Senior Lead - Credential 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.

Job Summary:

WGU is one of the most student-centered universities and is continuously evolving to meet the needs of individuals, employers, and the future of work. Through this ongoing evolution, it becomes even more crucial to ensure alignment to WGU's core, which is serving students through competency-based education - the key to which is criterion-referenced, competency-based assessments. This critical role will help WGU advance and adapt to the changing landscape in higher education by establishing standards, practices, and policies around skills, competencies, pathways, program evaluation support, and a value-based credential framework logic. This role will collaborate across WGU leadership to establish and implement these assessment standards, practices, and policies and create and implement communication and implementation plans to ensure success. This role plays a critical part in the Credential Integrity team. This role is essential to ensuring the integrity, credibility, and relevance of WGU and its credentials.

• Evaluate and recommend improvements to maintain or enhance the standards, practices, and policies that are core to WGU's competency-based education and credential model
• Support WGU's internal Credential Innovation and Integrity committee to develop and regularly review WGU's standards and practices for accuracy, clarity, and relevancy
• Identify and prioritize new standards, practices, and policies to align with WGU's evolving business strategy
• Develop best practices, toolkits, and tracking to help stakeholders understand and maintain credential standards, practices, and policies

• Create documentation and collateral for credential standards, practices, and policies
• Create and implement communication strategies to inform all relevant stakeholders, following change management principles
• Create and implement training plans, where applicable
• Partner with other cross-functional standards and practices organizations to ensure alignment of standards across functions and to implement best practices

• Consult with cross-functional stakeholders on program requirements to ensure alignment to credential standards and practices
• Partner with stakeholders on the creation of implementation plans to ensure alignment
• Participate in program intake sessions to ensure new and redeveloped programs adhere to credential standards and practices
• Create, manage, and perform audit functions to ensure compliance with standards and practices
• Partner with stakeholders to create remediation plans for areas out of compliance
• Provide ongoing reports of compliance activity and tracking

• Be a spokesperson for WGU's credential model to both internal and external audiences
• Actively participate in external events, both increasing visibility, credibility, and WGU brand
• Present at speaking engagements and publish articles to promote WGU's credential model

Performs other related duties as assigned.

• Knowledge of competency-based education, master curriculum credential frameworks, and achievement architecture
• Lead through influence in a highly matrixed organization
• Build relationships at all levels and across all functions
• Lead change in a rapidly changing environment
• Monitor industry trends to proactively assess and adapt
• The ability to identify risks and take action to mitigate those risks
• Strategic thinking, problem-solving, and analytic skills
• Verbal, written, and visual communication skills
• Able to make thoughtful, quick decisions in a high-pressure environment
• Ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people
• Passion, idealism, integrity, positive attitude, mission-driven, and self-directed

• Responsible for implementing initiatives and projects established by the university or department leadership; establishes strategic, operational plans for department, function, or office with short to mid-term impact on results.

• Leverages a systems-thinking approach for improving entire processes and systems using significant conceptualizing, reasoning, and interpretation. Solutions are novel and unique and draw upon expertise and best practices.
• Problems and issues are often complex, requiring broad-based consideration of variables that affect multiple departments of the University or specialties. Scrutinizes and interprets situations to seek understanding of the root cause.

• Collaborates cross-functionally across the University and typically has responsibilities for communicating with parties external to the University.
• Works to influence others to accept practices, concepts, and approaches.
• Requires the ability to communicate and influence senior executive leadership regarding matters of strategic importance to the University. Frequently conducts briefings to senior leaders both within and outside of their area.

• Responsible for providing guidance, coaching, and training to other employees across the University within domain-specific expertise. Provides direction to project team members, including feedback on performance.
• Demonstrates the WGU leadership principles in all aspects of service to students, employees, and partners of WGU.
• The person will be the leading expert and resource within the field by peers within and outside the University.

Job Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• 10+ years of related experience in curriculum instruction and development with a Master's degree, or
• 5+ years of related experience in curriculum instruction and development with a Doctorate or Terminal degree
• Experience with competency-based assessment
• Experience in creating and maintaining standards, practices, and policies
• Demonstrated success with change management.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in higher education studies or curriculum instruction
• Experience in auditing functions

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.
• Travel up to 20%

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:

How to apply: apply online

Full-time Regular Positions(FT classification, standard working hours = 40)

This is a full-time, regular position 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.

The University is an equal opportunity employer.All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.