Program Manager for Professional & Executive Programs (PEP)

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

8d•$101,784 - $115,116

About The Position

The University of Washington College of Engineering seeks a strategic, collaborative Program Manager for Professional & Executive Programs (PEP). Reporting jointly to the Assistant Dean of PEP and through the College’s Collaboration Core, the position leads operational and strategic work across the College’s portfolio of professional and executive programs, supporting more than 30 programs and educational offerings. The role works with faculty, academic departments, University partners, and external stakeholders to grow programs, develop scalable practices, and advance new educational opportunities, including degrees, certificates, executive education, and interdisciplinary initiatives. The Program Manager oversees professional program administration, executive education, financial management, CRM and enrollment operations, student experience, and cross-functional initiatives. The position leads complex projects, develops sustainable processes, uses data to inform decisions, and supports student success and operational effectiveness. It serves as a strategic partner to College leadership and academic units, helping shape professional and executive education across the College of Engineering. The position requires occasional evening and weekend work for recruitment events, program activities, and College initiatives, as well as occasional travel to recruitment conferences, industry events, and prospective student outreach activities. This is a regular, 100% FTE position on the first shift.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Education, or equivalent education/experience.
Five years of progressively responsible program management experience, preferably in higher education.
Ability to collaborate with academic leadership, student services staff, and other stakeholders within the College of Engineering and across the University.
Strong advocacy skills to represent the College’s interests to University partners.
Experience supporting or managing academic, professional, continuing education, or student-facing programs in a higher education environment.
Experience coordinating program operations, including budgeting, enrollment processes, communications, or administrative functions.
Demonstrated experience managing complex budgets, including forecasting, monitoring expenditures, and aligning financial resources with strategic priorities.
Demonstrated ability to lead projects and collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders.
Experience developing and improving processes, managing multiple priorities, and delivering high-quality customer service to faculty, students, and University partners.
Strong project management, communication, and relationship-building skills.
Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders.
Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends and travel occasionally for recruitment conferences, industry events, and prospective student outreach.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in a relevant field.
Experience in higher education, healthcare, research, or nonprofit organizations.
Knowledge of project management methodologies.
Experience with grants, strategic planning, or program evaluation.
Familiarity with fee-based program administration.
Experience providing guidance, training, or informal supervision to staff, student employees, or project teams.

Responsibilities

Lead implementation, administration, and continuous improvement of complex college-wide professional master’s and certificate programs spanning multiple departments and disciplines.
Oversee the Master’s in Multidisciplinary Engineering degree and other College professional programs, including admissions, capstone courses, faculty committees, and program operations.
Coordinate admissions-related activities with advising staff, including application workflows, faculty review materials, decisions, exceptions, and communications.
Manage assigned program finances, including budgets, resource allocation, expenditure approvals, and long-range financial planning.
Serve as the College’s resource on revenue distribution and expenditure attribution for fee-based and interdisciplinary graduate and professional programs.
Advise academic units, faculty, leadership, and campus partners on professional and fee-based graduate education policies, administration, funding models, and opportunities.
Lead cross-functional initiatives and partnerships with academic units, the Graduate School, Continuum College, and other stakeholders; develop programs, manage agreements or MOUs, and resolve operational challenges.
Develop scalable operational models, governance structures, and best practices for the College’s professional education portfolio.
Support curriculum, policy, program review, and approval processes with College leadership and administrative staff.
Monitor enrollment, student outcomes, financial performance, market trends, and operational metrics; provide analyses and recommendations for planning, investment, resource allocation, and improvement.
Coordinate data analysis, documentation, stakeholder engagement, and institutional reporting for academic program review, assessment, and approval.
Provide strategic and operational leadership for executive education, including corporate partnerships, leadership development, certificates, workshops, and other non-credit offerings.
Oversee executive education portfolio planning, implementation, resource allocation, quality, and continuous improvement.
Establish business processes, operational standards, and service models that support executive education quality, efficiency, participant experience, and sustainability.
Represent the College in executive education partnerships and cultivate relationships with corporate partners, faculty, academic units, industry leaders, and University stakeholders.
Consult on executive education opportunities, market trends, risks, and growth strategies; direct program development and delivery with sponsors, faculty, and University partners.
Oversee executive education performance, enrollment, assessment, and outcome evaluation using data and performance metrics.
Lead executive education financial planning and stewardship, including budgets, market analysis, revenue and expenditure oversight, pricing, resource allocation, and investment recommendations.
Oversee the College CRM ecosystem for recruitment, admissions, enrollment, communications, and engagement; direct operations, technology investments, enhancements, integrations, automation, reporting, and resource allocation.
Evaluate CRM platform capabilities and costs, recommend improvements, and assess alternatives to meet program and College needs.
Establish CRM strategy, governance, and best practices for effective workflows, communications, reporting, and scalability.
Develop and analyze recruitment, admissions, enrollment, engagement, and CRM metrics to guide decisions and support enrollment growth.
Liaise with academic programs, marketing teams, University technology partners, vendors, and other stakeholders on CRM strategy, enhancements, issues, and enrollment initiatives.
Lead CRM adoption and change management, including training, business process development, and compliance with University policies, data governance, and privacy requirements.
Provide administrative support to the Assistant Dean of PEP, including calendar management, meeting coordination, and preparation of briefings and agendas.
Represent the Dean’s Office on College- and University-wide committees, working groups, and initiatives concerning professional and executive education, enrollment strategy, student experience, and academic program development.
Provide programmatic support for ad hoc Study Abroad Summer programs.
Collaborate with the Director of Policy and Administration and the Director of Finance to ensure compliance with UW policies.
Perform other duties as assigned.