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: Management_Executive 612
Pay Range: $163,200.00 - $293,800.00
Job Description
The Director of Data Science & Analytics leads a team that supports the data and analysis needs of WGU’s Marketing, Enrollment, and Regional Operations teams, including Strategic Partnerships. This team’s mission is threefold: to provide objective insights that inform Outreach decisions and improve performance, to clearly communicate Outreach impact, and to build and maintain the analytics infrastructure that supports these efforts.
This role plays a key part in shaping the experience of future WGU students - from raising awareness of our mission to helping them choose the right path and complete their enrollment. The Director ensures that data and insights are used to guide strategies that are inclusive, effective, and aligned with WGU’s goals of increasing access, improving student outcomes, and maximizing the value of a WGU degree.
Reporting to the Vice President of Institutional Analytics and Research (IAR), the Director is responsible for delivering high-quality analytics that support strategic decision-making across Outreach Organization. The ideal candidate brings strong business acumen and a passion for using data to improve marketing performance, grow enrollment, and strengthen regional outreach.
This job description includes a general representation of job requirements rather than a comprehensive inventory of all required responsibilities or work activities. The contents of this document or related job requirements may change at any time with or without notice.
- Strategic Analytics Leadership:
- Lead the development and execution of an analytics strategy that directly supports the needs and priorities of the assigned stakeholder group.
- Collaborate with senior leaders to align analytics initiatives with business goals and strategic priorities.
- Provide actionable insights to drive marketing campaigns, enrollment strategies, and partnership initiatives.
- Data Science and Analytics:
- Lead and guide data scientists and analysts in applying predictive modeling, forecasting, and advanced analytics to support marketing and enrollment priorities.
- Shape and prioritize advanced analytics use cases (e.g., incrementality testing, forecasting, impact evaluation, optimization) to ensure analytical work drives clear business decisions and actions.
- Ensure advanced analytics outputs are interpretable, actionable, and embedded into workflows, including models that inform recommendations and next-best actions.
- Analytics Architecture:
- Partner with the Analytics Architecture team to ensure web analytics, customer data platforms (CDPs), and related systems provide reliable, decision-ready data. Support instrumentation and data collection requirements needed to inform stakeholder strategies.
- Work with data and platform teams to ensure data from multiple sources is integrated and aligned, enabling a holistic view of marketing and enrollment performance.
- Oversee the development and maintenance of dashboards, reports, models, and analytical tools to support decision-making.
- Stakeholder Engagement and Communication:
- Engage with key stakeholders to understand their analytical needs and provide tailored solutions.
- Present complex data insights in a clear and actionable manner to senior leadership and other stakeholders.
- Facilitate workshops, training sessions, and presentations to promote data literacy and the effective use of analytics.
- Innovation and Continuous Improvement:
- Stay at the forefront of emerging trends and technologies in data analytics, marketing analytics, and higher education.
- Implement continuous improvement processes to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of analytics activities.
- Foster a culture of innovation, encouraging the team to explore new methodologies and tools.
- Team Leadership and Development:
- Provide visionary leadership and mentorship to the analytics team, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture.
- Lead recruitment and talent management efforts to attract and retain top talent with diverse skills and perspectives.
- Promote professional growth and development opportunities for team members.
- Budget and Resource Management:
- Manage the budget for the Outreach Analytics function, ensuring effective utilization of resources.
- Implement cost-saving measures without compromising the quality of analytics services.
- Risk Management and Compliance:
- Identify and mitigate risks associated with data management and analytics activities.
- Ensure compliance with relevant regulations and institutional policies.
Qualifications
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Expertise in Marketing Data Analytics & Science: In-depth understanding of analytics and data science methodologies, tools, and best practices across marketing, enrollment, and related functions, with the ability to partner with enterprise teams to align analytics with shared data platforms and standards.
- Business Acumen: Strong business orientation with the ability to translate data insights into actionable business strategies.
- Technical Proficiency: Fluency in digital and customer journey analytics ecosystems (e.g., Adobe Analytics, CJA, Tealium AudienceStream, Accutics, ObservePoint, Adobe Launch), to effectively partner with platform owners and ensure reliable, usable data.
- Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly.
- Project Management: Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to lead multiple initiatives simultaneously.
- Collaboration: Ability to foster effective working relationships across various departments and with external partners.
- Master’s Degree in a relevant field such as data analytics, data science, business analytics, marketing, business management, or a related discipline
Experience
- 10+ years of experience in data analytics, data science or related field, with at least 5 years in a leadership role and 3 years of managing managers
- Expertise in BI platforms such as Tableau and data tolls related to outreach functions (web analytics, CRM, etc)
- Proven track record of managing and mentoring teams and managers
- Experience in leading change initiatives within data systems or business processes
Preferred:
- Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), or Pragmatic Product Management
- Understanding of higher education landscape and its unique challenges
Experience in lieu of education
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.
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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 recruiting@wgu.edu.
Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.
