Senior Manager, Financial Aid Training & Development

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 606

Pay Range: $85,100.00 - $140,500.00

Job Description

This position provides leadership for the Financial Aid Training and Quality Assurance team, ensuring high-impact onboarding, continuous training, policy and system updates, and a robust quality assurance program supporting both Financial Aid and Financial Services. The Senior Manager champions innovative solutions that drive regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, and a student-centered experience across the learner journey.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Ensure precise communication of federal Title IV, state grants, and other student financial aid programs to students.

• Lead a high-performing team within a diverse and complex environment, fostering a culture of excellence.

• Conduct quality assurance monitoring for team members, leveraging extensive knowledge of the University’s educational model, technology, policies, and procedures.

• Support staff through professional development, training, coaching, and performance feedback, enhancing efficiencies and adherence to federal and state regulations.

• Foster effective communication and collaboration with students, department leaders, faculty, and university staff.

• Identify opportunities for self-service enhancements and streamline process workflows.

• Provide data-driven insights to guide priorities and goals within the functional area.

• Collaborate with senior management on strategy development and execution planning.

• Analyze problems, propose solutions, and take decisive action using independent judgment. Create and revise team policies, procedures, and processes while documenting changes and preparing written reports.

• Report and escalate technology issues to relevant service teams.

• Collaborate closely with Enrollment, Admissions, Service Desk, Student Accounts, and Student Services leadership to ensure accurate and timely communication of financial aid and student payment topics.

• Represent the University professionally by participating in state, regional, and national associations.

• Maintain competency and enhance professional growth and development through continuing education and conferences.

• Organize, prioritize, and follow through on projects and tasks with meticulous attention to detail.

• Provide leadership by projecting a positive attitude, trusting generously, and engaging respectfully.

• Perform additional duties as assigned.

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.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities You'll Need to Be Successful:

• Thorough familiarity with state and federal financial aid regulations, alongside a comprehensive understanding of financial aid policies and procedures.

• In-depth expertise in student information systems (e.g., Banner), customer relationship management systems (e.g., Salesforce), document imaging systems (e.g., OnBase), Federal Title IV systems, and/or state grant program portals.

• Strong analytical and critical thinking abilities, coupled with proficient problem identification and resolution skills.

• Demonstrated sound judgment and effective decision-making skills.

• Exceptional interpersonal aptitude, emphasizing conflict resolution and adept performance management.

• Maintain competency and enhance professional growth and development through continuing education and conferences.

• Organize, prioritize, and follow through on projects and tasks with meticulous attention to detail.

• Provide leadership by projecting a positive attitude, trusting generously, and engaging respectfully.

• Proficiency in communication, both written and verbal, with a keen attention to detail.

• Ability to inspire and motivate direct reports and teams towards collective achievement.

• Skillful prioritization and execution of tasks within demanding environments.

• Aptitude for presenting ideas in a user-friendly manner.

• Competence in conducting research and statistical analysis of team metrics.

• Proficient in collaborating within team-oriented and collaborative settings.

• Capacity to grasp the organization’s overarching goals and objectives.

• Must be able to travel as needed to in-person events and conferences.

What You'll Bring (Minimum Requirements):

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field.

Experience:

• Seven or more years of Financial Aid experience at an accredited institution of higher education.
• Three or more years leading a team of direct reports.
• In good standing with U.S. Department of Education; no student loans in default.
• Requires significant management knowledge to lead the department. Generally, has advanced level knowledge and skills within a specific technical or professional discipline with an understanding of the impact of work on other areas of the university.

Experience in lieu of education:

An equivalent combination of training, experience, credentials, or accomplishments demonstrating the ability to perform the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements.

Bonus Points for (Preferred Qualifications):

• Experience using Banner, Salesforce, OnBase, Panopto, Articulate 360, Camtasia, Lucidchart, Adobe Captivate, and ServiceNow.

• Five or more years of experience in training, development, and quality assurance.

Work Schedule:

• To support business operations, this position operates on a Mountain Time schedule, with expected working hours of 8:00 AM – 4:00/5:00 PM MT.

Travel Expectations:

This position requires occasional travel of up to 20%, including required attendance at designated company summits (typically one to two per year). Additional travel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed. Additional travel may be assigned as needed to support business requirements.

What to Expect:

At WGU, our mission drives everything we do—including how we hire. Our interview experience is designed to give qualified candidates the opportunity to show their best work through meaningful conversations, practical problem-solving, and authentic collaboration.

Here’s what that typically looks like:

• Introductory phone screen (~40 minutes): We’ll walk you through who we are at WGU, what you'll do in this role, and learn about your relevant experience.
• First round interview (~ 1 hour): Dive deeper into your skills and how you’ll contribute to the team.
• Second-round interview
• Leadership Interview

#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.