Strategic Workforce Planning 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 312

Pay Range: $106,700.00 - $165,400.00

Job Description

About the Role

We're looking for a strategic Workforce Planning leader to connect talent strategy with business goals. In this role, you’ll integrate workforce planning across key People & Talent functions, build organizational capability, and deliver data-driven insights to guide decision-making. If you thrive in complex environments and enjoy shaping the future of work, we’d love to hear from you.

What You Will Do

Workforce Planning Strategy & Integration

• Serve as the strategic connector between Workforce Planning (WFP) and core People & Talent (P&T) functions such as talent development, analytics, DEI, performance, and employee experience, as the disciplines relate to workforce planning

• Design and implement frameworks that integrate WFP into annual and long-term talent planning cycles.

• Ensure workforce plans align with business strategy, transformation efforts, and future-of-work priorities.

• Partner with senior business leaders and HR Business Partners to translate strategic initiatives/goals into workforce needs.

• Lead the creation of workforce strategy that anticipates evolving skill requirements and integrates into business operating plans.

Capability Building & Advisory Support

• Build WFP capability across the organization and P&T by designing and delivering training, toolkits, and guidance for Business Partners and functional leaders.

• Establish and lead a WFP community of practice to share insights and strengthen cross-functional collaboration.

• Provide direct consultation to P&T and business stakeholders to support workforce scenario planning and organizational design.

• Serve as a thought leader and internal consultant on organizational design, workforce segmentation, and optimal workforce composition.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Enablement

• Collaborate with other Centers of Excellences (e.g., Talent Acquisition, People Analytics, People Development) to embed WFP practices into enterprise processes.

• Facilitate workshops and planning sessions to connect WFP with related initiatives such as career pathing, succession planning, and skills strategies.

• Act as a liaison with external consultants and vendors, ensuring solutions are aligned and scalable.

• Establish governance models and decision-making frameworks to ensure workforce planning is embedded in enterprise-wide initiatives.

Data-Driven Decision Support

• Partner with People Analytics to leverage data insights to uncover workforce trends, risks, and opportunities.

• Translate workforce data into actionable insights, dashboards, and reports to guide strategic decisions.

• Support scenario modeling, demand planning, and headcount forecasting to anticipate and respond to talent needs.

• Partner with internal stakeholders to ensure workforce data infrastructure supports integration across systems.

Innovation & Workforce Agility

• Champion modern and flexible talent strategies such as internal mobility, gig work, talent marketplaces, and agile workforce models.

• Monitor external labor market trends and best practices