Manager, Design

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:

Job Description

The Manager of Design exhibits expertise in the design, development, and testing of quality learning experiences-and thrives on sharing this knowledge with others. This role oversees a team of innovative learning experience designers (LXDs), instructional technologists, and others and leverages deep knowledge of learning science to mentor our LXDs from associate through senior and beyond. The successful candidate is an exceptional LXD , enjoys pushing the boundaries of the field, and seeking new and innovative ways to support student learning.

This position assists our Product Innovation and Business Development teams in the discovery, design, advancement and testing of their product strategies. The Manager of Design is critical to the success of the organization by serving as an ambassador during professional conferences, sales calls, and the marketing strategy for skills-focused, competency-based, online WGU Certificates

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Leads a team of Learning Experience Designers, Instructional Technologists, and developers with various skill levels by supporting employee development to include mentoring core LXD competencies, user-experience design strategies, and learning science while guiding them along the LXD career pathway.

• Guides and drives team to greater science- and user- informed innovation, with a bias toward action and speed to insight.

• Ensures the team's work is completed on time and within budget and meets the organizations high standard of quality.

• Collaborates with the research team, engineering team, and portfolio managers to coordinate projects and iterate on design and development processes (user-centered design, agile development, and large-scale randomized controlled trials).

• Works with various levels of leadership to resource and prioritize internal projects and those serving our venture studio.

• Participates in business development efforts such as product discovery, market research, and assumption testing.

• Promotes the organization through professional conferences, product demos, and other outreach activities.

• Models leadership and professionalism

• Develops and maintains a collaborative relationship with all appropriate internal and external stakeholders.

• Stays current with trends and research in learning science , education technology, and non-degree offerings such as academic certificates, micro credentials, and industry certifications.

• Successfully collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to ensure all designs are aligned with desired outcomes.

• Reviews feedback and provides recommendations for learning experience improvements.

• Ensures products meets or exceeds Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skill and Abilities:

• Exceptional people leadership and mentorship skills

• Expert in user-centered design, agile development, and the scientific method (randomized controlled trials) specifically applied to learning applications and educational technologies

• Strong project and product management skills

• Excellent written, oral, presentation, and interpersonal skills

• Expert in qualitative and quantitative primary research methods

• Thrives working collaboratively and creatively in a fast-paced environment

• Strong attention to detail and a feeling of pride and ownership over the quality of our learning experience.

Competencies:

Organizational Impact:

• Manages a team that focuses on executing the operational plans for the job area with measurable contribution to the achievement of the department, function, or office results.

• Assigns and distributes work.

Problem Solving and Decision Making:

• Responsible for making moderate improvements to processes or systems to enhance the performance of the job area.

• Assignments received and problems faced are broad and undefined and occasionally require the use of analytical concepts, investigation, and knowledge from prior experience.

Communication and Influence:

• Communicates within job area and occasionally with external groups.

• Ensures compliance with university policies and procedures within the job area and may influence others outside of the job area to justify and gain cooperation for policies, practices, and procedures.

Leadership and Talent Management:

• Manages/Supervises a team of professionals. Manages the work of assigned employees and/or supervisors who generally exercise some latitude and independence in their assignments. Ensures proper training of team members and participates in hiring, firing, and promotion decisions. Conducts performance reviews and may recommend salary reviews.

• May complete technical assignments in addition to supervising others.

Job Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree and 5 years of experience in product design content following a user-centered design process OR, Master's degree and 3 years of experience in product design content following a user-centered design process

Department Specific Minimum Qualifications:

• 2 years of mentoring learning experience designers

• 2 years of professional experience leading a learning product vision with a proven track record of forming partnerships and promoting products to the education market

• 2 years overseeing agile education technology and content development teams

• Strong portfolio of learning product/app design required

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree or higher in applied learning science

• Experience with mobile-first learning applications

• Experience with non-degree offerings for online adults.

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.

Disclaimer: This Job Description has been designed to indicate the general nature, essential duties, and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this classification. It does not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications that are required of the employee to do this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. This Job Description does not constitute a contract of employment and the University may exercise its employment-at-will rights at any time.

#LI-AW2

Position & Application Details

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It's not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at recruiting@wgu.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.