Manager, Data Analytics

Western Governors University; United States; On-site; USD 117,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonuses

Healthcare plan

Tuition benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

Western Governors University seeks a Manager, Data Analytics to lead a team of data analysts and translate business questions into actionable insights. You will support equity and student outcomes across the university.

You will partner with Academic Delivery and School Analytics to drive complex analytics initiatives, develop reports and dashboards, and foster data-informed decision making through storytelling and governance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field.
• At least 5 years in data analytics, BI, or data science.
• 1 year of people leadership experience.
• Strong SQL proficiency with complex queries.
• Experience with Tableau or Power BI.
• Proficient in Excel and data manipulation.
• Experience with OKRs/SMART metrics.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of data analysts.
• Collaborate with Academic Delivery and School Analytics to define analytics needs.
• Drive analytics initiatives from planning to execution.
• Develop reports, dashboards, forecasts, and insights.
• Improve data pipelines with Data Engineering.
• Use data storytelling to drive action and outcomes.
• Support data literacy and governance.

Skills

Advanced SQL

Tableau/Power BI

Forecasting methods

Descriptive statistics

Experimentation

Hypothesis testing

Diagnostic analytics

Agile

JIRA/Trello

Excel

Data storytelling

Data visualization

Python/R

Education

Bachelor's Degree in a related field

Tools

JIRA

Trello

Lucidchart

Miro

Job description

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 609 Pay Range: $116,600.00 - $209,900.00

Job Description

At WGU, data is a powerful tool for understanding student experiences, driving institutional effectiveness, and improving outcomes at scale. As the Manager, Data Analytics, you will lead a team of data analysts responsible for delivering insights that support Academic Delivery and School Analytics stakeholders across the university. In this role, you will combine people leadership, technical expertise, and strategic thinking to help leaders make informed decisions that enhance student success. You will partner closely with academic and operational leaders to translate complex business questions into actionable analytics, foster a culture of data-informed decision-making, and contribute to WGU's commitment to equity and extraordinary student outcomes.

What You’ll Do

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of data analysts while fostering a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing team culture.
• Partner with Academic Delivery, School Analytics, and cross-functional stakeholders to identify analytics needs, define priorities, and translate business requirements into actionable analytical solutions.
• Drive complex analytics initiatives from planning through execution, including project management, stakeholder communication, resource allocation, risk mitigation, and ongoing monitoring.
• Lead the development and delivery of reports, dashboards, forecasts, and analytical insights that support strategic and operational decision-making.
• Collaborate with Data Engineering and technical partners to identify appropriate data sources, improve data pipelines, and support the development of scalable data products.
• Use data visualization, storytelling, and analytical rigor to communicate findings and recommendations that drive action and improve outcomes.
• Support data literacy, KPI development, operational excellence, and responsible data governance across the university.

What You’ll Bring

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field.
• 5 years of experience in a Data Analysis, Business Intelligence, Data Science, Statistics, Decision Intelligence, Computer Science, Marketing Analytics, Mathematics, or a related domain.
• 1 year of experience in people leadership.
• Ability to create healthy work environments conducive to collaboration, learning, accountability, and high performance, including experience with hiring, onboarding, coaching, performance management, and succession planning.
• Experience defining team and individual objectives utilizing OKRs, SMART metrics, and similar frameworks.
• Demonstrated proficiency handling diverse data sources and advanced data manipulation techniques, including experience measuring, collecting, analyzing, and reporting data to optimize student outcomes.
• Advanced SQL proficiency, including joins, aggregations, window functions, common table expressions (CTEs), views, data modification statements, and performance tuning.
• Experience with Tableau, Power BI, or similar data visualization platforms.
• Experience applying forecasting methods, descriptive statistics, experimentation, hypothesis testing, and diagnostic analytics to solve complex business problems.
• Experience using Agile project management methodologies and tools such as JIRA, Trello, or similar platforms.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel.
• Experience using diagramming and collaboration tools such as Miro, Lucidchart, or similar applications.
• Ability to operate with a high degree of autonomy, reliability, initiative, and accountability while managing multiple priorities effectively.
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous learning, professional development, innovation, and growth.

Bonus Points

• Familiarity with Python and/or R.
• Experience working within higher education.
• Familiarity with higher education data sources such as IPEDS, National Student Clearinghouse, Burning Glass, EMSI, or similar data sources supporting analytics and institutional decision-making.
• Experience in lieu of Education Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this role may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as one year of experience for one year of education and is at the discretion of the hiring manager.

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 and collaboration. We thoughtfully review every application and invite forward the candidates whose experience and potential best align with the role and our mission.

• Recruiter Screen (30 minutes)
• Hiring manager interview (30 minutes)
• Peer interviews (60 minutes)
• Stakeholder interview (30 minutes)
• Stakeholder interview (30 minutes)

Work Location

This is a full-time, in-office position requiring five days per week in our Salt Lake City, Utah office, designed to foster the collaboration and connection that fuel our best work.

Visa Sponsorship

While we welcome applicants from all backgrounds, WGU is not able to provide visa sponsorship for this role.

Travel Requirement

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.

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.

Equal Employment Opportunity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.

About WGU

In 1997, a coalition of 19 U.S. governors founded Western Governors University with a singular vision: to make higher education more accessible by offering full degree programs online. Starting small, we quickly expanded. Today, we’re one of the largest accredited online universities in the U.S.