Edtech.com's Summary

WGU is hiring a Manager, Continuous Improvement. The role involves evaluating and enhancing business processes, driving continuous improvement, and collaborating with key stakeholders to develop strategies for measuring and improving processes. The Manager leads improvement projects, prioritizes initiatives, and implements strategies using Lean Six Sigma methodologies.

Highlights

Main responsibilities include analyzing and enhancing business processes, leading continuous improvement projects, and collaborating with stakeholders.
Requires knowledge of Lean Six Sigma tools and project management principles.
Compensation ranges from $65,400.00 to $107,900.00.
Essential qualifications include a Bachelor's degree and five years of continuous improvement experience, with a minimum of two years in a leadership role.
Experience in process automation and working with education technology teams is preferred.
Six Sigma Black Belt certification or Master's degree with Green Belt project experience required.
Benefits include comprehensive healthcare, retirement savings, and tuition discounts.
Full-time position eligible for bonuses and flexible paid time off.
Travel up to 25% required between hub locations.

Manager, Continuous Improvement Full Description

Manager, Continuous Improvement

Salt Lake City Office

Phoenix Office

WGU North Carolina

Full time

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:

Pay Range: $65,400.00 - $107,900.00

Job Profile Summary:

The Manager of Continuous Improvement (CI) is responsible for evaluating, measuring, designing, and enhancing business processes and driving continuous improvement. The CI Manager collaborates with key stakeholders to provide strategies for understanding, measuring, and improving current business processes. Through collaboration, this role leads continuous improvement projects that enhance business processes.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

Analyzes college business processes and objectives. Investigates shortfalls and issues in current business processes. Develops business process enhancement strategies.
Implements continuous improvement projects based on evaluating strategic and operational data.
Leads strategic and continuous improvement projects to include coordinating necessary human and operational resources and setting and implementing budgetary and timing controls to achieve chartered goals.
Prioritizes initiatives across the colleges while ensuring that the design, testing, training, documentation, and prioritization objectives are met.
Works closely with CI teams, students, end users and multiple stake holders during the design and implementation of improvements projects.
Promotes consistent, efficient, and effective operational evaluation and improvement practices by creating standards of work, defining and sharing best practices, and collaborating with team members, cross-functional groups, and leadership to measure and monitor operational performance, identify opportunities to maximize technology and/or automate business processes and use Lean Six Sigma methodologies.
Prepares and delivers process improvement recommendations and delivers presentations to varying audiences.
Serves as a change leader by demonstrating positive change management methods that align with WGU core values, embraces process improvement, and automation, target enhanced productivity, quality, and delivery of our products and programs.
Serves as a Lean Six Sigma process improvement expert, defines key performance indicators (KPI) and/or metrics, and monitors successful implementation of process-based project.
Prioritize enhancing software systems and refining processes to drive continuous improvement.
Generates and maintains process flow charts, standard operating procedures (SOP), and other documents to support current state, cross-functional, and end-to-end process understanding.
Collaborates with other stakeholders to enhance productivity and student satisfaction.
Develops policies and procedures for business process improvements and ensures students, WGU leadership and CI team stay up to date.
Trains team members and system users on CI tools and techniques and on new processes.
Stays up to date with developments in management and process optimization.

Knowledge, Skill and Abilities:

Knowledge of Lean & Six Sigma tools and concepts
Quality Improvement methodologies
Project Management Processes & Principles
Fundamental understanding of strategic planning, budgeting, and operational planning including goal/KPI target setting.

Competencies:

Problem Solving and Decision Making:

Responsible for making improvements of processes or systems to enhance performance of the job area.
Assignments received and problems faced are broad and undefined, and requires use of analytical concepts, investigation, and knowledge from prior experience.

Communication and Influence:

Communicates within job area and occasionally with external groups. External facing professionals (i.e. Admissions) communicate more regularly with external groups on routine matters.
Ensures compliance with University policies and procedures within job area and may influence others outside of job area to justify and gain cooperation for policies, practices, and procedures.

Leadership and Talent Management:

Manages/Supervises a team of professionals. Manages the work of assigned employees and/or supervisors who generally exercise some latitude and independence in their assignments. Ensures proper training of team members, and participates in hiring, firing, and promotion decisions. Conducts performance reviews and may recommend salary reviews.
May complete assignments that are technical in manner in addition to supervising others.

Job Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

A Bachelor’s degree in Business, Industrial Engineering, Program Management, Process Control or a related field of study.
Five (5) years of experience in continuous improvement, which includes a minimum of two (2) years of leadership experience leading a team in a role responsible for process improvement and a minimum of three (3) years of experience working with Lean & 6 Sigma methodologies & tools to enhance business processes.
Experience with process enhancement initiatives and/or working in a positive change management environment.
Experience of automating Business Processes in coordination with education technology teams.
Six Sigma Black Belt certification or a Master's degree in a related field, with experience in Green Belt projects.
Travel between different hub locations around 20-25% of the time.

Physical Requirements:

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

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 Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

Original Job Description