Vice President, Engineering

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Job Description

Western Governors University is seeking a transformational Vice President of Engineering to lead our largest and most mission-critical technology organization. You'll inherit a strong foundation of global engineering talent and play a pivotal role in elevating our engineering culture, delivery cadence, and technical strategy.

This role is more than execution. It's about vision, influence, and leadership at scale. Reporting directly to the CIO, you'll work alongside university leadership to deliver next-generation edtech platforms that change lives.

• Lead a global, multi-team engineering organization focused on building and delivering our core product platforms.

• Directly manage several Directors and collaborate with peer VPs to drive university-wide tech outcomes.

• Define and implement engineering best practices, operational cadence, and a culture of high performance and accountability.

• Shape long-term strategic roadmaps that align IT systems with university objectives.

• Partner across business, product, and design to translate user needs into powerful enterprise applications.

• Act as a visible, motivational leader-comfortable standing in front of teams or execs-helping us grow WGU's technology brand both internally and externally.

• Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion to reflect the diverse backgrounds of the students we serve.

• Ensure effective cross-functional collaboration, especially with peers across data science, infrastructure, and product management.

• Travel regularly to support and engage global teams.

• Improve software delivery cadence by embedding lean practices, agile discipline, and a stronger culture of urgency and ownership.

• Build an engineering-first culture where leaders lead by example, teams are self-sufficient, and estimations and execution improve.

• Raise the bar on leadership: serve as a role model for a mix of experienced and first-time Directors seeking someone they can learn from and emulate.

• Drive tech excellence at scale: elevate the quality, scalability, and impact of our systems to meet growing demand and complexity.

• A former engineer who can still engage at a technical level when needed and knows how to challenge assumptions constructively-while thriving in a strategic leadership role.

• A proven leader who has "been there and built that"-you've led engineering at scale in complex, fast-paced environments.

• A coach and mentor who develops high-performing teams and inspires through clarity, accountability, and empathy.

• A cross-functional collaborator who balances business goals with engineering realities.

• A thought partner to the CIO with strong opinions, loosely held, and a hunger to drive outcomes.

• 10+ years of engineering experience with at least 5 years leading multi-team orgs at scale.

• Experience with enterprise software delivery and SaaS architectures; bonus points for fintech, retail, or transactional API-heavy environments.

• Experience leading distributed/matrixed teams across global locations.

• Expertise in Agile development methodologies and software engineering best practices.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field (or equivalent experience).

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Position & Application Details

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.