Program Portfolio Manager (Student Support) | Strategic Operations – College of Education

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 308

Pay Range: $ - $

Job Description

Position Overview: 

As a Program Portfolio Manage, you hold a crucial product management position that profoundly impacts the school and student experience. Each Program Portfolio Manager leads a portfolio of projects connected by a shared organizational goal or area of impact. Your responsibilities include crafting, implementing, and upholding strategic plans and timelines for your portfolio, advising stakeholders, monitoring product advancement, and ensuring the excellence of product plans and outcomes to maintain the highest standards of student and faculty experience.
In this capacity, you are tasked with aligning products with strategic objectives, optimizing resource allocation, and driving successful execution to achieve desired outcomes. Strong leadership, strategic thinking, and effective collaboration with diverse stakeholders are paramount for success in this dynamic role.
Your success will be measured in terms of delivering and scaling the right products that deliver against both annual operating initiatives and strategic goals.

Job Qualifications: 

• Doctoral degree with two years of related experience, master's degree with four years of related experience, bachelor's degree with seven years of related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience

• An instructional or faculty background preferred to provide the required expansive knowledge of instructional practices and the student experience

• Experience developing, delivering, and evaluating strategies at a post-secondary institution

• Proven ability to produce results to operational improvements that impact the student experience

• Project and/or change management knowledge/experience preferred to effectively drive change management and project management processes with confidence

• Smooth ability to communicate with high-level leaders and achieve successful collaboration across multiple departments, i.e. Faculty Experience and college partners

• Experience utilizing data analysis to demonstrate impact of large projects is quite helpful

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Manage implementation, change, and strategic projects.

• Act as a liaison between academic program leaders, the college, and university stakeholders for the designated portfolio of work.  Participates in and contributes to regular staff, department, and meetings with college partners as appropriate. 

• The individual represents their portfolio at meetings related to the student experience and alignment with strategic objectives.

• Focuses on the student’s academic journey to ensure that we deliver programs that are seamless, frictionless and deliver on our student promise of degree and career success. 

• Possess a comprehensive understanding of the student's journey allowing for collaboration, proposal of pilot studies, policy and procedure adjustments, and leading innovation implementation.  Maintains a solid understanding of college and institutional goals and priorities as they relate to the student experience and the school offerings.   

• Implements school initiatives to enhance outcomes and enrich the student's program experience and deliver against the strategic vision.

• Ensures integration and c