Research Director, Data Science and Automation

Position overview

The Research Director, Data Science and Automation leads the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and data science tools and techniques into educational assessment design, analysis and reporting methodologies. The role involves strategic oversight of applied research and development that supports business needs by driving efficiency and innovation in ACER’s assessment processes and products. The position requires a blend of technical expertise in measurement and data science, along with strong leadership and communication skills. Strong collaboration across the business will be crucial, with the expectation that multidisciplinary inputs and project teams will be a feature of the unit’s work. 

Responsibilities include:  

• Designing and delivering new and highly automated data processing, analysis and reporting tools and workflows with contemporary interoperable architectures and algorithms to yield efficient, quality-assured and generalizable solutions across ACER programs and products.  
• Designing and integrating real-time data analytics and visualization at multiple points within end-to-end assessment projects to support adaptivity, monitoring, quality management and dissemination. 
• Identifying and evaluating data science methods that support anticipated future directions for assessment, including personalization and adaptivity, automated feedback, process data analytics, automated item generation and quality assurance, automated scoring, automated standard setting and benchmarking, and automated test assembly. 
• Contributing to modernization and optimization of code bases for proprietary modelling and analysis software. 
• Leading business development and external activities for statistical and algorithmic software and analytics projects.

Position context

The Australian Council for Educational Research is an independent, not-for-profit educational research and development organisation. Approximately 460 staff work for the ACER Group in Australia, India, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

The Measurement, Analytics and Technologies (MAT) Division is a key driver of ACER’s innovation in assessment science and data-driven solutions. It comprises two research programs:

• Methodology & Measurement 
• Data Science & Automation 

The Methodology & Measurement program focuses on advancing ACER’s capabilities in psychometric and statistical analysis, complex sampling, and quantitative research methods. It plays a critical role in maintaining ACER’s competitive edge by ensuring methodological rigour and fostering innovation in intersectional areas such as computational psychometrics. The Data Science & Automation program is designed to modernise ACER’s data infrastructure and analytical workflows. It will lead the development of algorithmic and AI-driven automation across assessment design, analysis, quality assurance, and reporting. This program will collaborate closely with subject-matter experts and ACER’s IT team to build advanced statistical tools, new data products, and actionable insights.  

MAT supports both internal and external clients, delivering solutions that span the full learner lifecycle—from early childhood through to adult and professional education. The division’s work underpins ACER’s commitment to evidence-based assessment, innovation, and data-driven educational improvement. 

ACER is committed to the professional growth of staff throughout their employment. It encourages and supports staff in a variety of ways to actively pursue professional learning, including with reference to the ACER Leadership Development Framework. ACER encourages all staff to consider ways in which they might make a leadership contribution to ACER's work. 

Job responsibilities

The Research Director, Data Science and Automation has the general responsibilities of an ACER Head of Unit and will provide direction and oversight to the teams reporting into this position. This includes setting strategic directions, extending existing and creating novel assessment capabilities and workflows, collaborating with internal and external clients, managing complex projects, monitoring the quality of work, advancing personal expertise, communicating project outcomes, and promoting the organization's public profile. 
 
Professional Expertise: 

• Set strategic directions for the future work of the program, and help clarify and communicate (internally and externally) a vision for this area of ACER’s work  
• Design and implement end-to-end data science projects involving extensive data manipulation, statistical techniques, machine learning, AI, NLP or algorithmic models 
• Identify and develop innovative solutions to improve the processes and systems used in ACER’s assessment work  
• Deploy algorithms and models to produce data-driven insights and interventions to maximise learning outcomes through enhancements to ACER’s suite of assessment products 
• Consult and identify areas across the business where data science solutions can be applied and develop analytic capabilities (e.g. models, processes, automated reports, data visualisations) that drive better outcomes for our stakeholders and the organisation, collaborating closely with subject matter experts across the group 
• Collaborate with ACER IT at the data engineering interface, building robust data pipelines and model deployment infrastructure to enable effective research and development of novel data science approaches 
• Monitor the quality of the unit’s work and intervene, as appropriate, to ensure quality output  
• Continue advancement of personal area(s) of expertise through training, education, or participation in research or operational projects  
• Communicate project outcomes by reporting, disseminating, presenting and publishing work undertaken at or for ACER  
• Promote ACER’s public profile by effectively engaging, collaborating and partnering with external stakeholders across academic, government and industry bodies 
• Seek opportunities to learn new techniques and approaches to stay current with industry trends and best practices. 

 
Leadership and Administration  

• Lead, manage and coach for optimal individual and team performance  
• Identify skills gaps and recruit and develop staff within the unit  
• Monitor staff load levels, seeking to balance staff availability with ongoing and incoming project work  
• Identify, initiate and attract external funding for strategically important projects  
• Develop financially viable proposals and projects across a number of specialist areas as well as ensuing delivery of clear and concise results  
• Lead teams through other managers, supporting their development, delegation, and decision making  
• Develop and build professional collegiality and networks through participation in events, forums, workshops and conferences  
• Contribute to ACER’s strategic planning and research agendas, including continuous improvement activities to enhance the delivery of research and/or operational outcomes 

Organisational accountabilities

• Proactively work towards achieving individual, team and organisational objectives while demonstrating ACER’s leadership behaviours:
• Developing Self – involves self-management, self-reflection and self-improvement
• Embracing Change – being open to change and leading change when appropriate
• Pursuing Excellence – ongoing search for new and better ways of working
• Setting Directions – strategic thinking and planning for the future
• Supporting Colleagues – supporting and contributing to the development of others
• Working Collaboratively – building highly effective internal and external relationships
• Actively work to create an equitable, fair and harmonious work environment which is free from harassment, bullying and discrimination by demonstrating respectful and courteous behaviour towards others
• Proactively foster an inclusive and diverse work environment which encourages and respects different experiences and perspectives, and values diversity of thought 
• Comply with all occupational health and safety requirements, including following safe work practices for self and others and identifying, assessing, and mitigating psychosocial risks
• Comply with all information security requirements, including completing regular security training and abiding by the standards and procedures laid out in ACER’s Information Security Management System
• Work in accordance with ACER’s policies and procedures

Skills, knowledge and experience

• Internationally recognized expertise in a relevant discipline with an established record of productivity demonstrated in appropriate professional forums. 
• Proven track record in overseeing the development and implementation of AI, NLP, and data science tools and techniques to build new processes that deliver business value. 
• Fluency with various machine learning workflows and  algorithms (e.g. cross-validation; linear and non-linear models) for classification, prediction and recommendation. 
• Programming skills in suitable software (e.g. R, Python) and understanding of distributed file systems, scalable data stores, distributed computing and related technologies. 
• Extensive experience in leading and managing highly specialized technical expert staff and coordinating multi-disciplinary teams. 
• Demonstrated experience in high-level planning, organizational, and problem-solving skills which enable achievement of project objectives. 
• Proven experience leading, managing, and developing people and teams through multiple levels of management. 
• Demonstrated experience successfully leading large, complex, collaborative research and/or operational projects that deliver to quality standards, timelines, and budgets. 
• Proven ability to collaborate and foster effective working relationships, both internally and externally, across industry, academia, government, and community. 
• Proven experience consulting, influencing, and negotiating to achieve outcomes. 
• Skilled in diplomatic problem resolution in the face of challenging issues, demanding clients, and conflicting demands. 
• Financial management experience including proposal budget development, project budget monitoring, and management. 
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement and professional development of self and others. 

Qualifications 

Doctorate or an equivalent combination of professional experience and postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline.