Program Operation Analyst

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 306

Pay Range: $60,300.00 - $90,500.00

Job Description

This role is the producer behind WGU’s Career Accelerator student experience — a behind-the-scenes role purpose-built to keep the program running, the data flowing, and the logistics seamless from Orientation through the end of the first year. Where the Engagement Specialist is the visible point of contact for students, the Operations Specialist is the analytical and operational backbone that makes everything they do possible.
This is a data-first role at heart. This role owns the dashboards, reports, and student-experience analytics that tell leadership what’s working, what’s not, and where to act. Translates insight into operational reality — coordinating event logistics, owning the cohort calendar, supporting program transitions, and serving as the cross-functional liaison between the Career Accelerator team and the rest of WGU. If the Engagement Specialist makes the student feel seen, the Operations Specialist makes sure the show runs.

 

Data, Insights & Reporting

• Collect, organize, and analyze program data — enrollment, student progression, engagement, retention, and outcomes — to surface trends, identify at-risk patterns, and inform program decisions
• Build and maintain dashboards and reporting tools that give Engagement Specialists and program leadership clear, real-time visibility into student health and operational performance
• Produce regular reports translating data into actionable recommendations for program leadership and the Engagement Specialist team
• Support the design and administration of student feedback surveys — at Orientation exit, 90 days, and end of year — then synthesize results to inform program adjustments
• Track engagement patterns over time and feed those insights back into how cohorts, campaigns, and community programming are designed

Program Operations & Event Logistics

• Manage the operational logistics of live cohort sessions, micro-webinars, and group events — calendars, invites, platform setup, recordings, and follow-up materials
• Source and coordinate external speakers, facilitators, and vendors for cohort programming
• Own the cohort-level calendar across the Career Accelerator program, partnering with Engagement Specialists to ensure the right experiences are scheduled at the right time
• Manage the systems and access side of student onboarding — distribution lists, platform access, technical setup — so students arrive at Orientation ready to begin
• Troubleshoot technical and access issues related to cohort systems, escalating to IT and data partners as needed

Stakeholder Coordination

• Serve as the operational point of contact between the Career Accelerator program and internal university departments — academic advising, financial aid, registrar, schools, and IT
• Communicate program updates, policy changes, and performance data to internal stakeholders in a timely, organized manner
• Represent the program in cross-departmental meetings, working groups, and institutional planning sessions as needed

Program Transitions & Records

• Coordinate the program transfer process for students moving from their enrollment-selected program into the Career Accelerator
• Manage the operational logistics of the formal program decision process at the end of the first year — communications, deadlines, documentation, and scheduled touchpoints
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date records for all students approaching key program milestones, ensuring compliance with institutional requirements
• Coordinate exit and transition processes for students who conclude or move out of the program, capturing feedback for continuous improvement

Data & Analytics

• Strong data analysis skills — comfortable working with student-level data, building segmentations, identifying trends, and translating numbers into clear recommendations
• Experience with reporting and dashboarding tools such as Salesforce reports/dashboards, Tableau, Power BI, or equivalents
• Advanced Excel skills — pivot tables, lookups, complex formulas, comfort with large datasets
• Comfort with the measurement cycle — survey design, instrumentation, analysis, and feeding insight back into program adjustments

Operations & Project Management

• Strong project management instincts — able to keep many moving parts running on parallel timelines without losing track of the details
• Highly organized with the ability to manage event logistics, calendars, campaigns, and records with precision
• Comfortable working calmly in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with shifting priorities
• Self-directed, reliable, and able to hold accountability across multiple workstreams

Communication & Stakeholder Management

• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills — able to translate data into clear, actionable narratives for non-data audiences
• Strong cross-functional communication skills — comfortable working across academic, administrative, technical, and student-facing teams
• Diplomatic and trustworthy — earns confidence with internal partners and represents the program well in cross-departmental settings

Systems & Technology

• Proficiency with technology platforms used in this role: Microsoft Teams, Outlook, WebEx, Salesforce, and reporting platforms
• Comfort learning new tools quickly and identifying opportunities for operational improvement
• Familiarity with WGU’s data ecosystem a plus

Cultural Competence & Equity

• Cultural competence and demonstrated experience supporting initiatives that serve diverse student populations
• Commitment to equity and access in higher education
• Growth mindset with commitment to continuous professional development

• Bachelor’s degree in data analytics, business operations, higher education administration, or related field
• 3 years of demonstrated experience in program operations, data analysis, business operations, or a closely related role
• Strong analytical skills with demonstrated experience translating data into recommendations for action
• Experience coordinating events, campaigns, or programs with multiple stakeholders
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including advanced Excel

• Master’s Degree in Higher Education, Business Analytics, Operations, or related discipline
• Hands-on experience with Salesforce reporting, Tableau, Power BI, or similar BI/reporting platforms
• Experience working with adult learners and non-traditional student populations
• Experience supporting cohort-based or community-driven educational programs
• Familiarity with WGU’s academic model, programs, or student success systems

• This is an on-site role based at WGU’s Salt Lake City office
• Standard business hours with occasional flexibility required to support evening or weekend events
• Occasional travel of up to 20%, including attendance at company summits (typically 1–2 per year), commencement, conferences, and other business-related events

Your day as an Operations Specialist might begin with a refresh of the overnight engagement data, updating the cohort dashboards the Engagement Specialists rely on first thing in the morning. From there, you’re flagging a cohort whose attendance has slipped two weeks running — and routing that insight to the Engagement Specialists who’ll act on it. Mid-morning, you’re coordinating with the registrar’s office on a batch of program transfers for next month’s cohort, then jumping into a working session with the schools to align on the formal program decision communications timeline. After lunch, you’re confirming a guest speaker for an upcoming micro-webinar, troubleshooting platform access for three students, and pulling together the monthly performance report for program leadership. By afternoon, you’re designing the next student pulse survey and finalizing logistics for Friday’s cohort event. You end the day having moved every dial that needed moving — quietly, precisely, and on time.

At Western Governors University, we believe every student deserves the opportunity to succeed. The Operations Specialist plays a foundational role in our student-centered model — building the data, infrastructure, and operational discipline that allows the Career Accelerator program to deliver a best-in-class first-year experience at scale. This position directly contributes to WGU’s mission of expanding access to quality higher education through innovative, student-focused approaches.

Disclaimer: This job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It is not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at [email protected].

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.

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.