Acuity Insights Looking for Admission Test Content Specialist (Higher Education) – Remote in Canada at Toronto, Ontario, Canada Full Time

Imagine a world where colleges and universities look to truly understand applicants’ full potential beyond their grades, creating fairer opportunities for education.

Now, picture these schools equipped with tools to better nurture students throughout their academic journey, leading to the successful graduation of well-trained professionals.

Think about these professionals – doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers, and more – reflecting the diverse makeup of our communities, bringing qualities like empathy, integrity, and cultural understanding into their new careers.

Our mission is to bring that world to life through our Admissions Assessments and Program Experience products.

Acuity Insights is an EdTech company with a strong sense of purpose. We’re at a new stage of growth, with a clear vision and focus. Our roots are firmly planted in health and medical education, and we’re branching out to provide our solutions to more markets, including business, law, data science and engineering schools.

The Role

You now have a chance to join Acuity Insights as an Admissions Test Content Specialist, to build psychometrically sound online tests for our Higher Education applicants who take Casper, a test assessing social intelligence and professionalism, like ethics, empathy, problem-solving, and collaboration, as part of their application journey.

It’s a chance to co-develop test content about tricky ethical dilemmas that allow applicants the opportunity to demonstrate their unique competencies and attributes that showcase who they are beyond their grades.

This opportunity is ideal for an experienced teacher, curriculum developer, creative writer, or editor. You love words and are adept at using nuanced language. You have a knack for staying well-organized, effectively handling your time, and consistently meeting your commitments.

The Test Content Specialist position is a remote role within Canada, is part of our caring, curious, driven and equity-focused Casper Operations team, and reports to the Manager, Operations – Assessment Content (Bilingual), Amanda Ruppert.

Opportunity & Impact

Test Building

As a Test Content Specialist, the majority of your role will be ensuring that the tests you build – what we call “compile” – adhere to the highest, research-backed standards. This involves developing a solid understanding of research-informed best practices and applicant demographics so that the tests – which include both text and video-based scenario sections – are balanced, fair, reliable, and valid.

You will build at least ~50 tests per year for our current English health-sciences markets in Australia, Canada, the UK and the US. As you grow into a “compilation wizard,” you will build increasingly more difficult tests for more mature applicants and build tests for our newer markets, like business and engineering schools.

The work you do is critically important. Our applicants rely on us to test and score them fairly, which enables schools to make accurate and informed admissions decisions. The quality of your work will meaningfully impact the academic and career trajectories of thousands of individuals around the world.

Scenario Development

Beyond building tests, we regularly top up our library of scenarios. That means you get a chance to pitch ideas for tricky ethical dilemmas to pose to our applicants and contribute to the development of these ideas a couple of times per year.

Continuous Improvement

Acuity is a rapidly scaling company – what got us here will not get us there. You will play a critical role in auditing our current operation, working collaboratively to identify potential changes, and project managing the implementation of new tools, new processes, and new policies. Your contributions to improving how we work will enable Acuity to grow and thereby reach more applicants globally.

To thrive in the role, you:

• Background: Are a creative writer with experience teaching or developing nuanced content as a copywriter, educational content writer or editor, curriculum developer, or similar roles
• Language: Are a total linguaphile with high written English language, spelling, and grammar proficiency; high written French language proficiency is a strong asset
• Industry knowledge: Have demonstrated interest or background in psychology & psychometrics; education & assessments, or literature & cultural studies (or similar).
• Organized: Are a structured thinker, detail-oriented and able to meet deadlines
• Project management: Have experience owning initiatives to improve how you and others work (i.e. discover gaps and needs through stakeholder interviews, identify potential changes or solutions, recommend a path forward, implement the agreed-upon path, and support others as they adapt to the new tools, processes, policies, etc.)

To thrive on the Casper Operations team, you:

• Operator at heart: Have a tendency towards the path of least resistance and optimize for efficiency at all times
• Independence: Are totally comfortable working with a high degree of autonomy and able to manage your own time and hit deadlines without reminders
• Strong Voice: Have loosely held but strong opinions, remaining receptive to alternative viewpoints and prioritizing the best solution, no matter the source.
• Growthful: Are able to positively respond to radically candid (and of course constructive!) feedback in order to constantly be growing

To thrive at Acuity Insights, you are:

• Caring toward people. You show up, take time to listen and understand, encourage and support, and don’t shy away from providing feedback, mentoring and teaching others to help them grow.
• Curious by nature and open to possibilities. You like exploring, asking questions, listening, experimenting, and learning
• Driven to problem-solve independently and with collaborators, seek to continuously improve your skills, methods, and practices.
• Adaptable and agile with a preference for an ever-evolving, startup-like work environment where you can explore ways to contribute and create value in the face of uncertainties
• Proactively initiate and take ownership of your projects and positively influence change.
• At your best when you can manage your work, time, and priorities independently and ask for help when you get stuck or seek feedback
• Self-aware, with an understanding of your strengths and where you have growth opportunities
• Motivated by meaningful work and the chance to contribute to creating a world powered by everyone’s full potential

Selection Process

To ensure an equitable and inclusive process, all candidates will receive equal consideration for an interview, whether applying, introduced as a referral or contacting the manager or recruiter directly.

