Senior Manager, SWE Student Life Cycle Products

Western Governors University is revolutionizing higher education by making quality degrees accessible to working adults nationwide. The Senior Manager, Software Engineer role leads engineers on product development and integration teams, focusing on building platforms that empower students through education technology.

Responsibilities:

• Put students first in every decision—deliver projects on time and on budget while maintaining operational excellence (low incident rates, fast recovery times)
• Build and inspire a team of 6-12 talented engineers, providing training, technical standards, and meaningful career guidance through 1:1s and performance management
• Own the full people lifecycle—hiring decisions, performance reviews, salary recommendations, corrective and reinforcing feedback, and when necessary, difficult personnel decisions
• Develop your people—grow engineers from mid-level to senior, understand development paths, and accurately convey both accomplishments and areas for growth
• Establish technical vision by collaborating with leadership, designers, and subject matter experts to analyze trade-offs between usability and performance
• Ensure 24x7 operational stability—defect-free releases, accessibility (ADA compliance), scalability, and secure handling of student data in compliance with applicable laws
• Improve processes at the team level—challenge the status quo, identify beneficial innovations, and share learnings across the organization
• Navigate complexity—from implementation plans to risk mitigation, technical debt to quality drivers
• Plan and execute with precision—track progress at the task/team level, maintain project plans within team capabilities, and escalate with data when needed
• Manage resources strategically—ensure the right skill sets are on your team and coordinate releases across multiple areas
• Identify and mitigate risks early—escalate to the right people at the right time with clear communication and reasonable mitigation strategies
• Balance competing priorities with the right sense of urgency, always keeping student impact in mind
• Build trust through concise, accurate communication across multiple mediums—email, presentations, status updates, escalations
• Work cross-functionally with product, design, academic teams, and other engineering groups to deliver student-first solutions
• Drive effective decision-making in collaborations—share knowledge, reconcile conflicting goals, and find win-win solutions
• Demonstrate emotional intelligence—active listening, empathy, and the ability to respond (not react) in challenging situations
• Plan budgets for travel, training, employee recognition, and headcount needs during annual planning cycles
• Execute within budget—track contractor hours, create SOWs and purchase orders, analyze invoices, and report weekly work allocations

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent relevant work experience)
• 10+ years of software engineering experience, including senior-level technical work
• 2+ years leading engineering teams (5+ years preferred)
• Experience building web-based applications, integrating systems, and working with databases
• Knowledge of software development processes, SDLC practices, and higher education technology
• Track record of delivering complex projects in deadline-driven environments
• Demonstrated ability to understand business needs and execute on strategy
• Master's degree is a plus