Program Manager – Certification Development

Job Title: Program Manager – Certification Development EC-Council is the world’s largest cyber security technical certification body. We operate in 170 countries globally and we are the owner and developer of various world-famous cyber security programs. We are proud to have trained and certified over 400,000 information security professionals globally that have influenced the cyber security mindset of countless organizations worldwide. www.eccouncil.org Role Overview: We are looking for an experienced Program Manager – Certification Development to lead the end-to-end development and continuous improvement of professional certification assessments. This role sits at the intersection of assessment strategy, certification development, subject-matter expertise, psychometrics, and program governance. The successful candidate will work closely with internal stakeholders, subject-matter experts, psychometricians, and certification governance committees to ensure that our assessments accurately measure the knowledge, skills, and competencies required for professionals in the field. The role requires strong program management capability, assessment expertise, attention to detail, and the ability to operate effectively within a highly governed certification environment. Key Responsibilities: Lead the end-to-end assessment and certification development lifecycle, from JTA and competency analysis through exam blueprinting, item development, validation, launch, and continuous improvement. Lead Job Task Analysis (JTA) and ensure assessments are aligned to current industry roles, tasks, competencies, and professional practice. Develop and maintain exam blueprints, assessment specifications, competency models, and content domains in collaboration with SMEs and psychometric professionals. Lead item development, review, validation, and performance analysis, ensuring items meet quality, relevance, cognitive-level, and technical standards. Apply strong knowledge of psychometric principles, including validity, reliability, fairness, standard setting, item analysis, and assessment performance. Coordinate SME workshops, validation studies, and assessment reviews and translate findings into actionable assessment improvements. Ensure assessment development is well-documented, evidence-based, and aligned with certification governance and accreditation requirements. Manage multiple assessment-development programs, including timelines, SMEs, stakeholders, risks, and deliverables. Collaborate with Certification Operations, Exam Security, Product, Technology, and other teams to ensure assessments are ready for secure and effective delivery. Identify opportunities to improve the quality, scalability, efficiency, and defensibility of certification assessments. Required Qualifications and Skills: PhD or master’s degree in psychology, Assessment, Education, Technology, Cybersecurity, Business, or a related field. 8+ years…