We look at every resume. Your application is evaluated based on the human attributes and professional skills, experiences & impact communicated in your application.

We do not offer sponsorship if you apply from abroad. You must reside in Canada and be eligible to work here to be considered for an interview.

Interview Process

Our interview process is designed to be a two-way discovery and create space for meaningful conversations. We want to learn who you are as a human & professional, understand your experiences, assess your skills, and ensure alignment with our mission, values and business needs.

We encourage you to be curious and ask insightful questions throughout our conversations.

Here are the steps you can expect:

• Review & Selection. A human, not an AI, reviews and assesses your application against our hiring criteria outlined in this job ad. The application requires a resume & content writing examples
• Intro Conversation with Recruiter. If selected, we’ll have a 45-60 minute phone call to discuss your background and interests and provide information about the company, team, role, and compensation
• Take Home Assignment. On your own time, spend 30 minutes on a shortened version of our situational judgment test, Casper, to help us assess your English language proficiency and complete a small project relevant to the work and role.
• Meet The Manager. Have a 45-60-minute video call with your potential future manager to discuss your project, relevant skills & experiences and learn about the vision for the team and the role.
• Meet the Team. Connect with future peers and collaborators in a few 1-1 video calls to learn more about the team, role and life at Acuity Insights.
• Wait For a Decision. The Hiring Manager consolidates and evaluates feedback from the interview team to make a hiring decision within 2-4 days
• Receive an Offer / Reference Check. If you’re a good fit for the role, team, and company, we’ll invite you to an offer conversation. The offer is contingent upon the completion of a reference check

Your Benefits

• Fair Compensation. We offer salaries based on internal pay equity, market considerations, and responsible & sustainable financial practises
• Investment In Your Growth. Access an annual budget of $3,000 for your professional and personal development
• Remote Work & Flexible Hours. Enjoy the freedom to work from anywhere within Canada and the autonomy to set your own schedule
• Self-Directed Vacation. Take charge of your vacation schedule and duration with unrestricted paid vacation days, supported and encouraged by your manager.
• Collective Time Off. Join the team in disconnecting from work for two weeks at the end of the year and enjoy extra Fridays off throughout the year
• Other Paid Time Off. Take comfort in knowing you won’t feel a financial impact when you need time off due to a medical or family emergency, lose a loved one, or just need a day to nurture your mental health and well-being.
• Parental Leave. Bond with your new addition, whether you are a birthing parent, non-birthing parent, or expanding your family through surrogacy or adoption
• Company Ownership. Get a piece of future profits with employee stock options granted on your start date
• GRSP Matching Program. Save for your future with our Group Registered Savings Plan in partnership with Wealthsimple. We match contributions up to 2% of your salary.
• Comprehensive Health Coverage. Enroll yourself and your dependents in our health, dental, and life benefits plan through Equitable Life of Canada, starting from day one
• Holistic Wellness Support. Receive personalized support for your physical, mental, social and financial well-being needs through our membership with Cyno.

Get to Know Us

Acuity Insights is a Canadian product and research company established in 2014. We were founded on 15 years of research by co-founders Kelly Dore (Ph.D.) and Harold Reiter (M.D MEd), who invented our first product, Casper, a higher education admissions assessment, at McMaster University in Ontario.

In 2021, we partnered with a private equity firm. It enabled us to acquire One45, a healthcare education software company, expanding our team and offerings beyond Admission Assessments (Casper & Duet) to Program Management and Insights (One45 & Analytics) for higher education institutions.

Behind Acuity Insights, you’ll find a diverse team of 120+ caring, curious, and driven individuals collaborating remotely across Canada and some international locations.

We are committed to creating a supportive & collaborative culture built on respect for all individuals. We prioritize transparency, equity, and inclusion in our programs, policies and business operations.

Diversity and inclusion fuels innovation, builds better products, and contributes to healthier business outcomes. It’s our company’s strength and priority. We encourage individuals from non-traditional backgrounds or historically marginalized and underrepresented groups to apply and join us in helping higher education institutions implement and practise holistic and fair admission processes.

Thank you for considering Acuity Insights as your next workplace!