Workday Innovation Architect

Job: Workday Innovation Architect We are looking for a visionary Workday Innovation Architect to lead the strategic evolution of our Workday ecosystem. In this role, you will move beyond standard maintenance to focus on the "art of the possible." You will bridge the gap between complex business requirements and Workday's emerging capabilities, designing scalable solutions that drive automation, user experience, and data-driven decision-making. You will act as the primary liaison between business stakeholders and technical teams, championing the adoption of new features (Workday Extend, Workday Orchestrations, Agentic AI/ML solutions, Integrations, Journeys) to maximize our return on investment. Job Description: Key Responsibilities 1. Strategy & Architecture Own the Roadmap: Collaborate with HR and Finance leadership to define an immediate and 1-3-year Workday strategic roadmap aligned with organizational goals. Solution Design: Design complex, cross-functional solutions focusing on optimization, automation and the future of how we work that spans HCM, Finance, Student, and third-party integrations, ensuring data integrity and system scalability. Governance: Establish and maintain architectural standards, naming conventions, and governance models to prevent "technical debt" within the tenant. 2. Innovation & Emerging Tech Platform Extension: Lead the design and prototyping of custom apps using Workday Extend and the integration framework to solve unique business problems outside of standard configuration. Advanced Analytics: Leverage Workday to ingest external data and create blended insights for executive dashboards. User Experience: Design consumer-grade employee experiences using Workday Journeys, Adaptive Planning, and Workday Assistant. AI & ML: Identify opportunities to deploy Workday's Machine Learning capabilities to automate tasks and improve predictive modeling. Use an AI-first approach in developing solutions to use Workday Extend's AI features. Prototype, test, and help adopt Workday-delivered AI Agents. Leverage the use of Workday's Agent System of Record (ASOR). Develop custom AI Agents for Workday using Workday's Flowise or other agent builder solutions. For complex solutions, use multi-agent approaches that combine the best of agentic frameworks from Google, OpenAI, AWS, and others. 3. Release Management & Optimization Release Captain: Lead the analysis of bi-annual Workday releases (R1/R2). Identify "must-have" features and manage the testing and deployment strategy. Continuous Improvement: Proactively audit current configurations and business processes (BPs) to identify inefficiencies and recommend optimization strategies. 4. Stakeholder Management Translate complex technical concepts into clear business value propositions for C-suite stakeholders. Mentor junior analysts and administrators on best practices and architectural thinking. Skills, Qualifications & Requirements Qualifications Required Experience Experience: 5-7 years of experience in the Workday ecosystem, with at least 3 years in a Solution Architect or Strategy lead role. Modules: Deep expertise in at least two major pillars (e.g., HCM & Compensation, or Fins & Payroll) with a working knowledge of the full suite. Technical Proficiency: Strong understanding of Workday security models, EIBs, Report Writer, and Calculated Fields. Integration Awareness: Ability to speak fluently with developers regarding APIs, Cloud Connect, and Studio integrations (coding not required, but architectural understanding is). Preferred Skills (The "Innovation" Factors) Workday Extend: Proven experience designing or overseeing the build of custom apps using Workday Extend. Workday Integrations: Hands-on experience with developing integrations for Workday via Orchestrations, Studio, Connectors, EIBs, and XSLT. Workday Pro Certification: Current certification in at least one track. AI/ML: Skilled in Agentic AI frameworks with experience in developing Agentic AI solutions via workflow automation-based solutions like n8n, Flowise, or via programming-based Agentic AI development. Soft Skills Consultative Mindset: The ability to push back on requests that don't align with best practices and propose better alternatives. Strategic Thinking: Ability to see the "big picture" and how a change in one module impacts the wider ecosystem. Why Join Us? Impact: You won't just keep the lights on; you will build the future of our digital employee experience. Tools: We provide access to the full Workday SKU stack, including Extend Pro, Journeys, Adaptive Planning, and eventually Workday Student, giving you the sandbox you need to innovate. Growth: Continuous investment in your Workday certifications and conference attendance (Workday Rising). Salary Range: $115,000 - $120,000 annually The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the College's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. Company: Barnard College Time Type: Full time #J-18808-Ljbffr Barnard College