Description
Job Description Summary:
The Workday Solutions Analyst provides expert-level support and administration of the institution's Workday platform, with primary focus on the HCM suite and enterprise platform capabilities. This role is responsible for the full platform lifecycle — business process configuration, reporting, integrations, and change management — ensuring that Workday serves the needs of Human Resources, PATT, Finance, Procurement and administrative units across the university.
A secondary responsibility of this role includes supporting Workday Student, collaborating with Registrar, Financial Aid, and Student Services offices to maintain core student-facing functionality. The successful candidate will bring deep Workday platform expertise and a working familiarity with how student business processes intersect with HCM and broader enterprise data.
This position requires in-depth knowledge of higher education business processes, strong communication skills for both technical and non-technical audiences, and a customer-centric mindset oriented towards students, faculty, and staff.
Duties and Responsibilities
Workday Platform — Core Responsibilities (90%)
Business Process & Configuration (35%)
- Configure and modify Workday business processes based on functional design, institutional policy, and business decisions
- Evaluate enhancement requests from functional areas, design solutions, and deploy configurations on the Workday platform
- Serve as a subject matter expert for Workday HCM modules including Core HR, Payroll, Benefits, Recruiting, Talent, and Learning
- Lead and participate in discovery sessions with functional area stakeholders to gather requirements and translate them into platform solutions
- Communicate issues, bugs, and configuration problems with Workday Support; manage tickets through to resolution
- Investigate, troubleshoot, and resolve escalated Level 2/3 platform issues in partnership with functional teams
Reporting & Analytics (25%)
- Create, maintain, schedule, and deliver Workday reports to end users across academic and administrative departments
- Build custom reports, dashboards, and embedded analytics using Workday Report Writer, BIRT, and Workday Prism Analytics
- Gather reporting requirements from stakeholders, prototype solutions, and deploy to production
- Develop calculated fields and complex report logic to meet institutional data needs
- Advise team members and stakeholders on report design best practices and data accuracy
Integrations (20%)
- Support new integration development and maintain existing integrations between Workday and campus systems (HR, Finance, Identity Management, third-party vendors)
- Build and maintain integrations using Workday Studio and Workday-delivered Connectors (e.g., Benefits, Payroll, banking, OCR)
- Coordinate with IT infrastructure and third-party vendors to diagnose and resolve integration issues
- Document integration specifications, data maps, and operational runbooks
Release Management & Platform Optimization (10%)
- Proactively monitor Workday bi-annual feature releases, weekly patches, and the Workday Community
- Coordinate planning, regression testing, and change management for all functional area users around semi-annual releases
- Evaluate new platform features and recommend adoption strategies to maximize institutional value
- Contribute to a strategic Workday roadmap in alignment with IT and institutional priorities
- Serve as project lead on configuration and enhancement initiatives, managing scope and delivery from design through deployment
Workday Student — Secondary Responsibilities (10%)
- Provide support for Workday Student module functions including advising, academic records, registration, and financial aid
- Partner with the Registrar, Financial Aid, and Student Services offices to configure and maintain student business processes
- Assist with testing and deployment of Workday Student updates, ensuring continuity of student-facing services
- Support integration touchpoints between Workday Student and HCM (e.g., student employment, work-study)
- Participate in cross-functional working groups addressing student lifecycle processes within Workday
Training, Documentation & Other Duties
- Develop user procedures, guidelines, and training materials for Workday end users across the institution
- Deliver or support end-user training sessions in coordination with functional areas and HR Learning & Development
- Maintain thorough documentation of configurations, integrations, business processes, and system changes
- Proactively pursue Workday professional development, certifications, and Workday Community engagement
- Perform additional duties as assigned in support of IT strategic goals
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in an analytical, business, or technology-related field; or equivalent training and experience
- 2+ years of professional experience administering the Workday platform (HCM, business process configuration, and/or reporting)
- Demonstrated knowledge of higher education business processes in HR, Finance, or administrative operations
- Experience with Workday reporting tools (Report Writer, calculated fields, dashboards)
- Experience capturing requirements and documenting business processes
- Ability to analyze business operations and translate institutional needs into effective Workday solutions
- Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences
- Strong organizational and prioritization skills; ability to manage multiple concurrent projects
- Sound independent judgment, analytical ability, and high attention to detail
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with Workday integrations (Studio, Connectors, EIBs) or Workday Prism Analytics
- Familiarity with Workday Student module (advising, registration, financial aid, or student records)
- Experience supporting a Workday implementation or bi-annual release cycle in a higher education setting
- Workday Pro Certification(s) in HCM, Reporting, Integrations, or related functional areas
- Experience with BIRT reporting, Workday Payroll, or Workday Financials in a university environment
Work Environment
Office Location: Oakland Campus – Onsite
- This is an onsite position based in Oakland, CA, requiring regular in-office presence to support daily operations, collaboration, and student or team engagement.
- Work is performed primarily on campus in a dynamic academic environment, with direct interaction across multidisciplinary teams.
Mental/Physical Requirements
This position will be performed in an office setting. The position will require the incumbent to sit and stand at a desk, communicate in person, video and by telephone, frequently operate standard office equipment, such as telephones and computers.
Employee Status: Regular
Exemption Status: United States of America (Exempt)
Time Type: Full time
Pay Range: Up to $125,000 [annually/exempt], depending on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other relevant factors.
Samuel Merritt University currently provides base salary ranges for all positions-on job advertisements-in the United States based on local requirements. Individual compensation will ultimately be determined based on a variety of relevant factors including but-not limited to qualifications, geographic location, and other relevant skills.