Director, Technical Product Management

Job Description

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.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Own the business unit’s software product portfolio end-to-end — from concept to delivery, adoption, and measurement.
• Connect divisional software product and platform goals to institutional outcomes, ensuring alignment between the divisional and institution-wide initiatives.
• Define and track divisional software product KPIs that connect to enterprise-level performance and student outcomes.
• Lead software engineering and delivery teams to deliver high-quality software and services that provide delightful experiences for our students and other stakeholders.
• Drive applied innovation by piloting emerging technologies and through rapid iteration.
• Injects the best of AI capabilities to improve the product development lifecycle.
• Build, coach, and mentor high-performing cross-functional teams (Engineering, Product, Technical Program Management, UX, etc.) that embrace accountability, urgency, and collaboration.
• Develop product manager capability through high expectations, development, and close mentoring.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Expert at creating and delivering impactful technical roadmaps.
• Strong change management skills and a history of successful application of change management strategies to implement large-scale projects.
• Experience using quantitative and qualitative data to inform design decisions and drive change.
• Strong emotional intelligence and can work well with technology and business leaders.
• Demonstrated skills working cross-functionally with technology, legal, policy, academic, and administrative teams to deliver large-scale initiatives.
• Demonstrated expertise and aptitude in conducting strategic, quantitative, and qualitative analysis, particularly for rationalization and simplification purposes.
• Demonstrated experience influencing senior management and setting expectations for major cross-functional initiatives.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or equivalent, with relevant experience.
• 10+ years' experience within technology in roles of increasing accountability in the fields of Product Management, Technical Product Management, Software Engineering, Program Management, and/or Product Operations.
• 5+ years of leading and managing a variety of technology teams and functions.
• Experience using AI to drive innovation in the product development lifecycle.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the higher education technology domain strongly preferred.
• Advanced degree.

Position & Application Details

• This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.
• To apply, please submit an application online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.