Data Scientist - Curriculum Analytics

Western Governors University
life insurance, flexible benefit account, parental leave, paid time off, paid holidays, sick time
United States, Utah, Salt Lake City
3949 South 700 East (Show on map)
Jul 10, 2025
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: Grade: Technical 406 Pay Range: $95,900.00 - $143,800.00 Job Description Can your code help students graduate? At WGU, we believe it can. As a Data Scientist on our Curriculum Analytics team, you'll apply your technical skills to a mission that matters: making higher education more accessible, equitable, and effective. You'll design models and tools that optimize curriculum, personalize learning pathways, and improve outcomes for learners nationwide-at a scale few organizations can match. Why WGU? WGU is a nonprofit, accredited university serving over 190,000 students through a fully online learning model. But behind the scenes, our teams work together in person to turn data into decisions that change lives. About the Curriculum Analytics team: We use WGU's rich data ecosystem to build dashboards, predictive models, and AI-driven student guidance tools. Our work directly informs course design, performance monitoring, and student success strategies. We value curiosity, transparency, and purpose-and we turn data into decisions that help real students succeed. What you'll do: Build predictive models using Python or R, applying machine learning, NLP, and advanced statistical techniques. Analyze course-level performance and identify key trends and equity gaps. Collaborate across engineering, product, and program development teams to design data-powered curriculum improvements. Communicate findings clearly with technical and non-technical stakeholders. Contribute to data pipeline development and documentation efforts alongside Data Engineering. What you bring: Bachelor's degree and 3+ years of experience building predictive models using machine learning methods. Proficiency in Python or R and working with large, structured, and unstructured datasets. A strong sense of ownership, a learner's mindset, and the ability to connect data with decision-making. Clear communication and data storytelling skills. Bonus points if you have: Experience with NLP techniques in educational or social science applications. Familiarity with GitHub, CI/CD pipelines, and MLOps best practices. Work Location: This is a full-time, in-office position based at WGU's headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT. Daily collaboration and hands-on engagement with team members are key to the role. #LI-FP1 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.