Senior Regional Manager (Midwest Region)

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

Job Profile Summary

The Senior Regional Manager is a critical role that focuses on the university's mission by enhancing visibility, enrollment, and reputation as a leader in accessible and workforce-aligned higher education. This role is a relationship manager and liaison for the region, ensuring that operational workflows and priorities are in sync with the university's strategic goals. In tandem with leadership, this role drives internal operations improvements, prepares Quarterly Business Review (QBR) reports, and maintains accurate data to support informed decision-making processes. The successful candidate for the role is a highly experienced professional with senior-level industry knowledge and is familiar with managing large and complex projects.

This role is responsible for building relationships with community organizations, businesses, and local leaders while independently managing daily operations, supporting regional growth initiatives, and executing strategies to meet performance goals

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

Operational Support

• Maintain accurate data for reporting and decision-making.
• Track, record, and maintain accurate regional data to inform decision-making.
• Liaise with the schools and regional supporting teamsto ensure regional impact.
• Develops initiatives to improve efficiencies and levels of service within the operational area function.
• Responsible and accountable for the totality of assigned projects. Leverages senior level knowledge of the region and partnership strategies in developing a hyper-local, regional strategy aligned with the schools' goals, Academy, and Craft Education.

Team Collaboration

• Work with the Regional VP and other leaders to support the development of a strong team culture.
• Develops, supports, and leads cross-functional project teams from across to foster alumni engagement and community impact.
• May work directly with internal and external leaders and departments to resolve regional issues.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Leverage industry knowledge to build and maintain positive relationships with stakeholders, including community and business leaders.
• Lead and support cross-functional collaboration to achieve regional objectives.
• Collaborate with other leaders and departments to resolve regional issues as they arise.

Brand Growth & Awareness

• Increase the university's visibility in the region through community engagement, and networking efforts.
• Contributes to initiatives to strengthen brand reputation and awareness.
• Explore new partnerships to increase WGU's reach and educational impact.
• Will deliver sales presentations to potential partner organizations with the sales acumen that incorporates WGU's "flywheel" approach.

Advocacy & Representation

• Contributes to advocacy efforts in collaboration with the Director of Government Relations.
• Represent the university at conferences, panels, and speaking engagements as assigned.

Relationship Building

• Develop and maintain partnerships with local organizations, community-based organizations, chambers, and associations.
• Support state-based grant opportunities and workforce partnerships in collaboration with leadership.
• Influence the achievement of the university's key results by developing relationships that drive value for employers, students, and alumni.

Community Engagement

• Engage in community initiatives, support partnerships, and represent the university in local and regional events.
• Collaborate with colleagues and external stakeholders to advance workforce and educational objectives.

Job Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree
• 5 years of experience in strategic relations, community outreach, and government relations
• 4 years of experience in business development
• Experience developing partnerships in education (K-12, higher education), healthcare, business, and tehcnology industries within the region (IL, MN, ND, SD,WI, NE, IA, MO, KS)

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree
• Experience in higher education

Work location

• This position is in-office in Chicago, IL.
• Schedule: 3 days onsite, 2 days work from home.
• Travel: 40%

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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 Opportunity Employer: We are 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.