Manager, Fraud Prevention

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: Management_Executive 604 Pay Range: $70,000.00 - $115,600.00 Job Description At WGU, protecting the integrity of the student enrollment experience is critical to our mission and regulatory responsibilities. As Manager, Fraud Prevention, you will lead the team responsible for detecting, investigating, and resolving suspected fraudulent activity across the student admissions and enrollment lifecycle. This role sits within the Office of Admissions and Credential Evaluation and plays a key role in safeguarding the enrollment process, protecting Title IV federal financial aid funds, and ensuring compliance with applicable federal and state regulations.

Lead, coach, and develop a team of four Fraud Analysts, including workload distribution, quality review, performance management, and career development. Own fraud detection and case management workflows spanning Registration and Onboarding, ensuring consistent, well-documented decision making. Serve as the operational owner of fraud detection platform configuration, rule tuning, and score-threshold calibration in partnership with Software Engineering and platform vendors. Monitor fraud trends, fraud rings, and emerging typologies, escalating risks and recommending control enhancements. Partner with Admissions, Financial Aid, Compliance, Legal, Registrar, IT Security, and other stakeholders to strengthen fraud prevention practices while maintaining a positive student experience. Lead root-cause analysis on confirmed fraud incidents and implement corrective actions involving processes, policies, and systems. Drive process improvements, automation opportunities, and reporting enhancements that improve fraud detection accuracy and analyst effectiveness.

Bachelor’s degree in a related field, or equivalent professional experience. Five years of work experience including fraud prevention, fraud investigations, identity verification, risk operations, or a closely related compliance/operations function. 1+ years of people management or team lead experience, with demonstrated ability to coach and develop analysts. Working knowledge of identity verification concepts (device/behavioral signals, document verification, KYC-style checks) and fraud case management workflows. Demonstrated ability to read, interpret, and apply regulatory requirements to operational practice. Strong analytical skills with experience reviewing dashboards, fraud indicators, case volume metrics, and risk scoring outputs. Excellent judgment, communication, collaboration, and decision-making capabilities in complex fraud and compliance environments. Bonus Points Experience in higher education admissions, enrollment