Lead Academic Program Manager

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:
 

Grade: Professional 313Pay Range: $119,400.00 - $185,100.00

Job Description

Join WGU as a Lead Academic Program Manager

Are you passionate about transforming education and driving student success? Western Governors University (WGU) is seeking a dynamic Lead Academic Program Manager to oversee our academic programs from start to finish. This is your chance to make a significant impact by leading programs through their entire lifecycle, from initial research to post-launch success.

Why This Role is Exciting:

• End-to-End Ownership:As the Lead Academic Program Manager, you will be responsible for every stage of the program lifecycle. This includes market-segment selection, competitive analysis, curriculum development, and program-level P&L management.
• Collaborative Environment:Work closely with academic program directors, subject matter experts, and cross-functional teams to build and launch high-quality programs on time and within budget.
• Impactful Work:Drive the adoption of programs, monitor student success, and make ongoing adjustments to ensure market relevance and high retention rates.

Key Responsibilities:

• P&L Ownership:Manage the program-level P&L, ensuring profitability and alignment with market demands.
• Continuous Improvement:Foster a culture of continuous experimentation, measurement, and learning to enhance program quality and delivery.
• Effective Communication:Promote teamwork, decision-making, and problem-solving through clear and effective communication.
• Collaboration:Work cooperatively across the organization to achieve shared objectives and gain buy-in, trust, and support from others.
• Managing Ambiguity:Comfortably handle the uncertainty of change, make decisions without the total picture, and remain calm and productive.
• Driving Results:Persist in accomplishing objectives despite obstacles, with a strong outcomes-based orientation and a continuous improvement mindset.
• Building Effective Teams:Form diverse teams, establish common objectives, and foster a sense of belonging and strong team morale.
• Organizational Learning:Quickly learn from new situations, experiment to find new solutions, and expand your knowledge base through ongoing curiosity.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Student-Centered Approach:Deep understanding of student learning needs and the ability to combine innovative curriculum and support strategies to drive student success.
• Customer or Student Obsession:Focus on driving successful outcomes for students.
• Industry Expertise:Insight into industry trends, job opportunities, and educational market trends in your discipline.
• Execution Focus:Ability to dive deep into details and maintain a fast-paced weekly execution cadence.
• Collaboration:Ability to organize and coordinate activities across cross-functional teams and lead teams in a remote environment.
• Change Agent:Ability to be an agent of change in a rapidly changing environment.
• Data-Driven Decision Making:Proven ability to analyze data to identify trends and drive innovation.
• Communication Skills:Strong oral and written communication skills.

Competencies:

• Organizational Impact:Implement initiatives and projects established by university or department leadership, with short-term impact on results.
• Problem Solving & Decision Making:Use a systems-thinking approach to improve existing processes and systems within the department.
• Communication & Influence:Collaborate cross-functionally and influence others to accept the job area’s views, practices, concepts, and approaches.
• Leadership & Talent Management:Provide guidance, coaching, and training to other employees and demonstrate WGU leadership principles.

Job Qualifications:

• Minimum Qualifications:

  • Master’s degree in a related area from an accredited institution.
  • 4+ years of related experience, including program P&L responsibility and the ability to effectively plan and operate degree-granting educational programs.

• Preferred Qualifications:

  • Doctorate degree in a relevant area from an accredited institution.
  • Experience in higher education, developing online education programs, and scaling rapidly changing organizations/programs.
  • Experience in developing curriculum and/or high-stakes assessments.
  • Demonstrated success in change management and bringing order and structure to complex situations.

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.

Apply Today!

Join WGU and be a part of a team dedicated to transforming education and empowering students to achieve their goals. If you are ready to make a significant impact and drive student success, we want to hear from you!

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Position & Application Details

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It’s not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at [email protected].

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.