Director of Strategic Operations, Professional Skills

Southern New Hampshire University is a team of innovators. World changers. Individuals who believe in progress with purpose. Since 1932, our people-centered strategy has defined us - and helped us grow a team that now serves over 180,000 learners worldwide.

Our mission to transform lives is made possible by talented people who bring diverse industry experience, backgrounds and skills to the university. And today, we're ready to expand our reach. All we need is you.

Make an impact - from near or far

At SNHU, you'll have the option to work remotely in the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

We ask that our remote employees have access to a reliable internet connection and a dedicated, properly equipped workspace that is free of distractions. Employees must reside in, and work from, one of the above approved states.

The opportunity

As our Director of Strategic Operations, Professional Skills, you will oversee strategic business initiatives from development through execution, working in close partnership with the Associate Vice President of Strategic Foresight. You will embed scalability into our daily operations - optimizing technology and processes, leading scenario planning, ensuring quality assurance, driving cross-functional alignment, and delivering executive-ready reporting. In doing so, you will help shift our portfolio from reactive execution to proactive management, protecting the learner experience, strengthening partner confidence, and positioning us for sustainable growth.

This is a pivotal role as we grow and scale the Professional Skills team. You will play a central part in how we launch new products, serve both B2C and B2B audiences, and onboard external partners. You will identify and champion use cases for the technology tools and systems that power our work, bringing both comfort and curiosity to those platforms while spotting opportunities to improve how we operate internally and externally. You will be part of a small, collaborative team while working cross-functionally to share best practices and apply evidence-based approaches that elevate the administrative and learner experience across Professional Skills.

This is a fully remote role, and it reports to the VP of Professional Skills. #LI-remote

What You'll Do:

• Lead operational planning and optimization of the program portfolio, applying scenario planning to develop short- and long-term roadmaps that support scalability, sustainability, and learner success.
• Translate initiative requirements into clear goals and objectives, breaking large projects into executable sub-projects for teams and partners.
• Coordinate product roadmaps across teams to ensure alignment across development, design, and release timelines.
• Oversee end-to-end program management including stakeholder experience, compliance tracking, risk identification, cross-functional issue resolution, badging, and process documentation.
• Drive the Product Strategy roadmap, managing project discovery, communications, and milestone tracking through completion.
• Establish and maintain quality standards for product launches, including web content, payments, learner surveys, and technology functionality; lead pre-launch reviews and ongoing audits.
• Evaluate operating practices against strategic objectives, identify gaps, and integrate strategic priorities into program execution and operating models.
• Own learner experience measurement and outcomes reporting; analyze feedback, performance metrics, and VOC data to guide enhancements and evidence-based improvements.
• Serve as the primary program liaison across instructional teams, platform support, technical partners, and external stakeholders, facilitating communication and issue resolution throughout the program lifecycle.
• Manage shared program communications and learner inquiries, ensuring timely responses and clear escalation paths.
• Facilitate and manage relationships with external and vendor partners, including support for statements of work, business terms, and budget negotiations.
• Define and track program KPIs related to participation, completion, performance, and credentials; produce executive-ready reports to inform decision-making and long-term strategy.
• Lead analysis of workflows, reporting, technology, and team practices to identify optimization opportunities; design, implement, and document improved processes and operating models.
• Perform other duties as assigned; responsibilities may evolve at any time with or without notice.

What We're Looking For:

• Bachelors degree
• 5+ years experience in systems integration, process integration, business process analysis, or related experience
• Applied AI experience

We believe real innovation comes from inclusion - where different experiences, perspectives and talents are celebrated. So if you're wondering whether SNHU is right for you, take the leap and apply. You might be just the person we're looking for.

Compensation

Exceptional benefits (because you're exceptional)

You're the whole package. Your benefits should be, too. As a full-time employee at SNHU, you'll get:

• High-quality, low-deductible medical insurance

• Low to no-cost dental and vision plans

• 5 weeks of paid time off (plus almost a dozen paid holidays)

• Employer-funded retirement

• Free tuition program

• Parental leave

• Mental health and wellbeing resources