Fast Facts

WGU is seeking a Senior Trainer specializing in Program Mentoring to enhance training for mentors through innovative and engaging learning resources. This role includes developing training programs, evaluating their effectiveness, and ensuring adherence to departmental training goals.

Responsibilities: Key responsibilities include managing new-hire and recurrent training for mentors, developing training materials, evaluating training effectiveness, and collaborating with other trainers to meet team objectives.

Skills: Candidates should possess strong communication skills, proficiency in educational technologies, and the ability to analyze training needs and facilitate collaborative efforts.

Qualifications: A bachelor's degree with significant training experience, preferably a master's degree, and change management experience are preferred.

Location: This position is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, with some business travel required.

Compensation: Not provided by employer. Typical compensation ranges for this position are between $70,000 - $100,000.

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider 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 306Pay Range: $ - $

Job Description

Job Profile Summary:

The Senior Trainer role is responsible for meeting the needs of the department in the areas of new-hire and recurrent training for mentors. This responsibility includes managing/developing live presentation training, recorded (canned) module training, and weekly/monthly team training. The training scope includes all events ranging from weekly to annual. Another key area of focus is the development and maintenance of professional and personal development tools for one or more customer teams. This would include management/development of resources for use by employees and manager groups. The Senior Trainer will be responsible for strategizing, planning, developing, and implementing key training support activities and events at the mentor level. This support includes assisting individual college teams to meet their specific training goals. The Senior Trainer role collaborates with all other trainers and quality coaches, as assigned. They are responsible for reviewing all ongoing training efforts as implemented by all teams within their assigned customer/department The Senior Trainer evaluates the effectiveness of training programs and employee performance. They are responsible for overseeing the training library resources and distributing materials to managers, and personnel, as needed

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Is an influential individual contributor possessing full breadth and depth of advanced knowledge and expertise.
• Is a subject matter and/or industry-leading expert and professional individual contributor, requiring senior level knowledge within their functional area along with appropriate education, experience, and skills.
• Demonstrates competencies to achieve directly, or in collaboration, broad functional and/or organizational mission-critical objectives.
• A Senior Trainer’s scope of work is strategic at the functional and/or organizational level.
• Is a go-to person at the team, function, and organization level, as well as acting as a coach/mentor.
• Is knowledgeable in the culture of WGU, as well as the department.
• May facilitate change initiatives through collaboration with the Training Team, with customers’ senior leadership, and with members of the WGU community.
• Analyzes the training needs of the assigned department for continuous improvement based on the feedback from LOQ partners, the department’s learners, and the department’s leadership team.
• Creates and leads a wide range of projects, processes, and initiatives within the assigned department. The Senior Trainer is responsible for creating, leading, and designing relatively new initiatives, especially those involving mentoring.
• Identifies, creates, and distributes content that informs, educates, and obtains information from personnel to support the objectives of the Training Department, especially personnel who are the mentors.
• Collaborates with the other members of the department’s Training Team to identify and create materials and interactive, engaging learning resources, which may use web-based resources, multimedia technologies, and/or instructional software.
• Coaches and/or mentors new Trainers and assist colleagues.
• A Senior Trainer trains all mentors, including those in their assigned Department in areas as identified.
• Accesses and identifies potential areas of concern based on the data analytics and recognizes when there might be a disconnect with the data.
• A Senior Trainer supports mentors with understanding of their key metrics.
• Operates in an environment that is significantly complex and requires analysis of situations and/or data and evaluation of a variety of factors and intangibles.
• Applies knowledge to contribute to the development of university practices, methods, designs and/or future products or technologies, during the normal course of working on projects and in the analysis and resolution of issues. They are also able to develop creative innovative solutions to address issues and drive continuous improvement.
• Must demonstrate accuracy and professionalism when conducting initiatives, planning, and communication.
• Must demonstrate adaptability and flexibility as situations change frequently; reliability in accomplishing tasks on time; independence, as self-initiative, self-learning, and creativity in interpreting needs and communication practices is expected.
• Must have the skills that allow them to develop others, especially future and new mentos within their assigned department(s).
• A Senior Trainer requires collaborative skills to facilitate work inside and outside of the department.
• Is strategic and impacts the assigned department objectives to be accurate, fair, helpful, and quick, while contributing to an environment that is a great place to work.
• May conduct work critical to our students’ experiences and/or success. The impact will be via the training and coaching of future and current mentors.
• A Senior Trainer’s work and/or decisions have impacts on the functional/organization performance, including financially.
• Typically works without supervision and operates collaboratively with management in developing goals and objectives.
• Often participates as a thoughtful leader within and outside their assigned department.
• Understands that tactfulness, accuracy, and discretion are paramount in all communications, and can judge the appropriate type and tone of communication based on the audience.
• A Senior Trainer is well connected and coordinates with the team, project teams, mentors, and applicable cross-functional groups.
• Evaluates training programs and services. Provides recommendations and suggestions for improvements.
• Designs and develops training procedures and programs. Prepares audio-visual aids, power-point presentations, training manuals, scripts, and workbooks.
• Conducts (weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual) training sessions to ensure department personnel are effective in their respective positions. Delivers new-hire employee orientations, on-the-job training programs, and in-service activities, as necessary.
• Manages the coordination, scheduling, and assignments for training activities.
• Professionally represents the university in contacts with consultants and trade professionals.
• Ensures requests, questions, and problems are courteously and professionally resolved. Ensures communications are efficient and effective.
• Assists and informs personnel, extending to all university departments, as needs dictate.
• Keeps leadership informed of updates and potential issues.
• Completes required reports, records, and other documentation in a timely manner.
• Attends and participates in meetings and committees as required and requested.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skill and Abilities:

