Director of Academic Delivery

If youre passionate about building a better future for individuals communities and our countryand youre committed to working hard to play your part in building that futureconsider 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

When applying please include a cover page that identifies the position(s) of interest and related experience with the domain or function.

The Opportunity

WGU is redefining what it means to learn and demonstrate mastery. As a Director of Academic Delivery youll lead the people and systems responsible for instruction or evaluation within your school or domain ensuring every learner experiences excellence from the moment they begin a course to the moment they demonstrate mastery. This is not a keep the trains running role. Its a rare opportunity to shape how WGU teaches and measures learning at scale. You are at the forefront of reshaping the higher education experience at one of the most innovative universities in the nation. Through data empathy and innovation youll help reimagine what learning looks like for modern students leading a team of people leaders and faculty united by a shared mission: to help learners build workforce-relevant skills earn degrees that align with their goals and create clear lasting pathways to upward mobility.

Reporting to a Vice President of Academic Delivery and serving on the Academic Delivery school and university leadership teams you will be a highly influential executive leader driving academic excellence operational efficiency and student success. Youll oversee the hiring development and performance of a high-performing learning delivery team ensuring personalized support at scale while maintaining a sharp focus on WGUs key results of completion return for graduates and equity. Ever vigilant to cost quality and culture youll use data to guide decision-making foster innovation and cultivate a diverse psychologically safe workplace where faculty thrive and students succeed.

WGU is looking for leadership in the following areas:

• General Education (evaluation focus)
• School of Business (evaluation focus and instruction focus)
• School of Technology (evaluation focus and instruction focus)
• Leavitt School of Health (evaluation focus)
• School of Education (evaluation focus)

What Youll Do

Youll lead through outcomes not your first year success will mean:

Deliver measurable student success.
Drive gains in WGUs key results. Completion Return for Graduates and Equity by aligning instructional and evaluation practices to ensure students are both supported and challenged to demonstrate true competency. Build and develop high-performing teams.
Hire coach and grow exceptional people leaders faculty and staff who embody WGUs mission. Create a culture of accountability belonging and continuous learning. Drive operational excellence at scale.
Manage resources wisely. Build systems that enable sustainable growth while improving student experience and reducing unit costs. Use data to drive better decisions.
Turn insights into action. Rely on data to identify opportunities remove barriers and continuously improve instruction assessment and learner outcomes. Advance innovation in teaching learning and evaluation.
Partner across the university to pilot and scale new instructional models evaluation methods and technologies that enhance student mastery and engagement. Champion WGUs mission and culture.
Lead with empathy and integrity. Model WGUs values and help create a psychologically safe inclusive environment where faculty and staff can thrive.

The Work

• Translate academic strategy into operational execution within your domain/school and across Academic Delivery.
• Lead people managers responsible for instruction or evaluation functions.
• Partner with deans program leads and assessment designers to ensure alignment between the master curriculum teaching and evaluation through course resources and playbooks calibration and performance management.
• Establish and advance clear success metrics for high-quality student service across academic delivery.
• Manage and optimize budgets staffing models and workload distribution including rapid adoption of new technologies
• Ensure quality compliance and innovation across courses and programs.
• Represent your domain/school in university-wide forums on academic delivery culture and student outcomes.

In your first six months you will:

• Establish your leadership presence and empower your team.
  Clarify your vision for academic delivery within your school/domain and function and communicate it consistently and purposefully. Build trust quickly align your leaders around shared goals and create an environment where faculty feel seen supported and motivated to innovate for students.
• Plan and execute annual faculty summit.

Collaborate with school/domain and event teams to create an annual faculty conference to foster collaboration enhance engagement and align academic strategies. Ensure actionable outcomes focused on improving course quality student success and faculty development through data-informed discussions and the sharing of best practices.

• Lead a smart strategic budget process.
  Drive the Fiscal Year budget planning process from start to finish. Translate institutional priorities into actionable financial plans that balance student impact with operational efficiency ensuring every dollar advances learning equity and completion.
• Launch the next generation of the student experience.
  Lead the rollout of Future Ready AI tools that help students navigate their learning journey with more clarity and connection. Partner with technology operations and other academic teams to design for modern learning. You will implement a plan to leverage AI to simplify processes personalize support and foster a culture that is both tech-enabled and human-focused ultimately driving student success.
• Move the needle on student success.
  Set ambitious data-backed targets to improve key success metrics such as completion rates time-to-competency and student satisfaction. Align your teams daily actions to these outcomes and celebrate early wins that show measurable progress.
• Increase student retention through meaningful connections.
  Implement practical evidence-based strategies to improve course completion rates and student success by improving the quality and timing of support. Leverage systems that identify when learners need help and ensure faculty and staff can respond quickly and personally.

What You Bring

• Student-centered leadership. You keep learners at the heart of every decision.
• Strategic agility. You can connect big-picture vision with day-to-day execution.
• Operational excellence. You understand scale systems and stewardship.
• Data fluency. Youre as comfortable with dashboards as you are with dialogue.
• Managerial courage. You say what needs to be said with respect and resolve.
• Team development. You hire and grow leaders who build belonging and deliver results.
• Change leadership. You inspire confidence in times of uncertainty and growth.
• Excellent communication skills: You present information clearly and concisely.

Why It Matters

At WGU we believe talent is universal even if opportunity is not. The Director of Academic Delivery ensures that opportunity is not just promised but delivered by uniting instructional excellence and evaluation integrity into one seamless learning experience that helps every student succeed.

Qualifications

When applying please include a cover page that identifies the position(s) of interest and related experience with the domain or function.

• Masters degree required; doctorate preferred.
• 8 years of progressive leadership
• Proven track record leading teams with measurable improvement in student or institutional outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through others manage budgets and make data-informed decisions.
• Experience or familiarity with the domain is a plus.

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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. Its 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

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