Lead System Strategist

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.

• INTERNAL POSTING UP UNTIL 12/12/2022*****
  
  

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Develop a deep understanding of the various stakeholders impacted by system strategy and their needs.
• Represent academic needs in the system partnership between Academia and Schools, Product, and EdTech.
• Remain current with and thoroughly versed in the inventory of internal systems and their features.
• Maintain an awareness of the current and coming landscape of educational systems, features, and software and be able to surface strategic options that solve stakeholder problems.
• Provide a consultative approach to system strategy, determining and recommending the best strategic approach despite competing stakeholder desires.
• Serve as the stakeholder and lead for feature design teams that prototype the strategy.
• Serve as a co-product owner during system development and implementation, ensuring that the strategic implementation proceeds according to plan, or adapt the strategy as needed.
• Ensure product ownership is transferred appropriately post-implementation via documentation, training, and consultation
• Maintain and socialize a compelling and visual roadmap of strategic system implementations, containing interconnected systems, milestones, and deadline expectations.
• Socialize system strategy and build advocacy and alignment across the university.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.
  
  

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• A deep understanding of technical feasibility and maintainability; converse well with engineers
• Can recognize a proper experience and visual design from a poor one and be able to explain why
• Ability to converse well with designers
• An understanding of business constraints, budgets and costs, ability to manage feature tradeoffs, ability to gain stakeholder understanding with and alignment to strategic and tactical decisions converse well with product owners and managers
• Strength, passion, and experience in creatively solving difficult problems that may not have a single or perfect solution
• Ability to express complex decisions in simplified ways that gain advocacy at any level in the organization, from executional teams to senior leadership; the desire and energy to seek and socialize
  
  

Competencies:

Organizational Impact:

• Works to achieve operational targets with significant to major impact on department, function, or office results. May be responsible for managing large projects or processes within the department, function, or office.
• Performs work as directed with limited oversight.
  
  

Problem Solving & Decision Making:

• Responsible for leveraging a systems-thinking approach, making moderate to significant improvements of processes, systems, and plans within the department and/or functions.
• Problems and issues faced are numerous and challenging, will require detailed information gathering and analysis. Problems typically affect multiple areas or specialties.
  
  

Communication & Influence:

• Collaborates cross-functionally with employees within and outside of the department. Occasionally has responsibility for communicating with parties external to the University.
• Works to influence parties within and outside the department, or function regarding policies, procedures, and practices.
  
  

Leadership & Talent Management

• Is responsible for providing guidance, coaching, and training to other employees in the department, or functions. Responsible for managing projects involving oversight and review of others’ work products.
• Demonstrates the WGU leadership principles in all aspects of service to students, employees, and partners of WGU.
  
  

Job Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field of study or equivalency
• Seven (7) years’ experience in product experience in higher education-related product
  
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Three (3) years of consultative experience
  
  

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Minimal travel requirements.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.
• The successful candidate must be capable of working at home with a reliable, high-speed internet connection.
  
  

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As an equal opportunity employer, WGU recognizes that our strength lies in our people. We are committed to diversity.