Senior Manager, Associate Dean- HR Programs

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.

Pay Range: $116,600.00 - $209,900.00

Location:

This is a full-time, in-office position requiring 5 days per week in Salt Lake City, UT. Designed to foster the collaboration and connection that fuel our best work.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Organizational Leadership: Provide foundational leadership for all operations, overseeing a multi-layered team including the Senior Manager of Strategic Operations and the Senior Manager of District and Funded Partnerships.
• Strategic Planning: Develop and execute strategies that enhance operational efficiency and partnership impact across the entire student lifecycle.
• Operational Excellence: Oversee process improvement initiatives leveraging root cause analysis, design-thinking, and change management methodologies to optimize faculty and student experiences.
• Partnership Management: Lead the strategic design and execution of district and funded partnerships, ensuring strict adherence to state and federal regulations while cultivating relationships with school districts and government agencies.
• Financial & Portfolio Management: Manage cost structures with a focus on achieving university contribution margins and data-driven portfolio management.
• Liaison & Advisor: Serve as a key advisor to the VP of Academic Operations on operational strategies and represent the division as the primary contact for internal operations.
• Continuous Improvement: Drive a culture of experimentation and measurement, using data-driven insights to rapidly improve program delivery and partnership health.

This job description includes a general representation of job requirements rather than a comprehensive inventory of all required responsibilities or work activities. The contents of this document or related job requirements may change at any time with or without notice.

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Deep understanding of operational excellence and how innovative student support strategies drive employability and success.
• Industry or academic leader with expertise in partnership models, state requirements, and educational market trends.
• Credible voice for the department in external partnerships and high-level stakeholder engagement.
• Strong people leader to directly or indirectly lead a diverse team of 5-8 people including academic program leaders, instructional faculty, and student coaches/mentors
• Execution focus with the ability to dive deep into details within a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to organize and coordinate activities across highly matrixed, cross-functional teams.
• Proven ability to analyze data to identify trends, extract root causes, and drive innovation.
• Sound judgment, decision-making skills, and strong oral and written communication.

Competencies

• Organizational Impact: Develops and recommends planning to accomplish division responsibilities that align with the department. Accountable for significant improvements to processes, programs, and systems that affect multiple departments.
• Problem Solving & Decision Making: Responsible for solving numerous, undefined problems that require detailed analysis and prior experience. May create and direct policy decisions within the scope of responsibility.
• Communication & Influence: Influences equivalent level management and senior leadership to accept division views and practices. Conducts briefings with senior leadership to gain approval on significant matters.
• Leadership & Talent Management: Manages a team of professionals, including Senior Managers who oversee their own teams (e.g., PPMs and Partnership Managers). Responsible for creating workforce and staffing plans, and overseeing all personnel decisions for the operations and partnership division.

Education

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree in Education, Business, or a relevant area from an accredited institution.
• 5 years of relevant experience in Human Resources
• In lieu of a master's degree, a bachelor's degree + 10 years of relevant experience may be considered if candidates possess the necessary skills and knowledge.
• Proven track record of leading complex, cross-functional initiatives and projects.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in online, competency-based education environments.
• Expertise in change management, strategic planning, and partnership lifecycle management.
• Knowledge of state regulatory/compliance considerations for education preparation providers.

Travel

This position requires occasional travel of up to 20%, including required attendance at designated company summits (typically one to two per year). Additional travel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed. Additional travel may be assigned as needed to support business requirements

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.
• Ability to travel occasionally for partnership meetings and institutional events.

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Additional Information

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.

• 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 View email address on click.appcast.io.
• Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.