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Director, Financial Aid Strategy and Pathways, Salt Lake City, UT

Western Governors University
life insurance, flexible benefit account, parental leave, paid time off, paid holidays, sick time
United States, Utah, Salt Lake City
3949 South 700 East (Show on map)
Feb 26, 2026
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: $113,200.00 - $203,800.00 Job Description The Director of Financial Aid Strategy and Pathways is responsible for leading university-wide strategic initiatives related to financial aid delivery, serving as the primary liaison between the Financial Aid department and cross-functional partners for complex, high-visibility projects such as Prison Education Programs (PEP), Workforce Pell, First Year Experience (FYE), and other emerging pathways and initiatives. This position provides leadership for the consolidated 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 Director champions innovative solutions that drive regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, and a student-centered experience across the learner journey. Essential Functions and Responsibilities Strategic Financial Aid Leadership & University-Wide Coordination Acts as the primary Financial Aid lead and subject-matter liaison for cross-university strategic projects, including Prison Education Programs, Workforce Pell, First Year Experience, and additional pathway or access initiatives. Creates vision, strategy, and goals for assigned initiatives and champions a culture of innovation while aligning strategies to university mission and student success outcomes. Develops project plans, milestones, and deliverables supporting launch, implementation, and expansion of strategic initiatives, ensuring key stakeholders are aligned and engaged. Works closely with Academic leadership, Enrollment, Strategic Partnerships, Legal, Compliance, -EdTech/Data, Student Services, and other units to solve complex issues, improve processes, and ensure operational readiness. Aligns financial aid processes, policies, and communications to support access, persistence, and completion for populations served through special initiatives. Leads post-launch evaluation of project performance, including KPIs, operational impacts, financial implications, and lessons learned. Represents Financial Aid in university-wide strategy and leadership meetings. Training Strategy & Delivery Oversees the development and implementation of a comprehensive training strategy supporting Financial Aid and Financial Services employees, including new hire pathways, role-based training, cross-training, and refresher/upskill training. Ensures training programs are scalable, efficient, and aligned with current federal and state regulations, institutional policy, and system/process changes. Collaborates with functional leaders and subject matter experts to build and maintain high-quality training content, learning modules, job aids, and knowledge assets supporting consistent execution and service. Implements methods to evaluate training effectiveness, including QA trends, error rates, feedback loops, and operational performance data. Champions best practices and policies that support the goals of increasing student satisfaction, retention, and graduation. Quality Assurance Leadership Leads the consolidated Training & Quality Assurance team to deliver coordinated QA functions for both Financial Aid and Financial Services. Develops and administers quality evaluation frameworks, monitoring, scorecards, and feedback mechanisms to ensure accuracy and consistency. Partners with leaders to assess risk trends, identify root causes, and implement corrective action plans that improve service quality and compliance outcomes. Aligns QA activity with training strategy to reinforce learning and promote continuous improvement. Maintains up-to-date knowledge of federal and state regulations and collaborates to manage compliance across departments. Strategic Leadership & Reporting Works closely with senior leaders to review performance, track service levels, and measure impact of strategic initiatives. Defines performance metrics and reporting for assigned projects, training programs, and QA programs to ensure transparency and informed decision-making. Develops objectives to achieve long-term goals within the applicable budget, aligning resourcing to strategy. Creates a data-driven environment, translating observations into insights that improve student outcomes. Conducts briefings with senior leadership to gain approval on recommendations, policies, and major decisions. Leadership & Talent Management Manages a team of professionals responsible for special projects, training, instructional design, and quality assurance. Creates workforce and staffing plans that support planned growth and program expansion. Oversees hiring, performance management, coaching, development, and other personnel decisions of significance. Fosters an inclusive, collaborative environment focused on operational excellence, compliance, and student impact. Invests in the development of staff, building capability and expanding professional pathways for training and QA disciplines. Other Performs other related duties as assigned. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities In-depth knowledge of federal and state financial aid regulations, policies, and procedures. Experience leading complex strategic initiatives involving multiple departments, timelines, and technical systems. Strong analytical and critical thinking skills; ability to interpret complex data and drive decisions aligned to business goals. Excellent communication and influence skills; ability to present complex information clearly, in multiple formats, and gain executive alignment. Proven ability to develop best-in-class training and quality programs for large-scale, distributed teams. Knowledge of Student Information Systems (Banner), CRM systems (Salesforce), and document imaging systems (OnBase). Well organized and attentive to detail; strong judgment and decision-making ability. Ability to lead through change, influencing without direct authority and building consensus across divergent interests. Competencies (Director Level) Organizational Impact Develops and recommends plans that align division responsibilities with departmental goals. Work requires extensive knowledge of the University to recognize impact of decisions. Responsible for developing budget portions to support training, QA, and strategic initiatives. Problem Solving & Decision-Making Responsible for making significant improvements to processes, programs, and systems that enhance outcomes across multiple departments. Problems faced are numerous and undefined and require detailed information gathering and prior experience. Leads policy recommendations within the scope of responsibility. Communication & Influence Represents Financial Aid as the primary internal contact for special project operations. Influences others to accept new practices and approaches; conducts briefings with senior leadership. Leadership & Talent Management Manages a team professionals; responsible for hiring, development, performance management, and workforce planning. Achieves goals primarily through leading a team rather than completing functional tasks. Qualifications Minimum Qualifications Bachelor's Degree required. 10 years' experience in student financial aid programs, including experience with training, quality, or major Title IV project implementation. 5 years' experience responsible for direct supervision of staff members. Demonstrated experience leading complex projects across multiple departments. Extensive knowledge of federal and state financial aid regulations. Experience writing and implementing policies and procedures. Experience with Financial Aid Management Systems This is an in office position and will be reporting to the Salt Lake City office. Preferred Qualifications Master's Degree. Experience using Banner preferred. Experience implementing specialized access programs (PEP, Workforce Pell, etc.). Experience leading centralized training and quality organizations across large, distributed environments. Experience working in competency-based or nonstandard academic models. Physical Requirements Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times. 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.