The salary range for this role 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 role, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

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.

Current WGU employees should submit an internal application before 4/9/2024 to be considered.

This position is based in the Salt Lake City, UT office. The role requires the flexibility to work from the Salt Lake City office as needed, according to business demands.

Reporting to the Vice President of Academic Programs and Portfolio Management, the Senior Director of Academic Portfolio Management supports WGU's bold vision of p.roviding equitable pathways to opportunity. This position is a key leadership role supporting WGU's top priorities and contributing to academic strategy. This individual works across senior leadership to identify and define new program offerings beyond WGU's existing portfolio in alignment with the broader mission. This position supports WGU's key results of 1) Factored Graduate Return, 2) Completion, and 3) Equity in Access and Attainment by identifying market-relevant credential opportunities that offer more varied onramps to education, widening the pathways to opportunity for all. Enabling human progress through equitable pathways to opportunity is core to this role.

This leader partners with College Leadership and Program Development to create and integrate workforce-aligned solutions that inform portfolio and program decisions. This position oversees all workforce intelligence research and in-demand skills collections to inform programs across WGU's academic portfolio. This role ensures all WGU students graduate with the necessary skills and credentials to be sought after in the workforce.

This individual establishes and executes standards and best practices across all cross-functional academic program management functions. This role oversees all program offerings across WGU's portfolio, ensuring alignment with WGU's overall strategy and standards. This position establishes portfolio-level reporting and management practices. This role is recognized as an industry expert in higher education product and program innovation.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

Portfolio Strategy

• Research and monitor workforce trends to identify unmet needs and opportunities that complement and expand WGU's portfolio.

• Provide thought leadership and recommend innovations in academic offerings for the university.

• Identify new opportunities that expand WGU's pathways to opportunity with a focus on onramps and offramps for Rising Talent.

Portfolio Management

• Ensure all program offerings support WGU's mission, vision, and goals.

• Establish and maintain strategic oversight for the academic portfolio, including participating in the school's program planning process and the unified product lifecycle.

• Establish, innovate, and improve program management standards and practices across the academic program management teams, improving efficiency and accountability.

• Develop, analyze, and monitor portfolio-level performance against target key performance indicators.

• Identify and mitigate portfolio-level risks that may impact WGU's key results.

• Partner with cross-functional leaders to prioritize programs and initiatives against portfolio needs and capacity.

• Collaborate cross-functionally to improve the design and execution of program offerings that meet intended outcomes and adhere to WGU's standards and practices.

• Collaborate with executive leadership to evaluate budget and forecasting to ensure on-time and on-budget delivery across the portfolio.

Workforce Intelligence

• Analyze workforce needs and industry trends to inform portfolio and program decisions and drive business outcomes.

• Create and maintain up-to-date, employer-validated, workforce-aligned skills libraries and product-aligned skills collections.

• Monitor existing portfolio and program market relevance and provide guidance to school portfolios and prioritization.

• Support school, program, and employer Councils with relevant workforce and skills insights.

• Develop and execute a strategy to elevate employer and practitioner voice in portfolio development.

• Identify key partnership opportunities across WGU regions and alumni to enhance workforce relevance across WGU's program portfolio.

• Manage critical partnership engagements to strengthen the broader talent pipeline (e.g., US Chamber of Commerce, HR Open Standards, etc.)

Organizational Leadership

• Build a highly effective strategy and operations team that ensures program and initiative effectiveness, success, and impact.

• Contribute to advancing WGU's culture and practices, consistent with its brand, differentiation, and desired employee experience.

• Promote a creative culture that fosters industry-leading innovation and organizational impact.

• Create an exciting, dynamic, and sustainable work environment that pulls in and retains top talent.

Required Skills & Competencies:

• Mission-Driven - Demonstrates continuous commitment to creating pathways to opportunity for students and employees.

• Student-Focused - Always keeps students at the center of what we do and why we do it. Makes decisions and guides efforts to improve and expand value for students and employers.

• Strategic Thinking - Applies broad strategic direction with the vision to improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities at the scale of the world.

• Thinks Big/Innovation - Formulates a bold vision, thinks toward the future, and inspires results. Fosters creative thinking and brings innovation successfully to market.

• Execution- and Results-Oriented - Exhibits exceptional skill and demonstrated success in delivering and improving results in credential value and student success outcomes. Ensures execution and accountability throughout the team.

• Team and Individual Development - Defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging; hires and develops mission- and culture-aligned top talent and future WGU leaders.

• Unassailable Integrity - Exemplifies the standards for honesty, teamwork, transparency, and accountability, motivating team members to the highest levels of commitment and personal responsibility.

• Leadership - Inspires, motivates, and wins the confidence of team members, senior leadership, stakeholders, and external partners.

• Earns Trust - Clearly articulates WGU's purpose, mission, vision, goals, and solutions internally and externally. Motivates and inspires others to action. Delivers on commitments.

• Great Judgement - Works well with ambiguity and change in a fast-paced environment; exhibits good instincts and willingness to make tough decisions with incomplete data.

Qualifications:

• Master's degree (or equivalent) with 10+ years of demonstrated leadership and success in a comparable position.

• Vast experience of over 10+ years in leadership positions.

• 7 years experience leading a team of directors and/or managers.

• Diverse experience in general education, program development, skills- and competency-based models, data analytics, student experience, and accreditation requirements.

• Experience in defining and implementing new education programs at scale.

• Experience leading large teams in dynamic and complex organizations.

• Experience working in a highly collaborative, cross-functional environment and across multiple stakeholders. Experience presenting to large audiences.

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As an equal opportunity employer, WGU recognizes that our strength lies in our people. We are committed to diversity.