developing repeatable frameworks that improve exam development, practical-exam readiness, publication controls, committee governance, program continuity, and cross-functional execution.
The ideal candidate will have experience in certification, credentialing, assessment, workforce development, technical training, or high-stakes examination programs. This role requires strong program leadership, assessment fluency, process discipline, executive communication, and the ability to coordinate complex work across subject matter experts, committees, psychometric staff, operations, quality management, publication, vendors, and leadership.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Certification Program Management:
Manage assigned certification programs from development through ongoing maintenance.
Coordinate written exam, practical exam, item-bank, committee, reference-material, publication, and implementation activities.
Support program health monitoring, including timelines, risks, dependencies, committee activity, item development, and exam-readiness milestones.
Ensure program work aligns with certification standards, internal policies, exam-development procedures, and accreditation expectations.
Prepare leadership-ready updates on program status, risks, decisions needed, and upcoming milestones.
Certification Operations and Process Improvement:
Develop and improve standard processes for certification program management.
Create tools and frameworks that improve consistency, continuity, and accountability across Exam Manager work.
Support development of program-health dashboards, action-item trackers, release-readiness tools, and portfolio-level reporting.
Identify gaps in current processes and recommend practical improvements.
Help reduce single points of failure by improving documentation, handoffs, and continuity planning.
Practical Exam Development Framework:
Help establish a structured framework and standards for practical-exam development and maintenance.
Coordinate practical-exam dependencies, including site layouts, CAD needs, equipment requirements, scoring materials, evaluator/proctor impacts, candidate materials, and operational readiness.
Ensure practical-exam changes are reviewed for impact on quality management, testing services, publication, training, and candidate-facing materials.
Support alignment between written and practical exam requirements where applicable.
Publication Readiness, Launch Gates, and Change Control:
Lead or support publication-readiness planning for written and practical examinations.
Develop launch-gate and change-control processes to ensure exams are ready before publication or implementation.
Track dependencies related to form readiness, cut scores, psychometric review, committee approval, translation impact, handbook updates, system readiness, and operational implementation.
Ensure post-review or post-standard-setting changes are documented and routed appropriately.
Maintain clear visibility into upcoming releases, risks, blockers, and required decisions.
Cross-Functional Coordination:
Coordinate complex certification work across psychometrics, content development, committees, operations, quality management, testing services, publication, legal, marketing, vendors, and other stakeholders.
Translate technical, psychometric, operational, and committee issues into clear action plans.
Facilitate communication between program owners and internal teams to prevent delays, duplication, or unclear ownership.
Escalate unresolved dependencies before they affect exam quality, delivery, candidate experience, or accreditation readiness.
Portfolio Risk Identification:
Identify risks that affect multiple certification programs.
Monitor issues such as item-bank depth, committee participation, practical-exam readiness, publication conflicts, translation timelines, psychometric dependencies, reference-material updates, and system/vendor constraints.
Provide leadership with clear risk statements, impact assessments, recommended actions, owners, and timelines.
Requirements
QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS
Education and/or Experience:
Master’s degree or higher in education, assessment, business, organizational leadership, workforce development, program management, technical training, psychometrics, or a related field preferred; bachelor’s degree with strong relevant experience will be considered.
Significant experience in certification, credentialing, assessment, workforce development, technical training, or high-stakes examination programs.
Demonstrated ability to manage complex programs involving multiple stakeholders, deadlines, dependencies, and cross-functional teams.
Working knowledge of exam-development processes, including job/task analysis, blueprints, item development, form development, standard setting, exam maintenance, publication readiness, and change control.
Experience working with subject matter experts, committees, boards, task forces, advisory groups, or similar governance bodies.
Ability to interpret assessment and exam-performance information at an operational level and translate findings into program action.
Experience with practical, performance-based, hands-on, or technical skills examinations preferred.
Familiarity with ISO/IEC 17024, ANAB, NCCA, or similar accreditation standards preferred.
Strong project management, risk management, documentation, process improvement, and executive communication skills.
Ability to work effectively across departments, vendors, technical experts, psychometric staff, committees, and leadership.
Commitment to exam security, confidentiality, fairness, validity, reliability, and defensibility.
PMP, ICE-CCP, or similar credential preferred
