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:
Job Description
WGU is seeking a strategic and collaborative Manager, Sourcing to help plan, direct, and coordinate the procurement of Academic software and services across the university. This leader will oversee a team of sourcing professionals while also managing complex, high-value, and strategic sourcing initiatives. The ideal candidate brings strong negotiation expertise, sound business judgment, and a passion for delivering value through effective supplier management, procurement processes, and stakeholder partnerships.- Lead sourcing, tendering, due diligence, and contract negotiation activities for software, services, and other assigned categories.
- Review planning, forecasting, and trend analysis to anticipate business needs and support sourcing strategies.
- Oversee the development and review of specifications for software, services, and supplies prior to market engagement.
- Guide stakeholders and vendors through sourcing and competitive bidding processes, ensuring thorough evaluation of vendor capabilities, strengths, and gaps.
- Negotiate pricing, terms, and conditions to minimize risk and maximize value for the university.
- Monitor marketplace trends and pricing to ensure competitiveness across assigned categories.
- Manage and develop a team of sourcing specialists, including hiring, coaching, performance management, and cross-functional coordination.
- Support the purchasing process within the Procure-to-Pay lifecycle, including vendor registration, requisition management, and purchase order issuance.
- Drive effective utilization of procurement technologies, including Workday, ServiceNow Procurement and Event Management, and other sourcing tools.
- Contribute to procurement policies, procedures, training materials, instructions, and webinars that promote best practices across the organization.
- Perform other job-related duties as assigned.
- Bachelor's Degree in Business, Supply Chain, or a related field.
- 5 years of experience with procurement or purchasing.
- 1 year in a leadership role.
- Strong negotiation and organizational skills.
- Excellent decision-making and problem-solving abilities.
- Excellent skills in Microsoft Office Suite.
- Ability to learn new technologies and adapt to changing priorities.
- Ability to communicate effectively to improve teamwork, decision-making, and collaboration.
- Ability to work cooperatively across teams and organizational levels to achieve shared objectives.
- Ability to navigate ambiguity, manage risk, and make informed decisions with incomplete information.
- Ability to remain confident under pressure and effectively manage challenging situations.
- Strong outcomes-based orientation with a proven ability to set and achieve goals.
- Ability to foster a sense of belonging, build team morale, and lead cross-functional collaboration.
- Ability to take on new challenges, quickly learn unfamiliar tasks, and share knowledge with others.
- Experience with competitive bidding.
- Experience in higher education.
- Experience supporting procurement technology platforms such as Workday and ServiceNow.
We thoughtfully review every application and invite forward the candidates whose experience and potential best align with the role and our mission.
- Introductory call
- Hiring manager interview
- Senior leader interview
- Final interview
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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.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, or related field
- 5 years of procurement or purchasing experience
- 1 year in a leadership role
- Proven negotiation and supplier management skills
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite
- Experience with competitive bidding
- Experience in higher education procurement
- Experience supporting procurement platforms such as Workday and ServiceNow
- Ability to travel up to 20%
What We Do
Western Governors University is a private, nonprofit online university that provides accessible, competency-based education designed for working professionals.
