Mid-Range Behavioral Science Technical Contributor

Description

Leidos Health & Services Sector is seeking a Mid-Range Behavioral Science Technical Contributor to support the Department of Defense's personnel testing and assessment mission. The Mid-Range Behavioral Science Technical Contributor provides analytic and research support for behavioral science activities that underpin DoD personnel testing programs and contributes to test development, psychometric evaluation, and research that ensures fairness, reliability, and validity across assessment systems.

The contract provides comprehensive scientific, analytic, and operational support to the DoD for the development, administration, evaluation, and continuous improvement of its personnel testing and assessment programs. Support includes behavioral science research, psychometric analysis, test development, operational test administration, data collection, statistical modeling, and technical assistance for computer-based and paper-and-pencil testing systems-including the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), language proficiency tests, and other accession-related assessments.

The contractor delivers research studies, analytic products, test specifications, scoring algorithms, technical documentation, and system support to ensure the validity, reliability, fairness, and operational effectiveness of DoD's testing enterprise used to classify and select individuals for military service.

• Perform item analyses and support development of test forms and measurement tools.
• Conduct data preparation, statistical analysis, and psychometric evaluations. Draft sections of technical reports and documentation.
• Support scoring verification, content reviews, and QA.
• Execute research data organization and review.

• Education: Minimum of a bachelor's degree in psychology, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Educational Measurement, Cognitive Science, Human Factors, or a closely related behavioral science field, plus seven years of related work experience OR a masters in a behavioral science field, plus three years of related work experience.
• Experience:
  • Demonstrated experience supporting behavioral science research, test development, or personnel assessment programs.
  • Experience contributing to development of test items, surveys, or measurement instruments.
  • Experience with large-scale assessment programs or operational testing environments.
  • Experience developing, reviewing, or evaluating high-stakes or aptitude test content.
  • Experience supporting human subjects research or compliance documentation (e.g., IRB/HSPP/OMB).
  • Background working with multidisciplinary teams that include psychometricians, data scientists, and software developers.
  • Experience with survey design platforms or automated test development tools.
• Skills:
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Strong attention to detail and a commitment to accuracy.
  • Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently as a member or leader of a team.
  • Demonstrated ability to plan, prioritize, and manage own work and the work of others.
  • Demonstrated commitment to meeting high standards for product and service quality.
  • Desire to learn and develop inventive methods that respond to client needs.
  • Ability to perform item-level statistical analyses, reliability checks, and basic psychometric evaluations using tools such as R, SPSS, SAS, or Python.
  • Ability to draft technical documentation, summaries, tables, and exhibits clearly and accurately.
  • Strong analytical skills, including data cleaning, dataset preparation, and exploratory statistical analysis.
  • Familiarity with producing technical reports aligned with APA, AERA, or NCME standards.
  • Competence in conducting content reviews, quality checks, and scoring verification activities.
  • Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple work streams with minimal guidance.
  • Ability to follow established research protocols, documentation standards, and review procedures.
• Security Clearance: Must possess or be able to obtain a DoD Common Access Card (CAC) and successfully complete a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fingerprint check and a National Agency Check with Written Inquiries (NACI) check. US Citizenship is required.
• Location: This position is eligible for 75% remote work with occasional on-site work as required by customer and/or contract needs. Candidate must be located or willing to relocate within commuting distance of Seaside, CA.

• Experience working with or within the DoD.
• Familiarity with DTAC and its mission and objectives.
• Familiarity with DoD or federal personnel testing, recruiting, or classification processes.
• Knowledge of military accession, recruiting, and classification processes.
• Experience with large-scale assessment programs or operational testing environments.
• Working knowledge of Item Response Theory (IRT), Classical Test Theory (CTT), or related…