Senior Manager, Technical Program Management

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:

Grade: Management Technical 714 Pay Range: $151,800.00 - $250,500.00

Job Description

Access Education Services (AES) is building the future of technology delivery in higher education services. As a separate legal entity and subsidiary focused on supporting the student journey across enrollment, financial aid, student support, technology services, career services, and alumni engagement, AES is transforming how technology teams deliver value.

We are seeking a Senior Manager, Technical Program Management to lead a team of Technical Program Managers and Quality Engineers responsible for delivering strategic initiatives with predictability, transparency, and quality. This is a highly visible leadership role that sits at the intersection of product strategy, engineering execution, and business outcomes.

The ideal candidate combines deep program management expertise with strong technical acumen, understands modern software delivery practices, and can lead through data, influence, and operational excellence. This role executes the planning and operating rhythm for the delivery organization, including quarterly and fiscal year planning, commitment management, and monthly/quarterly business reviews. The Senior Manager manages to headcount and budget targets while maximizing team capacity and delivery throughput.

What You'll Do

• Lead and develop a team of Technical Program Managers and Quality Engineers responsible for delivering strategic initiatives across the software development lifecycle.
• Manage delivery flow across value streams, identify bottlenecks, mitigate risks, and optimize throughput to improve execution outcomes.
• Drive planning and operating rhythms, including quarterly planning, annual planning, commitment management, capacity planning, and resource allocation.
• Partner closely with Product, Engineering, and business leaders to translate priorities into executable roadmaps, milestones, and delivery commitments.
• Establish and continuously improve delivery and quality standards, frameworks, metrics, and best practices across the organization.
• Monitor delivery performance using key operational metrics, communicate status and forecasts to leadership, and drive accountability for outcomes.
• Act as the primary escalation point for delivery challenges, coordinating mitigation plans and resolving impediments that impact execution.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field, or relevant work experience and certification(s)
• 7+ years managing programs and projects
• 3+ years leading and managing people and teams
• Program Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent
• Proven leadership ability to organize, coordinate, and direct teams while driving accountability and delivering business outcomes.
• Strong understanding of modern product delivery practices including software development lifecycle (SDLC), project-to-product principles, value streams, flow management, quality engineering, and program management methodologies.
• Strong analytical and data-driven mindset with the ability to leverage operational, delivery, and quality metrics to drive decisions and continuous improvement.
• Experience managing organizational resources, including headcount planning, budgeting, capacity planning, and resource allocation.
• Outstanding communication, relationship-building, and stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence across highly matrixed organizations.
• Ability to lead through ambiguity, manage competing priorities, and effectively drive organizational change.
• Experience working with delivery and collaboration tools such as Jira, Confluence, and reporting platforms used to measure and improve delivery performance.

Bonus Points

• Master's Degree in a related field
• Experience leading technical program or project delivery within a higher education environment
• Previous experience in software engineering, software development, or technical delivery leadership roles supporting engineering organizations

Experience in Lieu of Education

Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 year of education and is at the discretion of the hiring manager.

What to Expect

At WGU, our mission drives everything we do, including how we hire. Our interview experience is designed to give qualified candidates the opportunity to show their best work through meaningful conversations and collaboration.

We thoughtfully review every application and invite forward the candidates whose experience and potential best align with the role and our mission.

• Introductory call
• Hiring manager interview
• Engineering leader interview
• Product leader interview
• Hiring manager deep dive
• Bar raiser

Work Location

This is a full-time, in-office position requiring five days per week in our Salt Lake City, Utah office, designed to foster the collaboration and connection that fuel our best work.

Visa Sponsorship

While we welcome applicants from all backgrounds, WGU is not able to provide visa sponsorship for this role.

Travel Requirement

This position requires occasional travel of up to 20%, including required attendance at designated company summits (typically one to two per year). Additional travel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed. Additional travel may be assigned as needed to support business requirements.

Position & Application Details

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): 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.

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.