Senior Manager, School Compliance

Posted:
3/18/2025, 5:00:00 PM

Location(s):
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States ⋅ Utah, United States

Experience Level(s):
Senior

Field(s):
Legal & Compliance

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: $81,900.00 - $135,200.00

Job Description

Job Profile Summary

Provides strategic leadership in regulatory compliance, accreditation, and state authorization for the assigned school. This role ensures the school maintains necessary approvals to operate in all U.S. jurisdictions, enabling students to complete degrees, secure employment, and obtain professional licensure (e.g., teacher, principal, registered nurse).

As a recognized compliance leader, advises university and school leadership on state and federal regulations, professional licensing requirements, and accreditation strategies. This role oversees state-specific regulatory approvals, liaises with accrediting bodies and licensing boards, and collaborates with internal stakeholders to ensure program alignment with professional standards.

Beyond compliance execution, this role shapes institutional and national regulatory strategies—identifying trends, influencing policy discussions, and positioning the university for future success. Leads a small compliance team, ensuring regulatory processes run efficiently while fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

Primary Responsibilities

Supports the development and execution of compliance strategies to meet accreditation, state authorization, and licensure requirements.
Monitors changes in state and federal regulations, assessing their impact on the school’s programs and advising leadership accordingly.
Assists with the submission and maintenance of required approvals to operate in all U.S. jurisdictions.
Ensures compliance with professional licensure disclosure requirements, Title IV regulations, and state-specific student complaint resolution processes.
Advises the school on compliance strategies, accreditation trends, and regulatory risks affecting current and future programming.
Manages state-specific regulatory approvals, working closely with licensing boards and accrediting bodies.
Provides compliance-related support for new program development and expansion, ensuring necessary approvals are secured.
Supervises compliance advisors and analysts, ensuring effective management of state authorization and licensure processes.
Maintains documentation, tracking systems, and reporting structures to support compliance efforts.
Oversees compliance-related communications to internal and external stakeholders.
Develops training and resources to educate faculty and staff on regulatory requirements.
Collaborates with government relations personnel to address regulatory changes impacting the school.
Engages with state licensing boards and accrediting agencies to resolve compliance-related issues and advocate for regulatory considerations.
Assists with accreditation reviews, reporting, and regulatory audits, preparing documentation as needed.

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

Deep knowledge of higher education compliance regulations, including state authorization, board approvals, accreditation, and professional licensure requirements.
Strong ability to interpret and apply complex regulatory policies across multiple jurisdictions and academic settings.
Experience leading compliance initiatives—including state approvals, accreditation processes, programmatic licensing, and institutional reporting.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple regulatory projects, approvals, and compliance requirements simultaneously.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex regulatory information into clear guidance for faculty, administrators, and leadership.
Ability to engage and train faculty, staff, and leadership on compliance best practices, regulatory expectations, and accreditation requirements.
Technological proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Teams, SharePoint, Office 365) and compliance tracking systems.

Education

Master’s degree in a relevant field such as higher education administration, public policy, law, or a field offered by the assigned school.

Experience

Five (5) years of progressive experience in regulatory compliance, accreditation, or higher education policy at the institutional, state, national accreditor, or federal level.
Experience managing state approvals, accreditation processes, and professional licensure compliance.
Strong knowledge of higher education regulations, state authorization, and institutional or programmatic accreditation requirements.
Experience advising faculty, leadership, and administrators on compliance-related matters.
Experience engaging with state licensing boards, accrediting bodies, or regulatory agencies.

Preferred Qualifications

Doctorate degree in higher education administration, public policy, law, or a field offered by the assigned school.
Experience managing the pursuit of initial or reaffirmation of programmatic accreditation from multiple accreditors.
Experience in shaping regulatory policy or legislative compliance strategies across multiple jurisdictions.
Experience leading or participating in accreditation site reviews or quality assurance evaluations (e.g., Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, accreditation evaluator).
Experience leading compliance teams and implementing regulatory processes.
Relevant current or prior licensure/certification in a field offered by the assigned school (if applicable).

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.

WGU

Website: https://www.wgu.edu/

Headquarter Location: South Salt Lake, Utah, United States

Employee Count: 11-50

Year Founded: 1996

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Senior Manager, School Compliance

WGU

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