Fast Facts

WGU is seeking a motivated Software Product Manager to join their team to help enhance online education through innovative software solutions. This role emphasizes collaboration with cross-functional teams while learning and growing in product management skills.

Responsibilities: The Software Product Manager will prioritize the product backlog, engage with stakeholders, translate product vision into actionable features, and support the software development process while ensuring quality and effective communication.

Skills: Strong communication, leadership, technical understanding, agile methodology, collaboration, and problem-solving skills are essential.

Qualifications: A Bachelor's Degree and 3 years of experience in a software product management role are required, while a Master's Degree and experience in Education Technology would be preferred.

Location: Salt Lake City, United States of America

Compensation: $105600 - $158400 / Annually

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: Technical 407Pay Range: $105,600.00 - $158,400.00

Job Description

The Software Product Manager position at WGU is the entry level technical product position. The expectation is not that you have mastered the product management experience, but that you have the raw materials to become a great product manager. You will work closely with a senior-level product manager to learn how to conduct research and extract the right insights from the data. You will learn about the strategy of the product and the goals of the business. Such collaborative work will help prepare you to contribute to the team's roadmap, gain alignment across the organization, and become well-versed in the product vision and strategy.

We value the experience being proactive and innovative in past projects – as well as a knack for leadership, design, and strategic problem solving. We look for entrepreneurial individuals with strong technical understanding, product sense, analytical ability, clear communication skills and who are results oriented.

We look for candidates who can demonstrate a history of delivering outcomes through a partnership with design, engineering and the business. Someone who, as an excellent storyteller, can represent the interests of the users they serve and influence teams to generate the outcomes that resolve their most pressing problems. We look for candidates who are collaborative by nature, empathetic to users, and are most likely to garner the trust of the stakeholders they serve.

Job Duties

• Works in an agile environment fulfilling the role of Product Owner and continuously refines and prioritizes the backlog. Balances stakeholder priorities with product health needs to maximize value and minimize risk.
• Engages a cross-functional team of stakeholders, end-users, engineers, UX designers, and Product & Portfolio leaders to understand the problems to solve, inform the product vision, and define software product requirements.
• Delivers on and supports communication of the software product roadmap based on the strategy, problems to solve, and stakeholder priorities, defined by senior members of the product team.
• Collaborates with the Scrum team to translate the product roadmap into well-defined features and a deep product backlog of sprint-ready user stories with clear acceptance criteria to deliver on the roadmap.
• Participates and presents in planning activities and steering committees as needed.
• Defines and surfaces risks, assumptions, and trade-offs associated with product features to guide prioritization decisions.
• Maintains knowledge on assigned product(s), including the technology used, integrations, and dependencies. Understands the latest relevant technologies, vendors, innovations, and forward-thinking trends.
• Participates in RFI and RFP vendor selection process.
• Demos working software and facilitates effective sprint demos to stakeholders.
• Ensures product quality by testing software features to ensure they satisfy the acceptance criteria and works with stakeholders and end users to coordinate user acceptance testing activities.
• Provides support to product release activities including documenting software release notes and coordinating change management to increase product adoption.
• Actively participates in the urgent resolution of any high impact production issues.
• Maintains and builds relationships with business owners, stakeholders, team members, and key vendors.
• Communicates constraints, conflicts, requirements, compatibility issues, and items which could affect project outcome, final performance level or product efficacy. Offers appropriate alternatives and contingency plans.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

KSAs

• Excellent written, oral, presentation, and interpersonal skills
• Comfortable with ambiguity and prepared to act with incomplete information
• Thrives working collaboratively as part of a team in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to focus on specific tasks/details, while not losing sight of the larger goal
• Leadership skills with the ability to effectively influence, persuade, and negotiate
• Understanding of technical concepts and ability to communicate them to non-technical audiences
• Exhibits excellent judgment
• Ability to maintain high standards. Is never satisfied with the status quo
• Strong attention to detail and a feeling of pride and ownership over the quality of our products
• Ability to redirect conversation to the problems to be solved and outcomes to be accomplished before jumping to solutions.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree
• 3 years of experience as a Software Product Manager or Product Owner
• 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

• Master's Degree
• Experience in Education Technology
• Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) or other equivalent certification (e.g., Pragmatic Marketing)

Job Description Disclaimer: This position description provides the major duties/responsibilities, requirements and working conditions for the position. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current position, however management reserves the right to revise or change as necessary to meet organizational needs. Other responsibilities may be assigned when circumstances require.

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.