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
As the most senior individual contributor within the Product organization, the Principal Software Product Manager leads the strategy, vision, and execution of complex products that span multiple domains and enterprise platforms. In this role, you will help shape how core university services are delivered through ServiceNow and related technologies, driving meaningful outcomes for users while aligning business priorities, technology investments, and customer needs.
You will partner with senior leaders, engineers, designers, and stakeholders across the organization to solve complex challenges, influence product direction, and deliver experiences that improve workflows at scale. This is a highly visible role for a strategic product leader who thrives in ambiguity, drives alignment, and turns vision into measurable impact.
What You'll DoDefine and own product strategy and roadmaps across multiple product domains, ensuring alignment with business goals, user needs, and enterprise priorities.
Partner directly with senior and executive leaders to understand critical business challenges and develop product strategies that drive measurable outcomes.
Lead cross-functional steering committees and strategic planning efforts to communicate roadmaps, monitor progress, and maintain organizational alignment.
Collaborate with stakeholders, end users, engineers, UX designers, and product leaders to identify opportunities, define requirements, and deliver impactful solutions.
Evaluate tradeoffs across customer experience, technical constraints, and business value to make informed, high-impact product decisions.
Establish and track key success metrics, analyze outcomes, and adapt strategy based on data, insights, and customer feedback.
Mentor product managers and champion product excellence, modern product practices, and AI-enabled approaches to product delivery.
Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
10 years of demonstrated experience working as a Software Product Manager, Product Owner, or Group Product Manager, with at least 3 years of those as a Senior or Group Product Manager.
Professional Product Certification (e.g. Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Pragmatic Marketing).
Deep Experience in the ServiceNow platform; technical expertise in preferred but not required.
Experience working in Agile environments.
Experience using AI practices & tools for end-to-end product delivery.
Experience managing multiple types of problems at the same time.
Proven ability to influence senior leaders, align cross-functional teams, and drive outcomes without direct authority.
Exceptional presentation, written, and verbal communication skills with experience engaging executive audiences.
Strong customer focus with deep expertise in product discovery, experimentation, and outcome-driven product management.
Ability to evaluate complex tradeoffs and prioritize investments that deliver the greatest value at the right time.
Demonstrated ability to develop business cases, conduct ROI analysis, and communicate compelling product narratives supported by data.
Passion for innovation and a track record of introducing new product practices, technologies, and AI-enabled ways of working.
Master’s degree in a related field.
Experience in Education Technology.
Certified in Change Management.
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 at the discretion of the hiring manager.
What to ExpectAt WGU, our mission drives everything we do, including how we hire. Our interview experience is designed to give qualified candidates the opportunity to show their best work through meaningful conversations and collaboration.
We thoughtfully review every application and invite forward the candidates whose experience and potential best align with the role and our mission.
Hiring manager interview
Panel interview
Engineering Senior Leader interview
This is a full-time, in-office position requiring five days per week in our Salt Lake City, Utah office, designed to foster the collaboration and connection that fuel our best work.
Visa SponsorshipWhile we welcome applicants from all backgrounds, WGU is not able to provide visa sponsorship for this role.
Travel RequirementThis position requires occasional travel of up to 20%, including required attendance at designated company summits (typically one to two per year). Additional travel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed. Additional travel may be assigned as needed to support business requirements.
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 a related field, or equivalent relevant experience
- 10 years of experience as a Software Product Manager, Product Owner, or Group Product Manager
- At least 3 years of experience as a Senior or Group Product Manager
- Professional product certification, such as Certified Scrum Product Owner or Pragmatic Marketing
- Deep experience with the ServiceNow platform
- Experience working in Agile environments
- Experience using AI practices and tools for end-to-end product delivery
- Experience managing multiple types of problems simultaneously
- Ability to influence senior leaders, align cross-functional teams, and drive outcomes without direct authority
- Exceptional presentation, written, and verbal communication skills, including executive audience engagement
- Strong customer focus and expertise in product discovery, experimentation, and outcome-driven product management
- Ability to evaluate complex tradeoffs and prioritize high-value investments
- Ability to develop business cases, conduct ROI analysis, and communicate data-supported product narratives
- Track record of introducing new product practices, technologies, and AI-enabled ways of working
- Technical expertise with ServiceNow or related technologies
- Master's degree in a related field
- Experience in education technology
- Change Management certification
What We Do
Western Governors University is a private, nonprofit online university that provides accessible, competency-based education designed for working professionals.
