Lead Insights Consultant

Western Governors University•Salt Lake City, UT

About The Position

The Lead Insights Consultant is responsible for generating, synthesizing, and translating deep insights on labor markets, workforce transformation, and the lived experiences of students and workers to inform institutional strategy and ventures. This role operates at the intersection of research, strategy, and sensemaking, integrating quantitative data, qualitative research, and ethnographic understanding to surface patterns, implications, and forward-looking perspectives on the future of work. Serving as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, the role influences decision-making through rigorous analysis, clear frameworks, and compelling narratives rather than formal authority or people leadership. The position partners closely with cross-functional teams across the institution to align and synthesize insights, avoid duplication, and ensure research is applied effectively to strategic planning, innovation, and external thought leadership.

Requirements

Ability to determine appropriate research approaches to address key strategic questions, leveraging internal capabilities and external partners across the full research lifecycle, including study design, method selection, instrument development, data collection, analysis, and reporting.
Ability to synthesize diverse and sometimes conflicting data sources into coherent, credible insights and narratives.
Skill in translating complex research findings into clear frameworks, visuals, and executive-ready communications.
Ability to think systemically about labor markets, education, and work, connecting micro-level human experiences to macro-level trends.
Ability to operate comfortably in ambiguity and uncertainty, particularly when examining emerging technologies and future-oriented topics.
Ability to influence without formal authority across a complex, matrixed organization.
Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (such as economics, social sciences, public policy, business, information sciences, human-centered design).
10+ years of relevant experience in roles focused on insight generation, strategic analysis, applied research, and sensemaking in complex environments.
Demonstrated experience synthesizing qualitative and quantitative information into clear insights that inform strategic decisions.

Nice To Haves

Professional experience in talent and workforce development or higher education sectors.

Responsibilities

Synthesize diverse data sources—including secondary research, primary studies, qualitative research, and social listening—to develop a comprehensive view of workforce dynamics, mobility, and opportunity.
Analyze current and emerging career pathways, incorporating demographic, industry, and geographic variation to surface patterns, inequities, and points of intervention.
Develop insight into task-level impacts of artificial intelligence, including skill erosion and emergence, changes in occupational structure, and patterns of human–machine collaboration.
Examine how technological, economic, and social forces are reshaping the nature, meaning, and organization of work over time.
Generate forward-looking perspectives that help the institution understand not just what is changing, but how and why those changes matter for talent and employers.
Working with other partners across WGU, connect qualitative and ethnographic understanding of how individuals navigate career decisions, transitions, and key “buying” or enrollment moments to strategic frameworks and decisions.
Examine employer decision-making at the human level, including hiring, upskilling, and credential valuation practices.
Partner with leaders within the Strategy & Ventures Group to ensure insights are appropriately applied across development and planning efforts.
Partner with leaders conducting related research across WGU (e.g., Institutional Analytics and Research, Marketing, Schools & Colleges) to align perspectives and synthesize—not duplicate—function-specific research into WGU-wide insights.
Adapt insights communication for diverse audiences, including senior leadership, cross-functional teams, and external stakeholders, balancing rigor with accessibility.
Translate complex research into compelling frameworks, visuals, and narratives that surface key implications, tensions, and open questions.
In coordination with Institutional Advancement, translate insights into public-facing narratives and thought leadership that enhance WGU’s credibility, brand, and positioning with partners and funders.