Senior Manager, Content Delivery

2U, the organisation behind the popular edX learning platform, is seeking a seasoned professional to lead its content delivery operations for Executive Education programmes. This vital role is based in Cape Town and centres on ensuring the seamless and high-quality execution of online courses in partnership with leading global universities. If you have a passion for making education accessible and a knack for managing complex technical and operational workflows, this opportunity might be for you.

About the Role

At its core, this Senior Manager position is about overseeing the entire lifecycle of online course presentations within 2U's Executive Education portfolio. This involves meticulous planning and execution, from the initial setup and cloning of course environments to managing cohorts, ensuring quality, and guaranteeing operational continuity. The ultimate aim is to deliver exceptional experiences for both university partners and the learners who engage with these programmes. This is a leadership role that requires a strategic mindset, strong attention to detail, and the ability to drive efficiency in a dynamic educational technology landscape.

The responsibilities for this Senior Manager are extensive, reflecting the complexity of managing large-scale online education delivery. Key duties include:

• **End-to-End Course Implementation:** Taking ownership of the complete setup process for course presentations, synchronising master curricula, and ensuring all environments are ready for live production. This includes managing module release schedules and access gates to align with university partner standards.
• **Learner and Cohort Management:** Overseeing the intricate processes of dynamic cohort balancing, automating learner enrolment, and managing late enrolments across various learning groups. The role also involves coordinating the deployment of instructional content like discussion prompts and welcome messages to foster learner engagement.
• **Quality Assurance and Risk Management:** Establishing and implementing multi-tiered quality assurance protocols to guarantee that all course launches are free from defects. This includes auditing production environments before launch to confirm learner visibility, permission settings, and content accuracy. Furthermore, you'll be responsible for managing delivery risks and platform escalations to minimise any potential disruption to partners and learners.
• **Technical Integrations:** Directing the integration of custom tools and third-party educational technologies, such as identity verification modules and social annotation platforms, to enhance the learning experience.
• **Team Leadership and Process Improvement:** Leading multidisciplinary teams responsible for content and technical product delivery, fostering accountability and consistent execution. A key aspect of the role will be championing continuous improvement initiatives, exploring AI-assisted workflows and process enhancements to reduce turnaround times and boost operational capacity.
• **Stakeholder Engagement and Reporting:** Driving effective collaboration between 2U and third-party vendors for course build, delivery, and issue escalation. You will also be responsible for developing strategic performance metrics, tracking service level agreements (SLAs), and providing executive-level reporting to senior academic and operational leadership.

What They're Looking For

To excel in this role, candidates will need a strong blend of technical acumen, operational expertise, and leadership experience within the online education space. Essential qualifications include:

• A minimum of six years of experience in online education operations, educational technology, or complex technical service delivery.
• At least three years of experience in a management capacity, demonstrating the ability to lead teams and drive projects.
• A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as Business Administration, Information Technology, or Education. A Master’s degree is considered an advantage.
• Deep technical proficiency with Learning Management Systems (LMS), automated data pipelines, gradebook architecture, and LTI integrations.
• Proven expertise in project management, governance of SLAs, process optimisation, and managing senior stakeholders, particularly within global higher education contexts.

In South Africa, senior management roles in operations and educational technology often come with competitive remuneration, reflecting the critical nature of these positions. Employers in this sector range from established educational institutions and specialised EdTech companies to corporate learning and development departments. Career progression can lead to more senior operational leadership roles, strategic development positions, or even broader management of institutional partnerships.

• 6+ years of experience in online education operations, educational technology, or complex technical service delivery, with at least 3+ years in a management capacity.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Information Technology, Education, or a related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Deep technical proficiency in Learning Management Systems (LMS), automated data pipelines, gradebook architecture, and LTI integrations.
• Demonstrated expertise in project management, SLA governance, process optimization, and senior stakeholder management within global higher education settings.