Principal Technology Strategist

Western Governors University•Salt Lake City, UT

1d•$157,000 - $243,400•Remote

About The Position

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: Technical 411 Pay Range: $157,000.00 - $243,400.00 Job Description The Principal Technology Strategist is an expert in higher education technology systems and processes, with deep expertise in higher-ed technology ecosystems and the higher-ed processes that are use them. This individual understands how complex higher-ed platforms, including learning management systems (LMS), student information systems (SIS), customer relationship management (CRM) systems, and other higher-ed systems are used by students and staff across the higher education technology landscape. The role is responsible for identifying and understanding issues across WGU higher-ed systems that currently prevent or limit the scalability, flexibility, and innovation that WGU leadership need to innovate and serve students better. This individual works directly for the VP of University Technology and partners with architecture, engineering, product management, business process leaders, and university leadership to design flexible, scalable, secure, and future-state solutions. This is a highly influential role requiring deep higher-ed tech fluency as well as strong domain expertise in higher education operations and online learning ecosystems.

Requirements

Higher Education Systems Expertise (LMS, SIS, Academic Technology Ecosystems)
Enterprise Architecture & Systems Thinking
Digital Learning & Student Experience Design
Strategic Technical Leadership
Cross-Functional Influence & Stakeholder Management
Translating Academic Needs into Technical Solutions
Master's degree from an accredited institution.
15+ years of experience in education technology, digital transformation, or strategic program leadership.
Deep fluency in higher education markets, particularly online, non-credit, and competency-based programs.
Deep domain expertise in higher education technology ecosystems, including LMS and SIS platforms
Demonstrated success managing complex portfolios of technology initiatives within or alongside higher education institutions.
Exceptional communication, facilitation, and stakeholder alignment skills across technical and non-technical audiences.
Strong understanding of higher education workflows: admissions, enrollment, course delivery, grading, advising, and credentialing
Proven ability to build and lead high-performing, cross-functional teams and initiatives.
Strong background in vendor management, partnership strategy, and cross-functional leadership.
Experience with AI-powered tools and automations in an educational or enterprise context.

Nice To Haves

PhD or Doctoral Degree
Industry recognition, publications, or thought leadership in ed-tech or higher education transformation.
Familiarity with Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI), IMS Global standards, or similar education interoperability frameworks
Background in instructional technology, academic technology, or educational data systems

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end analysis of complex higher education technology ecosystems, including LMS, SIS, CRM, and other higher-ed technology ecosystem platforms
Identify architectural gaps, integration challenges, technical debt, and scalability constraints across higher-ed systems
Define target-state architectures that support modern online learning environments
Serve as a thought leader and trusted advisor to executive leadership, translating market trends and learner insights into actionable strategy.
Serve as SME and consultant to product management, engineering, and academic leaders
Understand academic workflows including course lifecycle management, enrollment, grading, assessments, curriculum design, and credentialing
Partner with academic technology and institutional leadership to align technology capabilities with teaching, learning, and student success outcomes
Evaluate SIS, LMS, and CRM extensibility, interoperability, and integration with third-party education tools (e.g., proctoring, content authoring, video platforms, analytics tools)
Partner with Enterprise Architecture, Engineering, Product, Academic Affairs, Institutional Research, and IT leadership
Translate institutional and academic needs into scalable technical architectures and roadmaps
Influence strategic multi-year higher-ed platform modernization strategies
Provide technical advisory support to senior leadership on platform decisions and vendor evaluations
Represent WGU at industry sector meetings, advisory boards, and strategic partnership discussions.
Evaluate and recommend emerging higher-ed technologies
Identify opportunities to improve student experience, faculty experience, and operational efficiency through technology
Performs other job-related duties as assigned.