Lead Project Manager, Analytics

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Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online competencybased degree programs WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of studentfocused 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 312

Pay Range: $106700.00 $165400.00

Job Description

Job Profile Summary

The Institutional Analytics and Research (IAR) team supports and enables most WGU teams departments and colleges to make datainformed decisions that lead to better student outcomes. Our analysts scientists researchers and managers are distributed across several teams: Faculty Experience Analytics Institutional Research Learning Analytics Outreach Analytics and Student Success Analytics.

The Lead Project Manager Analytics manages the entire lifecycle of crossfunctional projects and programs analytical processes initiatives to increase data literacy and analytics adoption and other strategic initiatives of high complexity applying exceptional organization and communication skills systemsthinking and understanding of the human process and technology factors that influence analytics and research efforts. Establishes strong relationships with technical specialists and leaders across IAR Data Engineering MLOps Colleges Institutional Portfolio Management and other university departments. Acts as catalysts and multipliers of the teams talent and impact displaying high levels of accountability and are highly oriented to outcomes generating better insights and decisions that help the university enable extraordinary student outcomes.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Owns roadmaps for crossfunctional programs and initiatives of high complexity such as the evolution of executive reporting yearly operational and financial planning and others.
• Organizes the daytoday work in highly complex analytics projects programs and initiatives from project inception to solution delivery with complete autonomy. This includes assembling directing coordinating and assigning responsibilities to project team members across all phases (initiation planning execution monitoring/controlling and closing).
• Leads and facilitates forums like standup meetings requirement discovery sessions backlog grooming sessions retro sessions executive updates steering committees etc.
• Maintains accurate status records of tasks and activities using adequate project management tools (e.g. JIRA ServiceNow Smartsheet). Proactively measures results velocity and impact proposing course correction measures when adequate.
• Leads communications in highly complex analytics projects programs and initiatives ensuring that all relevant parties project team contributors leaders stakeholders sponsors stay informed throughout every project phase from inception to delivery. Adapts messaging and style to fit diverse audiences and situations.
• Collaborates with IAR leaders in defining project communication standards across IAR creating artifacts and defining practices that drive transparency about initiative status timelines dependencies and impact.
• Executes demand intake triage and other activities that lead to quick transparent and adequate prioritization and capacity management.
• Collaborates with IAR leaders to define and improve the organizations demand management processes and increase adoption and compliance.
• Defines and owns project and initiative backlogs and acts as the point of contact for new demand interfacing between project customers/requirements owners and project teams.
• Assesses the complexity of the most frequent types of requirements providing effort estimates and operating as an initial demand review gate. When adequate challenges requests proposes tradeoffs and rephrases them for maximum impact.
• Proactively identifies risks to projects and initiatives leads the identification of adequate mitigation plans and drives their implementation to reduce risk likelihood and impact.
• Collaborates with IAR leaders in defining and improving project risk management practices across IAR.
• Understands the universitys purpose and goals and applies that understanding to the execution of projects through logical decisions and recommendations that improve the teams contribution and impact.
• Collaborates with IAR leaders in defining project management standards across IAR and actively drives adoption and compliance ensuring seamless integration with the IAR subteam workflows.
• Collaborates with IAR leaders to improve the universitys analytics processes and translate IARs strategic vision into concrete projects and initiatives.
• Introduces and guides team members through new methodologies and ways of working helps teams identify and remove impediments and eliminates friction to enable faster and more impactful outcomes.
• Establishes strong relationships with project management experts and leaders across the university mentors less experienced project managers through constructive feedback and technical and institutional knowledge sharing and plays a leading role in increasing the maturity of IAR and the universitys project management practices.
• Creates information about processes projects reports dashboards analyses and/or data organized cataloged and accessible by others to increase the teams knowledge and efficiency.
• Identifies selects and customizes tools builds processes and continuously improves knowledge management standards across IAR.
• Ensures projects programs and initiatives are managed and executed in observance of relevant standards and policies including but not limited to PMO guidelines data privacy and security.
• Performs other jobrelated duties as assigned.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities

• Excellent interpersonal communication and conflict resolution skills collaborating effectively with technical. specialists and nontechnical peers partners and leaders including Clevel executives.
• Subject matter expert in applying project management principles frameworks and methodologies such as Agile Waterfall and SDLC.
• Experienced in applying change management frameworks and methodologies such as ADKAR Kotters 7S and others.
• Comfortable leading and facilitating workshops requirement discovery sessions project debriefs and other collaboration sessions involving technical and nontechnical contributors and audiences.
• Ability to perform with very high levels of autonomy reliability selfdirection and with a bias for action. Manages conflicting and concurrent activities with minimal need of supervision. Is strongly outcomeoriented persisting in achieving objectives despite obstacles and setbacks.
• Works actively to improve skills and knowledge through internal and external formal and informal structured and unstructured learning. Is a lifelong learner and embodies a growth mindset.
• Proficient in the MS Office suite including Excel PowerPoint Teams and Sharepoint.
• Proficient in productivity and project management tools like JIRA ServiceNow Smartsheet and similar applications.
• Proficient in flowchart and diagramming tools like Miro Visio Lucidchart and similar applications.

• Bachelors Degree in a related field
• 7 years of experience as project manager in Tech/Software Development with demonstrated experience in SDLC and Agile/Scrum. This experience should include 5 years of collaborating with technical specialists and leaders in executing workflows in several of the following areas: CI/CD MLOps Data Engineering Analytics Processes and Infrastructure Data Quality and Data Science.

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 the discretion of the hiring manager.

Preferred Qualifications

• Project Management certification (PMP PMI CAPM SAFe or comparable)

Work Location

• This position is inoffice in Salt Lake City UT.

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Position & Application Details

FullTime Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a fulltime 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. Its not allinclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.