Project Manager IV

Project Manager IV

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 312 Pay Range: $109,900.00 - $170,400.00

Job Description

The Project Manager IV manages projects from inception through completion and implements change management strategies on assigned initiatives and projects. The Project Manager IV monitors and reports project status, including risks, issues affecting project schedules, and milestone achievements—to stakeholders and departmental leadership. The individual develops project plans and schedules and ensures projects meet departmental requirements, standards, policies, and deadlines. The Project Manager IV is expected to keep fully informed of departmental strategies and priorities and effectively influence the work of project team members in line with those priorities.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Manages all phases of assigned projects (i.e., initiating, planning, executing, monitoring/controlling, and closing).
• Responsible for maintaining effective communication and coordination within project team.
• Keeps stakeholders and departmental leadership informed of project statuses, including, but not limited to, milestone achievements, toll gate progress, risks, and any issues that may adversely affect project schedules.
• Keeps project management records and systems accurate and up to date.
• Produces timely and accurate reports as directed.
• Develops realistic project plans and schedules by analyzing organizational process assets, enterprise environmental factors, task dependencies, resource requirements, work breakdown, and departmental strategy and priorities.
• Documents project deliverables, outputs, and notes that capture why key project decisions were made.
• Understands departmental strategic priorities and influences the actions and work efforts of team members in line those priorities.
• Implements change management strategies and monitors outcomes of strategies.
• Provides leadership, mentorship, and training support to teams, project managers and associate project managers.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skill and Abilities:

• Excellent leadership and project management skills.
• Works well in a team environment.
• Strong understanding of change management methodologies and practices.
• Ability to influence change and motivate others.
• Strong oral and written communications abilities.
• Solid technical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to plan and meet schedules.
• Understanding of Business Process Architecture Mapping.

Job Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a related field of study
• Seven (7) years of Project/Change Management experience in a large organization, which includes strategic planning and risk management
• Excellent understanding of Change Management theory/techniques, and implementation into a project plan.
• Project Management qualification (PMP) or equivalent.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Lean Six Sigma or process improvement experience.
• Experience in higher education or enterprise business operations.
• Familiarity with program or product lifecycle management systems.

Physical Requirements:

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

Working Condition:

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.