Senior Product Operations Manager

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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: Technical 407

Pay Range: $105600.00 - $158400.00

Job Description

Reporting to the Director of Product Operations the Senior Product Operations Manager is responsible for collaborating with leadership to identify create and develop processes and best practices for the Product Organization. As a key leader in creating the standard for cross-functional communication & visibility you will surface the insights required to help our Product Organization define effective product strategies and function optimally.
Your collaboration with leaders and individual contributors from Product & UX creates excellent governance continuous improvement of processes and communication and most importantly transparency throughout and enablement of the Product Organization. You help connect us with our users and business partners by creating and optimizing processes and best practices utilizing excellent communication methods. You empower our Product Organization by helping us find and remove our inefficiencies and by helping us achieve better business and user outcomes.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities: Uses qualitative and quantitative insights to dig deep into workflows and product usage to drive both operational playbooks and tooling enhancementsLeads cross-functional working groups to implement and support new system capabilitiesStandardizes documentation of Roadmaps Strategy Reviews Product Briefs Vision Statements Release Plans and Release Notes Experiment Findings Internal Product Announcement materialsCreates standard templates and frameworks for communication and supporting product practicesRoutinely communicates roadmap progress to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to drive decision making on key trade offsAssists with consistent OKR monitoring and reportingLeads the organization of cross-functional teams and their management for product domains and creates supporting resources for the teamsEstablishes and implements standards and processes for the management of product backlog healthOptimizes product management onboarding and creates related trainingsDefines and manages intake processOrganizes workshops to upskill employees and improve product practicesCreates and manages product resources index and archive of product workLeads the implementation of discovery sprints/dual track Agile and supports the ongoing practicePartners with Portfolio Management Operations to ensure process alignment that enables value deliveryEvangelizes product management methodology which requires solid knowledge of the product discipline and the ability to create decks and educate others on best practices and why it existsIn collaboration with Change Management leaders develops and leads communication and training plans for leaders and stakeholders impacted by process changes and operation improvementsResearches and investigates new trends and technologies to meet current and future needs of the Product and UX/UI audits and reports to ensure data accuracy and integrityLeads cross-functional teams in operationalizing standards and business models that effectively and seamlessly interrelate with business operations across the other related duties as assigned Knowledge Skill and Abilities:Agile Product Management Project Management SDLC training or certificationExcellent leadership and product management skills Ability to design and implement operational functions and initiativesAbility to plan organize and manage strategic initiativesAdvanced analytical problem-solving and decision-making skillsDemonstrated ability to support coach and provide feedback to othersAbility to create and track data related to project impactAbility to influence build consensus and motivate othersAdvanced organizational skills with a high attention to detailEffective listening skills and ability to adapt well and willingly in an environment of changeAbility to analyze business operations processes systems and identify process improvement opportunitiesExperience creating documentation and communication standards and frameworksCompetencies: Organizational Impact: Develops and implements plan to accomplish division or job area responsibilities that align with departmentPerformance may affect department resultsWork requires knowledge of the University to recognize impact of decisions made Works to achieve operational targets with significant to major impact on department function or office results. May be responsible for managing large projects or processes within the department function or officePerforms work as directed with limited oversight Problem Solving and Decision Making: Responsible for leveraging a systems-thinking approach making moderate to significant improvements of processes systems and plans within the department function or officeProblems and issues faced are numerous and challenging will require detailed information gathering and analysis. Problems typically affect multiple areas or specialtiesCommunication and Influence: Collaborates cross-functionally with employees within and outside of the department. Has responsibility for communicating with parties external to the UniversityWorks to influence parties within and outside the department function or office regarding policies procedures and practicesLeadership & Talent Management Is responsible for providing guidance coaching and training to other employees in the department function or office. Responsible for managing projects involving delegation of work and review of others work the WGUleadership principles inall aspects of service tostudents employees andpartners of WGUJob Qualifications:Minimum Qualifications:Typically requires a University Degree or equivalentMinimum of 5 years related experience with 2 years of software Product Management experiencePragmatic Institute or other Product Certification/trainingExperience with product-led technology teamsExperience within an Agile software development environmentMinimum 5 years of experience performing operations functions within a software development contextMinimum 2 years of experience in a leadership roleExperience with Product Management and/or software development tools/software (e.g. Jira Confluence Lucid Mural Roadmapping software etc.)Preferred Qualifications:Product Operations trainingMasters degree in a related field of studyChange Practitioner CertificationPrevious experience in Education TechnologyThis position requires occasional travel of up to 20% 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. 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.