Senior Manager, Academic Product Management

Western Governors University•Salt Lake City, UT

1d•$95,300 - $157,300•Onsite

About The Position

Provides leadership for the execution, delivery, and continuous improvement of academic products, including curriculum, assessments, and instructional models. This role operates between the Director and Manager levels, applying advanced expertise in curriculum and assessment while maintaining strong accountability for delivery, execution, and team leadership. The role partners closely with academic leaders and cross-functional teams to ensure products are delivered on time, within budget, and aligned with institutional priorities, accreditation standards, and student success outcomes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in education, Instructional Design, Learning Science, Assessment Development, Education Technology, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Seven (7) years of related experience, which includes three (3) years of supervising a team, developing online training and education programs, leading change management efforts, developing and cultivating partnerships, leading multiple projects, including developing and managing budgets
Progressive experience in academic product management, curriculum and assessment development, or program leadership.
Experience leading teams, managing budgets, and delivering complex academic initiatives.
Advanced knowledge of curriculum design, assessment development, and competency-based education models.
Strong program and product management capabilities, including managing complex, cross-functional initiatives.
Demonstrated ability to analyze data and metrics to guide decision-making and continuous improvement.
Proven people leadership, coaching, and stakeholder influence skills.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving academic environment and act as an agent of change.
On-site collocation is required
Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.

Nice To Haves

Advanced Degree in a related discipline
Experience in a college-specific area-education, healthcare, business, information technology
Ten (10) years of leadership experience in a higher education environment
Experience stabilizing, structuring, and diffusing ambiguous situations.

Responsibilities

Lead execution and continuous improvement of curriculum, assessment, and instructional model initiatives across assigned academic products.
Translate academic strategy, product vision, and program charters into actionable delivery plans, managing scope, timelines, risks, and resources.
Partner with Directors, academic leaders, Product, Evaluation, and Operations teams to ensure alignment and high-quality delivery.
Evaluate program, course, and assessment performance using quantitative and qualitative data to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
Ensure curriculum and assessment outputs meet quality, accessibility, accreditation, and regulatory standards.
Monitor delivery against budgets and timelines, surfacing risks, dependencies, and trade-offs to leadership.
Drive process improvements that enhance efficiency, scalability, and consistency in academic product development.
Manage and develop managers and/or individual contributors responsible for academic product management and improvement.
Provide coaching, mentoring, and performance feedback to support team growth and effectiveness.
Foster collaboration across a highly matrixed organization, influencing without full policy ownership.
Accountable for execution outcomes, delivery quality, and operational success of assigned academic products.
Makes decisions within established academic and product frameworks; escalates enterprise-level strategy or policy decisions as appropriate.
Influences academic product strategy through data-informed insights and delivery outcomes.
Performs other related duties as assigned.