Manager, Creative Product Design

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 607

Pay Range: $95,300.00 - $157,300.00

Job Description

The Manager, Creative Product Design exhibits expertise in the design and review of excellent, reusable, multi-modal content for online learning experiences. This role oversees a team of innovative content developers and leverages deep knowledge of both learning science and operations management to mentor our individual contributors from associate through senior and beyond. The successful candidate is an exceptional leader, designer, enjoys charting new paths, and is passionate about WGU Academy’s mission.

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Design and Development, this position works closely with peer leaders in Academy’s Product Design and Development team and Project Management Office (PMO). The Product Design Manager, Creative is critical to the success of our org as we achieve ambitious quarterly goals within our tightly interdependent squads.

 

Primary Responsibilities Include:

Leadership and Talent Management

• Leads the best team of Multimedia Designers, Content Design Writers, and Product Operations Coordinators at varied levels of skill and experience by supporting employee development and mentoring core learning design and product management competencies.

• Guide and drive team to greater science- and data- informed innovation, with an exceptionally strong bias toward action and speed to insight.

• Course correct behaviors and communication style to meet the needs of a wide range of situations; tackles obstacles appropriately; is comfortable with ambiguity.

• Innovates to ensure coverage within and between teams, enabling the department to meet organizational objectives and key results.

• Leads and promotes exceptional change management.

• Promote productivity and quality standards by motivating and inspiring others to do their best work.

• Accept accountability for success metrics as well as time, budget, and quality measures.

• Maintain accountability for content quality, relevance, and outcomes over time across a complex portfolio.

• Successfully influence organizational level decisions with team and stakeholders.

• Develops and maintains a collaborative relationship with all appropriate internal and external stakeholders.

• Collaborate with management in developing goals and objectives at the organization level.

• Act as a delegate for the Senior Manager, Design and Development when assigned.

Problem Solving and Decision Making:

• Apply effective decision-making by analyzing the situation and quickly acting on available information.

• Apply a systems-thinking approach to design decisions, identifying and communicating upstream and downstream impacts across the portfolio.

• Resolve problems that require broad-based consideration of variables at the organization level.

Product Design and User Experience:

• Design processes to facilitate ongoing efficiency gains across a lean team.

• Apply and model best practices in learning science, user experience design, and accessibility across the portfolio.

• Partner with assessment and design teams to ensure alignment between competencies, assessments, and instructional strategies, and ensure designs are implemented as envisioned and delivered in a timely manner.

• Stays current with trends, leading science and innovations, and research in learning science, instructional media, UI/UX and learner behavior. 

• Design on-demand formal reports and presentations regarding products, as required for operation and quality improvement.

Project and Workflow Management:

• Serve as a member of the Scrum of Scrums (SoS) team, alongside department leaders and the PMO, to oversee multiple products and initiatives concurrently within an agile environment, balancing speed, quality, and scope

• Ensures the team's work is completed on time and within budget and meets the organization’s high standard of quality.

• Identify and mitigate risks that may impact the quality or on-time delivery of learning products

• Balances sometimes competing needs of various stakeholders to recommend and negotiate a path to achieving shared goals.

• Work in concert with the PMO to ensure timely delivery of quality programs, including the deployment of efficient processes and resourcing. Other duties as assigned. 

Knowledge, Skill and Abilities:

• Exceptional people leadership and mentorship skills.

• Ability to work collaboratively and creatively in a fast-paced, agile environment.   

• Excellent written, oral, presentation, and interpersonal skills. Advanced knowledge of user experience practices, including accessibility requirements.

• Deep experience working with instructional technologies and digital learning platforms.

• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex projects and priorities concurrently.

• Comfort operating in ambiguity with strong ownership, accountability, and independent judgment.

• Expert experience working in agile or iterative development environments.

• Proficiency with AI tools and their application in content creation, analysis, and workflow optimization.

• Strong collaboration, communication, and stakeholder management skills across all organizational levels.

• Knowledge of personnel management skills to build meaningful relationships and influence all levels of an organization.

• Ability to facilitate groups and meetings in person and remotely.

• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal skills.

• Conceptual knowledge of web/software development.   

• Strong attention to detail and a feeling of pride and ownership over the quality of our products. 

Competencies:   

Organizational Impact:  

• Responsible for implementing initiatives and projects established by university or department leadership; establishes operational plans for department, function, or office with short-term impact on results. ​  

• May deliver input into new processes, standards, or plans that impact overall university or department results.  

• Plans and establishes goals and objectives for area of expertise, with direct impact on the immediate, or short-term results of the department, function, or office.

• Typically, does not have budget accountability but may manage day-to-day elements of the budget and assist in compiling data to prepare product Charters and annual budgets. 

Problem Solving & Decision Making: 

• Leverages a systems-thinking approach for improving existing processes and systems within the department using significant conceptualizing, reasoning, and interpretation.​  

• Problems and issues faced are numerous, difficult, and require detailed information gathering and analysis. Typically affect multiple areas or specialties.

• Problems and issues span a wide range of challenging and unique situations.  

• Identifies, recommends, and implements ways to improve services and/or job area efficiency.

Communication & Influence:  

• Collaborates cross-functionally with parties within and outside of the department and may occasionally communicate with external parties. ​  

• Communicates within the job area to direct reports, and collaborates with other people leaders on a variety of issues. Requires the ability to communicate effectively with staff and leadership, including at the executive level.

• Explains policies, practices, and procedures of the job area to others within the University. May work cross-functionally to justify and gain cooperation of other parties on practices, policies, and procedures.

Leadership & Talent Management : 

• Supervises a team consisting of multimedia designers, content writers, and others.

• Coordinates, supervises, and reviews the work of team members.

• Guides and provides on-the-job training to direct reports.

• Monitors performance, coaches employees, and conducts performance reviews.

• Discusses hiring, firing, promotion, performance, and rewards decisions with senior leadership and People and Talent.

• May also retain technical knowledge of day-to-day work of supervisee.

Work Location:

• Salt Lake City Office: This is an in-office role; employees are expected to work onsite four days per week, with one work-from-home day.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and 5 years of experience in product design content following a user-centered design process Or Master’s degree and 3 years of experience in product design content following a user-centered design process.

• Demonstrated experience integrating AI tools into day-to-day work.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 2 years of mentoring junior colleagues.

• 2 years professional experience leading a team of direct reports.

• High energy, enthusiasm, and creativity

• Experience working with data analytics

• Experience in competency-based education or online higher education

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.

• 5-10% travel

#LI-BS1

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.