Lead - Student Service Operations

Walden University was founded to support adult learners in achieving their academic goals and making a greater impact in their professions and communities. Students from across the U.S. and more than 115 countries pursue online certificates, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees. We offer over 100 online degrees and certificate programs and are accredited by The Higher Learning Commission.

About the role

The Student Services Operations Lead will manage the daily operations and workflow of the Customer Care Team, ensuring representatives meet and exceed student satisfaction across phone, email, chat, and SMS channels. Leads monitor work schedule compliance, support representatives with process navigation, identify student trends, and recommend enhancements to improve the student experience. They also oversee system outages, administer the Global Escalation Process, and support leadership in driving overall Customer Care Operations.

Responsibilities

• Manage the Customer Care Team's daily operations, workflow, and performance to meet and exceed student satisfaction.
• Address work schedule compliance and adherence to improve skill level performance and maintain service level agreements (SLAs) using Workforce Management applications.
• Oversee workforce management schedules, making same-day adjustments and reskilling representatives as needed.
• Monitor system outages, administer Helpdesk tickets, and manage the Global Escalation process, including communication with the Network Operations Center (NOC) and impacted departments.
• Identify process gaps, recommend improvements, update documentation, and reinforce training content.
• Manage Customer Care Salesforce queue volume, delegating cases for efficient and thorough student responses within SLA.
• Serve as a liaison and change champion for application upgrades and new technologies.
• Support the Student Services Operation Manager and broader Customer Care Team through tasks, projects, and administrative duties.
• Facilitate monthly professional development meetings, including agenda creation and pre-work assignments.
• Analyze qualitative and quantitative data to identify student trends and recommend solutions to leadership.
• Assist with university initiatives and committees to improve service levels across the organization.
• Demonstrate high-level knowledge of Walden and program policies to support representatives and students.
• Ensure compliance with university and federal policies, assisting in developing and documenting new procedures.
• Collaborate with CCT Managers to onboard new representatives and resolve access issues.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
• 4+ years of experience in a service-oriented environment, technical support, or related field.
• Experience in data analysis leading to improved business processes and efficiencies preferred.
• Supervisory experience preferred.
• Proficiency with online learning technology and student platforms.
• Strong problem-solving, organizational, and time-management skills.
• Ability to thrive in change management environments and drive performance.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong coaching and people leadership skills.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and technical support skills.
• Ability to resolve issues from request through resolution and collaborate effectively with stakeholders.
• Experience working with multiple databases and student platforms.
• Self-starter capable of working independently and in a team environment.
• Ability to adapt to rapidly changing situations and handle sensitive information confidentially.

Schedule

Tuesday–Friday, 11:00 AM–10:00 PM Eastern Time. This position is open to candidates in any U.S. time zone and operates on a hybrid schedule with four in-office days per week (Monday–Thursday).

Pay

The expected salary range for this position is between $55,000.00 and $74,841.00. Actual pay will be adjusted based on experience, training, geographic location, licensure, market factors, and departmental budgets.

Benefits

• Health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.
• 401k Retirement Program with a 6% employer match.
• Flexible Time Off (FTO) Policy.
• 12 paid holidays.