How to Apply
A cover letter and resume are important submissions for the hiring team to get a sense of your experience. In the cover letter, in two pages or less, please let us know how this role aligns with your career aspirations and skill set. Submit both a cover letter and a resume as one file (because of system limitations).
Who We Are
About the Center for Academic Innovation
Through curricular innovation, tools for student success, and educational research and analytics, the University of Michigan Center for Academic Innovation is building the future of education. Our vision is a future in which education connects and empowers learners everywhere to reach their full potential throughout their lives. To realize our vision, we make it our mission to collaborate across campus and around the world to create equitable, lifelong educational opportunities for learners everywhere.
About the Online Learning domain at CAI
The Online Learning domain within CAI comprises five teams that collaborate with colleagues across the Center and the University to design and develop online learning experiences that support the future of education for a global community. We work with faculty and academic unit leaders to envision how they can expand reach and impact, advance innovative teaching, and support greater access and lifelong learning through the design and development of integrated online learning. For more information, please visit our website: Academic Innovation.
Mission Statement
We believe all individuals deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and have the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes mutual respect and a safe space for collaboration. Any concerns shared with any staff members and student employees in the Center for Academic Innovation will be reported to the Equity, Civil Rights, & Title IX Office to be reviewed and addressed, and the Center for Academic Innovation encourages reporting of any forms of harassment including sexual and gender-based harassment.
Responsibilities*
Learner Support Operations
- Serve as a primary point of contact for learner support, triaging, and resolving requests across Michigan Online products, platforms, and support channels to provide timely, accurate, and consistent service
- Resolve common learner issues and determine appropriate escalation pathways for complex technical, course, content, or platform-related concerns
- Coordinate escalated learner issues and support requests with Course Operations, Product Engineering, Learning Design, external platform partners, and other stakeholders to ensure effective resolution and information flow
- Use available technologies, including AI-enabled tools where appropriate, to improve the efficiency, consistency, quality, and scalability of learner support
Knowledge Base & Support Content Management
- Own and maintain learner-facing and internal knowledge resources, including FAQs, troubleshooting guidance, response resources, and operational documentation, ensuring information is accurate, accessible, organized, and current
- Structure and continuously improve support knowledge to enable effective learner self-service, consistent staff responses, and technology-enabled support
- Use learner support interactions, ticket trends, escalations, and stakeholder input to identify knowledge gaps and prioritize new or updated resources
- Maintain knowledge resources to support evolving courses, policies, platforms, learner needs, and emerging support technologies, including AI-enabled capabilities where appropriate
Workflow Development & Process Improvement
- Design, implement, and continuously improve learner support workflows, business rules, escalation criteria, handoffs, and quality-control processes
- Collaborate across teams to improve support processes and information flow and to identify opportunities to increase service quality and operational efficiency
- Evaluate operational needs and recommend and implement improvements to workflows, knowledge resources, support systems, and automation within the scope of assigned
responsibilities - Contribute learner-support expertise and operational requirements to the evaluation, adoption, and improvement of support technologies, including emerging AI-enabled capabilities and vendor solutions
Reporting, Data & Trend Analysis
- Track, analyze, and interpret quantitative and qualitative learner-support data to identify trends, recurring issues, service gaps, emerging needs, and opportunities for
improvement - Maintain an understanding of learner-support data sources and reporting practices, and help ensure information used for operational reporting is accurate and appropriately
maintained - Prepare and communicate reports and findings on support volume, service performance, common learner issues, and other relevant measures to inform operational priorities and improvements
- Use support data, learner feedback, and operational observations to proactively identify problems, recommend improvements, and evaluate the effectiveness of learner-support services and emerging capabilities.
What You'll Do
The Center for Academic Innovation at the University of Michigan is seeking a motivated and service-oriented Learner Support Specialist to support and continuously improve learner support operations across Michigan Online's growing portfolio of online learning experiences. This role is critical to ensuring learners receive timely, high-quality support throughout their experience.
Reporting to the Associate Director of Online Learning Systems and Learner Support, you will combine direct learner service with the management and improvement of the workflows, knowledge resources, and technologies used to deliver support at scale. You will help strengthen learner self-service, use support data to inform continuous improvement, and leverage available technologies, including AI-enabled tools where appropriate, to improve the quality, efficiency, and scalability of learner support.
Required Qualifications*
- Bachelor's degree and 2 or more years of professional experience in learner or user support, educational technology operations, knowledge management, information management, or a related area
- Experience using ticketing or help-desk systems (e.g., TeamDynamix, Salesforce, Zendesk, or similar platforms) with demonstrated ability to manage and triage a high volume of support requests with professionalism, accuracy, and timeliness
- Experience analyzing quantitative and qualitative customer or support information to identify trends, recurring needs, and opportunities for service or process improvement
- Experience developing and maintaining knowledge base articles, FAQs, or other self-service support resources
- Experience supporting learners in a learning management system environment (Canvas, Coursera, edX, or similar platforms)
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, organizational skills, and attention to detail
- Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
- Ability to work collaboratively across teams and with external technology partners
- Ability to learn and appropriately use new technologies to improve processes, communication, and outcomes, including AI-enabled tools where relevant to the role, consistent with university policy and job responsibilities
Modes of Work
Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.
Additional Information
Please Note: This is a 5-year term-limited position with the possibility of renewal depending on funding.
Candidates must have legal authorization to work in the United States.
The mode of work for this position is Hybrid with a minimum of 4 days in the office per week, Monday through Thursday, with an option of remote work on Fridays. On occasion, you may be required and must be available to work onsite on Fridays if necessitated by our center's policy and domain leadership or by your job requirements.
The salary for this position will be based upon the selected candidate's education and experience.
We support the creative, responsible, and ethical use of AI tools to enhance our work, in alignment with institutional policies and best practices.
Excellent benefits are available. For details, see http://benefits.umich.edu/
Salary Information
The general salary range for this position is $67,000 - $75,000. Candidates can expect to be paid a competitive and equitable salary. Factors used to determine salary include education level, experience, knowledge and skills for the position, and salaries that are currently established within the unit. All candidates are encouraged to discuss salary questions to honor alignment and transparency throughout the recruiting process.
Background Screening
The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Application Deadline
Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.
Decision Making Process
Applications will be reviewed as received throughout the posting period and continue until the position is filled.
U-M EEO Statement
The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.