Student Experience Specialist

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: Professional 306 Pay Range: $62,100.00 - $93,200.00

Job Description

The Student Experience Specialist role is focused on impacting student success through direct interventions and student support. This individual will work with Salesforce reports to identify high risk or struggling students, communicate directly with students through phone and email, and coordinate interventions to resolve issues or provide support. In addition, they will research, develop, and implement initiatives that improve the student experience after enrollment and through graduation from Academy. The responsibilities include proactive outreach to students, fielding incoming student support calls and requests, and leveraging the learnings from those interactions to develop innovative strategies and interventions to increase student success. This person should be prepared to work in a fast-paced environment where everyone works together to continuously improve the student experience.

Work Arrangements: This is a 40-hour per week role. To meet the needs of our students, at least 10 of those hours must be scheduled outside of traditional business hours (8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m in your timezone).

What You'll Do:

• Fosters student progress through observation of student behaviors, incoming support requests, and student-identified challenges and develops resources or new interventions to eliminate barriers and improve the student experience.
• Serve as a key contributor to increasing student retention and graduation through planning, organizing and conducting outreach strategies to aid students in their academic progress.
• Provides WGU Academy and program level expertise to students via direct student outreach and responding to support requests. Maintains that expertise through ongoing development activities (such as staying up to date on policies, program updates, and technology/platform changes.)
• Cross collaborates with other professionals within the Academy to identify opportunities for improvements to processes and student-facing resources or course materials and promotes a positive, student-obsessed atmosphere.
• Responds to student questions and concerns through managing incoming support requests; resolves complex student issues, directly supporting students and owning the issue from start to finish; takes efforts to ensure ongoing satisfaction with the program and successful progress to completion.
• Drives student engagement in 1-1 coaching sessions with their assigned Student Success Coach through outreach and motivational communication practices via phone and email.
• Demonstrates a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and supports a culture of inclusivity and belonging.
• Consistently exhibits WGU Leadership Principles.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skill and Abilities You'll Need to Be Successful:

• Fosters student progress through observation of student behaviors, incoming support requests, and student-identified challenges and develops resources or new interventions to eliminate barriers and improve the student experience.
• Serve as a key contributor to increasing student retention and graduation through planning, organizing and conducting outreach strategies to aid students in their academic progress.
• Provides WGU Academy and program level expertise to students via direct student outreach and responding to support requests.
• Maintains that expertise through ongoing development activities (such as staying up to date on policies, program updates, and technology/platform changes.)
• Cross collaborates with other professionals within the Academy to identify opportunities for improvements to processes and student-facing resources or course materials and promotes a positive, student-obsessed atmosphere.
• Responds to student questions and concerns through managing incoming support requests; resolves complex student issues, directly supporting students and owning the issue from start to finish; takes efforts to ensure ongoing satisfaction with the program and successful progress to completion.
• Drives student engagement in 1-1 coaching sessions with their assigned Student Success Coach through outreach and motivational communication practices via phone and email.
• Demonstrates a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and supports a culture of inclusivity and belonging.
• Consistently exhibits WGU Leadership Principles.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

What You'll Bring (Minimum Qualifications):

• Bachelor's degree required, in educational background, business, communication or related field.
• At least 2+ years of experience working in education, non-profit organizations, or underserved populations.
• Experience in a student-facing or customer-facing role.
• Proficient in Salesforce and Microsoft Office Suite with an emphasis in Outlook and Excel.
• Demonstrated experience in working independently with little supervision.

Bonus Points For (Preferred Qualifications):

• Experience working directly with students as an educator or instructor, particularly in a classroom setting with adult learners.
• Experience with distance education and distance learning students is preferred.
• Coaching experience preferred.

Working Conditions:

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

Travel:
This position requires occasional travel of up to 10%, 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.