Senior Learning Systems Engineer- Salt Lake City, Utah

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:

Grade: Professional 309

Pay Range: $82700.00 - $124000.00

Job Description

Responsible for designing building and scaling AI-powered learning systems that enable high-quality scalable learning experiences across WGU Academy. This role operates at the intersection of applied AI learning systems front-end engineering and automation to translate learning intent into functional reusable and intelligent systems.

This role will play a key part in shaping how AI transforms learning at WGU Academyenabling scalable personalized education experiences that help students progress efficiently and successfully complete their courses.

Combines hands-on development with strategic thinking to define AI-driven workflows reusable components and platform-level solutions that improve speed quality and scalability across the learning ecosystem.

What Youll Do:

• Leads the design and development of AI-powered learning systems and workflows for course creation transformation and evaluation
• Builds and integrates AI-driven workflows using large language models and modern AI platforms
• Designs and implements Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems to ground AI outputs in trusted course content and knowledge sources
• Leverages orchestration frameworks (e.g. Model Context Protocol or similar) to connect tools context and workflows
• Uses AI-assisted development tools (e.g. Kiro GitHub Copilot) to rapidly prototype and iterate on solutions
• Architects reusable AI components templates and workflows that scale across products and teams
• Partners with Learning Product Owners and Multimedia Developers to translate instructional designs into intelligent user-centered experiences
• Leads efforts to standardize patterns reduce redundancy and increase efficiency across the portfolio
• Continuously identifies opportunities to improve speed quality and cost of production through AI and automation
• Evaluates emerging AI tools and technologies recommending adoption based on impact scalability and cost
• Ensures solutions are maintainable extensible and aligned with long-term platform strategy
• Leads testing debugging and optimization to ensure reliable and consistent user experiences
• Identifies and mitigates risks that may impact quality or delivery timelines
• Mentors team members and promotes best practices in applied AI and learning systems development

Knowledge Skills and Abilities Youll Need to Be Successful:

• Strong hands-on experience building applications with large language models (LLMs)
• Deep understanding of prompt engineering evaluation techniques and AI workflows
• Experience designing and implementing Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems
• Familiarity with orchestration approaches such as Model Context Protocol (MCP) or similar frameworks
• Strong proficiency in front-end development (HTML CSS JavaScript)
• Experience building reusable component systems and scalable front-end architectures
• Experience working with APIs integrations and third-party tools
• Strong debugging troubleshooting and problem-solving skills
• Understanding of learning science and how instructional intent translates into interaction design
• Ability to balance technical constraints with user experience and learning effectiveness
• Strong collaboration and communication skills across technical and non-technical teams
• Ability to operate in ambiguous fast-evolving environments
• Systems thinking with the ability to design for scale reuse and long-term sustainability

What Youll Bring (Minimum Qualifications):

• Portfolio Requirement:A portfolio or samples of relevant work must be submittedat the time of applicationto be considered for this position.
• Bachelors degree in Computer Science Artificial Intelligence Instructional Technology or related field or equivalent experience
• 5 years of experience in software engineering applied AI or learning systems development
• Experience in EdTech LMS platforms or learning systems
• Hands-on experience building and deploying AI/LLM-based applications
• Experience designing scalable systems or workflows
• Experience working on cross-functional teams delivering complex digital products

Bonus Point for (Preferred Qualifications):

• Experience implementing Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems in production
• Experience with AI orchestration frameworks or agent-based systems
• Familiarity with LLM providers such as Anthropic OpenAI or Google
• Experience with AI-assisted development tools (e.g. Kiro GitHub Copilot)
• Experience defining standards playbooks or technical strategy
• Experience mentoring or leading technical initiatives

Visa Sponsorship:

While we welcome applicants from all backgrounds WGU is not able to provide visa sponsorship for this role.

Travel

This 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.

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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.