Edtech.com's Summary

WGU is hiring a Government Relations Manager. The position entails collaborating with internal partners to implement a 50-state strategy advancing the university's mission with government officials and business leaders. Key duties include conducting research on legislative issues, managing advocacy initiatives, and developing policy briefs to support WGU's strategic goals.

Highlights

Conduct research and analysis on legislative, regulatory, and policy issues.
Develop policy briefs and advocacy materials.
Monitor state and local legislative developments.
Proficiency in data analysis software and legislative research tools.
Salary range: $73,000.00 - $109,400.00.
Bachelor's degree required, advanced degree preferred.
5+ years of experience in relevant areas.
Benefits include medical, dental, vision, and retirement plans.
Office-based position in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Government Relations Manager Full Description

Government Relations Manager, Salt Lake City, UT

Salt Lake City Office

Full time

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:

Pay Range: $73,000.00 - $109,400.00

Job Description

Reporting to the Vice President of Government Relations, the Government Relations Manager works collaboratively with internal partners to execute a 50-state strategy that advance the University’s mission and goals, with elected officials, political appointees, and business leaders. Operating, always, with a focus squarely on improving the lives and aspirations of WGU students.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

Conducts research and analysis on legislative, regulatory, and policy issues, relevant to WGU’s areas of focus.
Provides analysis and guidance on legislative trends and their potential implications on higher education.
Develops policy briefs, white papers, reports, and recommendation based on evidence-based research.
Manage the department’s grass-roots initiative, and lead in the creation of advocacy hand-outs, talking points, legislative summaries, and other communications material to effectively convey policy positions and research findings.
Monitor and track legislative and regulatory developments at primarily the state and local levels of government.
Collaborate with internal teams to ensure research findings inform advocacy efforts and strategic decision-making.
Work with public affairs colleagues to identify social and digital promotion ideas to ensure the University’s perspective is both visible and persuasive in the current legislative conversation.
Authentically reflect and portray the mission of WGU. 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.

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The successful candidate will have experience as an operational leader and a record of achieving aggressive goals while operating in a cross-functional capacity and adeptly navigating external environments that may impact the University and its operations. S/he effectively engages University partners, and is probing, open-minded, and solution oriented. S/he will also be comfortable with ambiguity, willing to experiment and make decisions with less than perfect information. Must be able to clearly articulate WGU’s purpose, mission, vision and goals, and able to motivate others to achieve those goals.
Student focus – always keeps the student at the center of what we do, and why we do it. 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.
Integrity – we do what is right even when no one is watching. This is a foundational principle as to how we interact with all people, and is vitally important in a role that represents the University before external audiences, many whom can impact the environment in which the University operates.
Execution- and Results-oriented – focused on results, not just activity. Exceptional skill and demonstrated success in establishing and improving governmental relationships and opportunity, in a higher education leadership role.
Initiative – self-directs with a strong bias for action, leads the way in improvement of performance and opportunities for our students and the University.
Managerial courage – willing to tackle difficult topics and conventional thinking; doesn’t hold anything back that needs to be said.
Strategic thinking – applies broad strategic direction, with university-wide impact, and in a distributed organization context.
Being Resilient – operates confidently under pressure, maintains a positive attitude despite adversity, and bounces back from obstacles and setbacks, while growing from hardship and negative experiences.
Develops and earns trust – 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.
Innovation – 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.

Education

Bachelors Degree required, with advanced degree preferred in Public Policy, Political Science, Economics, or a related field.

Experience

5+ years of experience with a bachelor's degree, or 3+ years and a master's degree, or a doctorate or terminal degree without experience.
Experience working in higher education and academic operations, especially with a multi-state presence. Minimum combination of 5 years of experience, and/or subject matter expertise.
Proficiency in data analysis software and legislative research tools.
Demonstrated expertise in defining performance metrics for external partnerships.
Ability to travel as needed, up to 20% of the time
Schedule flexibility to include evenings and weekends.
Position will be office-based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Experience in lieu of education

Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 year of education and is the discretion of the hiring manager.

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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 recruiting@wgu.edu.

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

Original Job Description