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
Responsibilities
Primary Responsibilities
Develop and refine conversation flows using NLP tools (e.g. Hugging Face Transformers) to address student inquiries (e.g. program eligibility transcript submission financial aid deadlines etc.)
Create scripts tailored to WGUs personas (e.g. Maria James Aisha) for multilingual and accessible interactions.
Serve as a liaison between Enrollment Operations and product/engineering teams to translate business requirements (e.g. enrollment processes compliance needs) into technical specifications for the AIs tech stack (React/Tailwind CSS Python/FastAPI PostgreSQL AWS).
Participate in Agile sprints provide feedback on API development (e.g. for Enrollment & Student Portal integration) and ensure alignment with WGUs enrollment workflows.
Coordinate with engineering to achieve scalability (e.g. 10000 concurrent users <1s response time) and reliability (99.9% uptime).
Monitor AI performance
Conduct regular testing to validate responses against WGUs program data (e.g. GPA requirements enrollment deadlines etc.).
Update AI models with new program details or policies ensuring compliance with FERPA and NWCCU standards.
Work with Enrollment Counselors to ensure seamless handoffs for complex cases.
Collaborate with WGUs EdTech team to maintain system integrations and compliance.
Engage with prospective students during user testing to refine usability for diverse personas
Drive the AI Enrollment Advisor project managing timelines (e.g. 4-6 weeks for prototype 6-8 weeks for AI training) under the direction of Enrollment Operations Management.
Prioritize high-priority features (e.g. eligibility checks transcript guidance) in collaboration with product and engineering teams.
Document progress and report to business unit leadership on scalability performance metrics and enrollment impact.
Performs other job-related duties as assigned.
This job description includes a general representation of job requirements rather than a comprehensive inventory of all required responsibilities or work activities. The contents of this document or related job requirements may change at any time with or without notice.
Qualifications
Knowledge Skills and Abilities
Proficiency in Python React or similar for reviewing code and collaborating on UI/UX (e.g. Tailwind CSS).
Strong understanding of NLP and recommendation algorithms (e.g. scikit-learn) for conversation flow design.
Project management skills (e.g. Agile Jira) to drive cross-functional deliverables and align with business unit goals.
Excellent communication to bridge enrollment needs (e.g. FAFSA deadlines) with technical teams.
Knowledge of FERPA GDPR and NWCCU standards for compliance.
Align AI features with WGUs enrollment goals (e.g. scalability fraud prevention) under business unit leadership.
Ensure 99.9% uptime and accurate AI responses for 185000 students.
Bridge Enrollment Management Operations product and engineering teams to deliver a seamless AI solution.
Address technical constraints (e.g. API rate limits) and student pain points (e.g. Aishas technical unfamiliarity).
Education
Bachelors degree in Instructional Design Computer Science Data Science Education Technology or related field.
Experience
3 years in education technology or AI-driven customer support preferably within higher education.
Experience with chatbot development or NLP platforms (e.g. Hugging Face Transformers Dialogflow).
Proven ability to collaborate with product and engineering teams on API-driven projects (e.g. FastAPI CRM integrations) to translate business needs into technical solutions.
Familiarity with higher education processes (e.g. admissions financial aid transfer credits FERPA compliance).
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
Experience in Enrollment/Admissions
Experience with WGUs competency-based model or similar online education platforms.
Spanish Language to support bi-lingual flows
Familiarity with AWS for scalability and cloud-based hosting.
Prior experience communicating & reporting to a business unit (e.g. Enrollment Management Student Services) while partnering with engineering teams.
Prior experience working in autonomous capacities with proven success
Graduate education in a relevant field (e.g. M.S. in Data Analytics).
Working Conditions:
This is a Full-Time role co-located in either the Salt Lake City or Phoenix office Monday through Friday during regular business hours.
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. 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.
Required Experience:
IC