• Understanding and appreciation of competency-based education model.
• Familiarity with higher education assessment policies, issues, and practices.
• Proficient use of educational technologies platforms and common software packages, like MS Office, Google Docs, and SharePoint.
• Excellent communication skills including verbal, written, and presentation skills. Tactfulness and discretion are required in communications as the subject matter often involves sensitive material.
• Ability to collaborate with colleagues inside and outside the department.
• Ability to keep a positive and influential attitude with all members of WGU.
• Ability to work without supervision in a fast-paced environment.
• Well-developed task analysis skills and relationship-building skills.
• Creative mindset for recommending new initiatives.
• Must be precise, thorough, and detailed-oriented.
• A deep understanding of the people and operations at WGU.
• Advanced skills in planning, organizing, and self-management required.
• Ability to manage multiple projects at various stages.

Competencies: 

Organizational Impact:

• 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 office.​
• Performs work as directed with limited oversight.

Problem Solving & Decision Making:

• Responsible for leveraging a systems-thinking approach, making moderate to significant improvements of processes, systems, and plans within the department, function, or office.​
• Problems and issues faced are numerous and challenging, will require detailed information gathering and analysis. Problems typically affect multiple areas or specialties.

Communication & Influence:

• Collaborates cross-functionally with employees within and outside of the department. Typically has responsibility for communicating with parties external to the University.​
• Works to influence parties within and outside the department, function, or office regarding policies, procedures, and practices. 

Leadership & 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 products.​
• Demonstrates the WGU leadership principles in all aspects of service to students, employees, and partners of WGU.

Job Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience with a bachelor's degree, or 3+ years and a master's degree, or a doctorate or terminal degree without experience​.

Department Specific Minimum Qualifications:

• Responsible for strategizing, planning, developing, and implementing key training support activities and events for individual contributors as well as people leaders. This support may include assisting individual college teams to meet their specific training goals.
• Training sessions may require on-site attendance, either locally or regionally. Some business travel is expected.
• Understanding of job functions and operations at multiple levels of the department and university.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree preferred.
• Previous training experience of at least one year.
• Experience as a people leader.
• Change management experience preferred.
• Possess a broad knowledge of project management.

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.

Disclaimer: This Job Description has been designed to indicate the general nature, essential duties, and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this classification. It does not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications that are required of the employee to do this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. This Job Description does not constitute a contract of employment and the University may exercise its employment-at-will rights at any time.

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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. It’s 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 [email protected].

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