Vice President, Learner Experience Design

Vice President of Learner Experience Design

Office of the Chief Learner Experience & Success Officer

Exempt Regular Full-Time

University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) seeks an experienced and mission-driven servant leader as Vice President ofLearnerExperience Design (VP). Reporting to the Chief Learner Experience & Success Officer (CLESO) this VP is responsible forshaping and stewarding UMGCs enterprise learner experience and academic product strategy. This role helps ensure that learner-facing experiences and academic products are coherent purposeful and aligned to learner needs workforce expectations and the Universitys Strategic Plan. This VP will play a defining role in shaping the next generation of online and global public higher education.

This VP leads the integrated Product and Experience organization including Digital Student ExperienceLearning Resources & Access Services Global Student SupportServicesandLearning Product Development. Through collaboration clear priorities and shared measures of success this role helps align strategy execution and continuous improvement across a complex learner ecosystem.

The Learner Experience Design team brings together academic leadership experience strategy learning product development and technology delivery in service oflearnersuccess. Within this model the VP works in close partnership with the CAO Deans Portfolio Vice Presidents and Portfolio Directors to translate academic intent and portfolio priorities into cohesive learner the VP partners with the Global Workforce Solutions team to bring noncredit learning opportunities to the market with alignment to degreeprogramsin order tocreate stackable learning parallel this role provides strategic direction to Learning Product Development to ensure execution aligns with shared experience principles academic standards and Product Health model allows us to pair the credibility of a mature academic institution with the agility speed and continuous improvement of a modern student-centered product-led organization. TheVPwill be a collaborative high-EQ leader who is comfortable leading through complexity and change with a bias toward action and measurable impact.

This VPwill leadthe Learner Experience Designorganization that sees itselfcreatingthe next generation of online and global education serving learners through various modalities to meet the individual needs of a diverse student populationone that continuously adapts to learner needs workforce demands technological change and leaderwill ensurelearner experiencessupportvarious typesof learnerneedsareintuitivehighqualityandcreatelearner successin true partnership with other learner-facing functions.

The VP will lead the creationfor learning designas a globally scaled learner-centric data-driven skills-based and AI-powered are also responsible fordeliberately moving the institution beyond legacyinstructional designand workflows that no longer serve modern learners ensuring that our degrees credentials and learningexperiencesare coherent credible relevant and outcomes-driven across a global adult-serving learner leader will collaborate with others to reimagine academic models adapting to the continuously changing landscape in post-secondary education with the ability to see experiences through the eyes of the partnership with the Chief Academic Officer (CAO) the VP will ensure training preparesfacultyto support next generation learning are positioned as essential academic partners bringing disciplinaryexpertise teaching excellence and academic judgment within an operating model that shares matrixed accountability for the learning experience.

This role calls for a leader who brings bold thinking deep curiosity and humility--someone who listens carefully leads through partnership and believes deeply in our mission to expand access and transform lives through role operates in close partnership with peer leaders acrossGlobal Academic Learning Enterprise (GALE)-- typically known as Academic Affairs GlobalWorkforce Solutions LearnerLifecycleSuccess(typically known as Student Affairs) and theCLESO Chief of Staffto ensure learner experience and academic product strategy are aligned with organizational priorities operational realities and external growth successfulVPwill bring incessant passion and experience in challenging the status quo leading change in education and embracingnew technologies toimprove learner experiences.

Relocation to the MD/DC/Northern Virginia metro area is required. Upon relocation the position is hybrid in the office 3-4 days per week.

Additional responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Enterprise Product & Experience Strategy

• Help define and steward UMGCs end-to-end learner experience strategy spanning discovery enrollment learning support and post-completion engagement
• Establish shared experience principles standards and success measures that inform academic products digital experiences and learner services across the institution
• Contribute learner experience insights product strategy perspectives and Product Health signals to inform enrollment strategy learner services priorities and partnership developmentin collaboration withfunctional ownership within those peer organizations
• Partner with the Center for Institutional Effectiveness (CIE) Analytics GALEandothersto integrate data insights and evaluation into product design and continuous improvement

Leadership of LearningProductDesignLearningProduct Development and Portfolio Architecture

• Lead the design and development of our multi-product learning ecosystem including degrees certificates stackable credentials micro-credentials skills-based learning pathways continuing education and employer-facing (B2B) offerings
• Oversee our modular reusable and scalable learning architecture that enables flexible delivery across asynchronous synchronous hybrid experiential CBE and emerging modalities
• Partner with GALE on program innovation learning science-aligned instructional models curricular structures and long-term academic portfolio planning
• Oversee product design learningand assessmentdesign course development production and maintenance integrating generative AI rapid-cycle methodologies and future-ready design systems

Digital Student Experience & PlatformStrategy &Design

• Lead the Digital Student Experience/Experience Designorganization responsible for voice-of-student insights user research journey mapping UX/UIbusiness product ownershipand cross-platform experience cohesion
• Provide business leadership for learner-facing digital products - including the portal LMS experience Guided Registration SherpaChatbotadvisingtechnology labs and emerging digital services
• Establish standards and operating rhythms that ensure digital experiences are intuitive consistent accessible and supportive of learner success

