"Workday Optimization Manager"

Workday Optimization Manager

R0000002151
Computer Center Building

Position Title:
Workday Optimization Manager

Position Type:
Full time
Scheduled Weekly Hours:
40

Categories:
Staff Exempt

Job Summary:
Bucknell University seeks a visionary and proven Workday Optimization Manager to drive the next phase of our enterprise platform optimization. This isn't just a coordination role-it's a strategic leadership position dedicated to maximizing the return on our significant Workday investment.

You will provide essential "big picture" oversight needed to successfully coordinate diverse functional and technical teams committed to continuous improvement. You will define the strategic direction for the ongoing design, deployment, and adoption of the platform, transforming business requirements into impactful, real-world Workday solutions.

If you thrive on translating institutional strategy into a cohesive, optimized Workday roadmap, this is your opportunity to lead a mission-critical program.

Job Duties:

The following materials will need to be provided at the time of application: A RESUME AND A COVER LETTER.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: The cover letter should include your institutional intent.

To ensure a comprehensive review of your candidacy within the context of our unique academic mission, all applicants must submit a cover letter that directly addresses the following criteria: Your Compelling Reason & Alignment with Academic Success.

This is your opportunity to clearly articulate your genuine motivation for applying. Please provide a compelling reason why this specific Workday Optimization Manager role within our institution aligns with your professional aspirations and current skills. Your letter should not merely summarize your resume, but must demonstrate genuine intent by answering these two questions:

Why This Institution? What specifically about our academic mission, our commitment to student success, or the specific analytical challenges facing higher education excites you and motivates you to contribute?

Why You? Beyond the required technical skills listed, what unique perspective, passion, or non-obvious experience do you possess that makes you the ideal candidate to make a significant impact on institutional effectiveness and academic outcomes in this role?

Reporting Relationships:

• The position reports to the Director, Information Technology Project Management and will work closely with the Workday Executive Sponsors (Vice President for Finance and Administration, Associate Vice President of Information Technology and the Director, Information Technology Project Management.

Work Setting/Work Schedule:

• This is hybrid role.
• This is a full-time, exempt, 40 hour per week role.

What You Will Do:

• Strategic Program Leadership & Governance: Provide strategic leadership for the university's Workday ecosystem. Chair the Workday Optimization Committee, guiding strategic planning, prioritizing agendas and initiatives, and managing the program budget. This role serves as the primary liaison with Workday and other vendors, and will lead the existing Workday Ambassador network to facilitate effective change management and communication across all functional areas. Holding team accountable to deliverable results based on identified goals.
• Business Process Optimization: Serve as the primary driver of Workday optimization and business process improvement. This includes developing a deep understanding of current business practices to identify opportunities for efficiency and enhancement. The Program Manager will proactively engage with functional leaders and subject matter experts to identify and implement new Workday functionality, streamline business processes, and ensure that all updates and enhancements are leveraged to their full potential while preventing redundant efforts.
• Organizational Change Management and User Adoption: Lead the development and execution of a comprehensive Workday change management strategy. This includes overseeing communications, training, and the maintenance of informational resources to ensure successful adoption of new features and business process enhancements.
• Operational Support and Knowledge Management: Oversee a Workday Support and Knowledge Management Strategy. This includes overseeing the maintenance of all support assets, such as the Workday website, FAQs, and training resources. The Program Manager will also lead the review of new offerings and best practices from the Workday community, ensuring they are evaluated for their potential to enhance success at Bucknell.
• Product Roadmap Alignment & Ecosystem Management: Direct the Workday tenant strategy and stay abreast of Workday's product roadmap. This includes managing the budget for and overseeing the procurement of Workday tenants for testing and development. This role serves as the primary liaison with Workday to proactively evaluate the feasibility of new features, bi-annual updates, and enhancements to ensure the university's tenant ecosystem meets evolving needs.
• Performance Analytics and Issue Remediation: Analyze Workday help desk trends and ticket data to identify recurring issues, training gaps, and opportunities for system or business process improvements.
• Non Essential Functions: The job description's listed responsibilities and tasks are not exhaustive, additional non-essential tasks and responsibilities may be assigned as needed.

What You Will Bring:

Required:

• Bachelor's Degree
• Four (4) or more years of related experience
• Knowledge Areas and Skills: Demonstrated ability to set priorities and facilitate technology related planning processes; Demonstrated ability to analyze data and recommend local decisions based on national and local trends; Effective oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to successfully explain complex technologies to a non-technical audience; Creative problem solver; Demonstrated success communicating regularly with senior leadership and across the team; Demonstrated strength in relationship building and consensus building, be service oriented, possess team leadership, and have demonstrated project management skills; Proven ability to direct an enterprise-wide program, including setting up and enforcing project management standards, managing resource allocation, and reporting progress to executive leadership.

Preferred, but not required:

• Master's Degree
• Six (6) or more years experience in Human Resources; Finance; Higher Education in a liberal arts setting; Leadership or senior project management managing complex enterprise-wide systems; Experience standing up or maturing Project or Program Management for an enterprise-wide application like Workday; Deep familiarity with multi-organizational business practices leveraged to design and configure a scalable Workday platform, ensuring alignment and standardization across diverse functional units.
• Licensures & Certifications: Workday Pro certification in a core domain (e.g., HCM, Financials); Project Management Professional (PMP) or Program Management Professional (PgMP); Prosci Certified Change Practitioner or similar.

Physical Requirements:

• Office environment/no specific or unusual physical or environmental demands.

Job Exempt:
Yes
Salary Range:
80,000.00-100,000.00

The offer rate will be based on a review of the candidate's credentials compared to the qualifications of the position, internal equity, and our overall compensation philosophy.

This role is not budgeted for visa sponsorship at this time, all candidates must be authorized to work in the US at the time of submission of the application.

Benefits:

Eligible full- and part-time employees are compensated beyond base salary through our total rewards package that includes (but is not limited to):

• Flexible scheduling options determined by role;
• Medical, prescription drug, vision, dental, life, and long-term disability insurance options
• An outstanding 10% employer contribution to your retirement plan (no contribution requirement for non-exempt positions)
• Generous paid time off, including vacation and sick time, a community service day, and 19 paid holidays (including two full weeks off for Winter Break!)
• Full-time and part-time members of the faculty and staff are eligible for tuition remission for themselves. Additionally, full-time members of the faculty and staff are eligible for tuition remission for their spouse/spousal equivalent and are eligible for various tuition programs for their children. Credit for full-time benefits eligible employment at other institutions of higher education will be applied to waiting periods.
• A comprehensive employee wellness program including program incentives
• A myriad of other benefits, including parental leave, an employee assistance program, fitness center membership, and the power of your Bucknell ID card

To learn more about Bucknell's benefits, click here! (*Eligibility criteria and waiting periods may apply.)