Assessment Specialist - Skills-Based Assessment Design and Development

A centralized, well-documented skills-based assessment questions library is developed and operational, containing standardized screening questions, substantive written and technical assessment items, and structured interview questions aligned with job profiles and required skills proficiency levels. The assessment materials are designed in accordance with the UN Secretariat’s Assessment Framework and Principles, applying sound assessment design and practical psychometric considerations to ensure validity, reliability, fairness and consistency. The resulting library provides reusable, well-classified and quality-assured assessment items, supported by scoring guides, documentation standards and tagging structures, enabling hiring managers and HR practitioners to implement consistent, skills-based assessments across jobs.

Remote working

3 months

The Office of Human Resources in the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance is seeking two Individual Contractors to support the development of a centralized skills-based questions library as part of ongoing efforts under the Staff Selection 2.0 Programme, which aims to transition the Organization towards skills-based recruitment and assessment practices. The library will include skills-based screening questions, substantive written and technical assessments, and structured interview questions aligned with job profiles and required skills proficiency levels and developed in accordance with the UN Secretariat’s Assessment Framework and Principles. The Individual Contractors will contribute to the design, development, classification and documentation of skills-based assessment items and tools, applying sound assessment design and practical psychometric principles to ensure that assessments are valid, reliable, and fair. Under the supervision of the project manager, the Individual Contractors will perform the following responsibilities: • Develop skills-based assessment items, including screening and structured interview questions and substantive recruitment assessments (e.g., written assessments, technical tests, case studies, situational judgment tests and job simulations), aligned with job requirements and skills proficiency levels. • Prepare assessment blueprints linking job requirements, skills to be measured, and appropriate assessment methods. • Develop structured scoring guides, behavioral indicators and rating rubrics to support consistent and objective candidate evaluation, in line with the UN Secretariat’s Assessment Framework. • Establish item-writing standards and documentation protocols to ensure consistency, transparency and reusability of assessment materials. • Classify and tag assessment items according to skill measured, proficiency level, job family or occupational area and assessment format. • Apply sound assessment design and practical psychometric principles (e.g., validity, reliability, fairness) in the development and review of assessment items, including item review and analysis where data is available. • Collaborate with talent acquisition teams and subject-matter experts to ensure assessments reflect realistic job tasks and skill application. • Support the development of assessments suitable for digital administration, including the use of online assessment tools and platforms. • Contribute to AI-resilient assessment design approaches, ensuring the responsible and ethical use of AI-enabled technologies in assessment development and review processes. • Contribute to the development of assessment guidance materials and methodological documentation to support consistent application across recruitment processes.

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Psychometrics, Educational Measurement, Assessment and Evaluation, Organizational Development, or a related field is required. A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in combination with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. • A minimum of five years of experience in assessment design and development, recruitment assessments, test or item development, psychometrics, or skills-based evaluation methods is required. • Experience in developing structured assessments, including written assessments, technical tests, situational judgment tests, job simulations or structured interview questions, for digital administration or online recruitment platforms is required. • Experience in applying practical psychometric principles (e.g., validity, reliability, fairness, and defensibility) in the design or review of assessment tools is required. • Experience in working with subject-matter experts and HR/talent acquisition teams to translate skills-based job requirements into measurable assessment constructs and evaluation criteria.is desirable. • Experience in developing and/or managing assessment item banks, question libraries or structured interview question banks is desirable. • Familiarity with AI-related considerations in assessment design or digital assessment environments • Strong analytical, digital and AI literacy, documentation and communication skills.

Fluency in spoken and written English is required.

Not available.