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 Government Relations Director works collaboratively with the University’s schools to execute a nationwide strategy that advances the University’s mission and goals, with elected officials, political appointees, and business leaders in pursuit of public/private partnerships.

Primary Responsibilities

• Direct lobbying efforts on behalf of the WGU School of Information Technology.
• Develop, strengthen, and maintain relationships with elected officials, policy makers, and leaders of appropriate state agencies.
• Monitor legislation and policy activities, update and advise University leadership and partners about policy proposals and actions, and work with relevant University teams to analyze potential impacts on the University.
• Serve as the primary representative in managing, and working with, consultants contracted by the University to support its initiatives in the relevant state(s) where the University is pursuing initiatives or partnerships.
• Plan and implement state-level events and other activities to support the schools’ government relations goals, such as hill days, town halls, affiliate visits, and meetings.
• Serve as the University’s representative to relevant non-partisan, non-profit organizations, and policy bodies, such as legislative, governor, and lieutenant governor associations, economic development groups, and related public-private partnership efforts.
• Participate in the development of a wide range of materials in support of the University’s government relations agenda, such as talking points, legislative summaries, factsheets, testimony, reports, and letters.
• Develop, initiate and deliver internal training programs on the legislative process and state government relations.
• Become a reliable subject matter expert on student success, disruptive innovation, and competency-based education.
• Performs other related 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

• Experience as an operational leader and a record of achieving aggressive goals while operating in a cross-functional capacity.
• Adeptly navigates external environments that may impact the University and its operations.
• Effectively engages University partners and is probing, open-minded, and solution oriented.
• Comfortable with ambiguity, willing to experiment and make decisions with less than perfect information.
• Able to articulate the University’s purpose, mission, vision, and goals and motivate others to achieve those goals. The following competencies drive these qualities:
• Makes decisions and guides efforts to improve and expand value and opportunity for students and employers.
• Demonstrated and documented record of accomplishment in developing intergovernmental relationships and pursuing opportunities to enhance the University’s offerings and positioning in higher education.
• Exceptional skill and demonstrated success in establishing and improving governmental relationships and opportunity in a higher education leadership role.
• Self-directs with a strong bias for action, leads to improvement of performance and opportunities for our students and the University.
• Willing to tackle difficult topics and challenge conventional thinking; does not hold anything back that needs to be said.
• Applies broad strategic direction, with university-wide impact, and in a distributed organization context.
• Operates confidently under pressure, maintains a positive attitude despite adversity, and bounces back from obstacles and setbacks while growing from hardship and negative experiences.
• Works effectively across functions, internalizing their motivations and priorities, and energizing others’ engagement in devising solutions and driving execution; a personal style that favors inquiry over advocacy, listening over speaking.
• Collaborates to form bold visions, navigates the political environment, and delivers results; operates with a mission-driven mindset to expand access to education for all students.
• Exceptional and persuasive communication skills, oral and written, in addressing external and internal audiences; while successfully balancing the appropriate levels of decorum and respect for office holders when asserting the positions of the University, necessary to advance student opportunity.

#AA

Education

• Bachelor’s degree.

Experience

• Experience working in higher education and academic operations, especially with a multi-state presence at scaled, regionally accredited, highly-regarded universities preferably in/with their schools/colleges of IT.
• 5 or more years of experience, and/or subject matter expertise.
• Demonstrated success in leading lobbying initiatives.
• Experience working and succeeding in a remote management environment.
• Demonstrated expertise in defining performance metrics for external partnerships.
• Must have broad knowledge of project management systems, legislative tracking tools, and the ability to clearly integrate with the University’s reporting requirements.

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.

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: $119,400.00 – $185,100.00

WGU will accept applications for this position until 12:00 AM ET, 09/25/2024

How to apply: apply online

Full-time Regular Positions (FT classification, standard working hours = 40)

This is a full-time, regular position 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.

The University is 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.