Senior Technical Program Manager
Western Governors UniversityIf 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:
Job Description
As a Senior Technical Program Manager, you will lead highly complex, multi-team technology programs from concept through delivery. You will operate with significant autonomy and influence, serving as the connective tissue between engineering, architecture, product, security, and business leaders to ensure technology investments deliver measurable value at scale. This role blends deep technical understanding with strong program leadership, Agile expertise, and exceptional communication skills.
What You’ll Do
Lead end-to-end planning and delivery of large-scale, multi-team technology programs with clear scope, objectives, and success criteria.
Partner closely with engineering, architecture, product, and business stakeholders to define program requirements, technical direction, and integrated delivery plans.
Coordinate cross-team workstreams, manage complex dependencies, and drive alignment on milestones, sequencing, and key technical decisions.
Facilitate Agile and SAFe program activities including PI planning, backlog refinement, dependency management, and program-level retrospectives.
Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate risks, blockers, and technical challenges, escalating appropriately and driving resolution.
Communicate program status, risks, decisions, and impacts clearly and consistently to stakeholders and senior leadership.
Ensure delivered solutions meet enterprise security standards, technical design patterns, and operational readiness requirements.
What You’ll Bring
8+ years of progressive project management experience
Strong understanding of the software development lifecycle, systems architecture, integrations, cloud concepts, and technical design patterns.
Proven ability to engage with engineering teams, understand technical tradeoffs, and translate complex concepts for diverse audiences.
Expertise managing multi-team technical programs using Agile or SAFe frameworks.
Advanced skills in planning, dependency management, risk management, and cross-team coordination.
Proficiency with Jira, Confluence, and other delivery lifecycle and visualization tools.
Strong presence and facilitation skills, with the ability to lead through influence rather than authority.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to produce clear executive-level summaries.
Bonus Points
SAFe, PMP, ACP, CSM, or equivalent Agile or project management certifications.
Experience with cloud technologies such as Azure, AWS, or GCP.
Familiarity with APIs, microservices, or enterprise integration patterns.
Experience in Lieu of Education
A bachelor’s degree in Business, Management Information Systems, Computer Science, or a related field is preferred. Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of the role may substitute for education requirements, generally defined as one year of experience for one year of education, 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.
Interview Steps
Introductory call with a talent partner
Interview and short writing assignment with the hiring leader
Interview with a key stakeholder
Work Location
This is a full-time, in-office position at WGU’s office in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Visa Sponsorship
While we welcome applicants from all backgrounds, WGU is not able to provide visa sponsorship for this role.
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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.