Product IT Partnership & Operating Model

• Support and steward the Product IToperatingmodel helping clarify roles decision rights and handoffs across experience academic product and technology teams
• Partner with Information Technology to align platforms systems and delivery roadmaps with learner experience and academic product strategy while respectingITsaccountability for architecture security and execution
• Contribute to enterprise prioritization and sequencing of learner-facing initiatives to improve focus reduce friction and support delivery at scale

Learning Resources Support Infrastructure and Student Enablement

• Oversee Learning Resource & Access Services (Library Archives Accessibility Services LearningResourceOperations) ensuringADA compliantequitableand high-quality academic support
• Ensure all support ecosystems integrate seamlessly with academic products and digital experiences contributing to persistence retention and successful progression

Experience InnovationFuture of Learning Experience and AI

• Lead effortsto advance next-generation learning models AI-enabled student and faculty experiences and the redesign of services and learning environments
• Partner with GALE on innovations in pedagogy assessment and curriculum and with IT on technical innovation automation and emerging platform capabilities
• Oversee pilots prototypes proofs of concept and research initiatives to accelerate institutional learning and evolution

Learning Innovation Academic Direction & Authorization

• Champion the responsible integration of AI across curriculum instruction assessment and support.
• Establish academic guardrails success criteria and evaluation standards for new learning models assessment approaches and the responsible use of emerging technologies including AI
• Evaluate and authorize academic innovations for scale based on evidence outcomes and academic integrity

Enterprise Leadership and Collaboration

• Serve as a senior member of the LENS division leadership team contributing to institutional strategy transformation and long-term sustainability
• Collaborate as an equal partner with student-facing leaders to co-own learner success outcomes
• Collaborate closely with Marketing Experience Strategy Learning Product Development Learner Enrollment Learner Lifecycle Success Global Workforce Solutions Institutional Effectiveness and Technology leaders to support the full learner lifecycle

• Represent UMGC as a national leader in next-generation public higher education contributing to policy accreditation evolution and sector-wide innovation
• Other job-related duties as assigned

Required education & experience: A demonstrated track record of achieving results and getting things done; an earned Masters degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning; at least seven (7) years of experience in student-centered product-led organizations including at least five (5) years of supervisory experience; success working in ambiguity particularly relating to higher education regulations and compliance; proven ability to think big picture and implement with that in mind; proven ability to collaboratively lead the implementation of complex projects from vision to successful execution; ability to interact and communicate with all levels of an organization including senior executive leadership; as well as success having analytical and results-driven approaches including the ability to establish and continuously improve metrics and related performance behaviors.

Preferred experience: Enthusiasm for and success with AI in a higher education environment; at least 10 years of executive leadership in product strategy digital experience learning design academic innovation or related disciplines; demonstrated success leading multi-disciplinary organizations and delivering enterprise-wide transformation in complex matrixed environments; expertisein product management experience design learning science modular curriculum design AI-enabled learning and digital ecosystem strategy; successful user or customer service experience; as well as exceptional executive communication influence and strategicleadership capability.

All submissions should include a cover letter and resume.

The University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination. UMGC is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race color national origin age marital status sex sexual orientation gender identity gender expression disability religion ancestry political affiliation or veteran status in employment educational programs and activities and admissions.

Workplace Accommodations:

The University of Maryland Global Campus Global Campus (UMGC) is committed to creating and maintaining a welcoming and inclusive working environment for people of all abilities. UMGC is dedicated to the principle that no qualified individual with a disability shall based on disability be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services programs or activities of the University or be subjected to discrimination. For information about UMGCs Reasonable Workplace Accommodation Policy or to request an accommodation applicants/candidates can contact Employee Accommodations via email at.

Benefits Package Highlights:

• Generous Time Off:Enjoy 22 days of paid vacation 15 days of sick leave 3 personal days and 16 paid holidays (17 during general election years). For part-time employees time off rates will be prorated based on the number of hours worked.

• Comprehensive Health Coverage:Access to health care medical with vision dental and prescription plans for both individuals and families effective from the 1st of the month following your hire date.

• Insurance Options:Term Life Insurance Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance and Long-Term Disability (LTD) Insurance. Part-time employees working less than 0.5 FTE are not eligible for LTD.

• Flexible Spending Accounts:Available for medical and dependent care expenses.

• Retirement Plans:Choose between the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) or the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System (MSRPS).

• Supplemental Retirement Plans: include 401(k) 403(b) 457(b) and various Roth options. The university does not provide matching funds.

• Tuition Remission:Immediate availability for Regular Exempt Staff. Spouses and dependent children are eligible for undergraduate tuition remission after two years of service. NOTE: For part-time employees (at least 50 percent of the time) tuition remission benefits are prorated.

Hiring Range: