Lead Academic Program Manager (Department Chair), WGU School of Technology
About The Position
WGU's IT degree programs prepare students for careers in high growth technology domains. As Lead Academic Program Manager, you will be accountable for these programs from concept through continuous improvement. That means you're as comfortable ideating about a new degree as you are in a data dashboard tracking student outcomes six months post-launch. This is a high-ownership individual contributor role focused on product management across the entire product lifecycle – from program concepts and market research through curriculum development, marketing, launch, support, and student experience. You'll lead by influence across a complex, matrixed organization -- working with our program development team, instructional faculty, program mentors, marketing, and external partners.
Requirements
- Master's degree in a business or technical field. In lieu of a master's, a bachelor's degree plus 7 years of directly relevant experience will be considered.
- 4+ years in product management, product marketing, program or operations management, or a customer-facing role (e.g., sales) with accountability for measurable business outcomes.
- Experience owning a product, program, or major initiative across its full lifecycle, including voice of the customer.
- Strong analytical skills: proficient with data analysis, able to synthesize insights, and communicate data‑driven recommendations to inform decisions.
- Experience managing or developing educational programs, products, or similar complex initiatives with measurable outcomes.
- Ability to navigate process-heavy organizations without letting process stifle innovation
- Exceptional writing and presentation skills that apply across a wide range of audiences, from students to senior leaders, with the ability to tailor communication to the audience.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with curriculum and/or assessment development
- Up-to-date knowledge of a broad range of technologies, especially IT operations, cloud & network infrastructure, Agile methodologies, and technology product management.
- Experience with online program marketing, SEO, or digital acquisition metrics
Responsibilities
- Product strategy: Conduct market research, competitive analysis, skills and competency definitions, segmentation analysis, and positioning. Define the product roadmap for one or more academic programs.
- Product development: Lead cross-functional work with subject matter experts, the program development team, and the broader organization to build degree programs that deliver strong student outcomes and labor market relevance.
- Post-launch performance: Track KPIs including applicants, enrollment, progress, retention, key financial metrics, and alignment with employer needs.
- Stakeholder alignment: Align cross-functional stakeholders on priorities, decisions, and execution.
Benefits
- 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
- 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
- other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
