Director of Enterprise Applications & Data Analytics

Job Description Summary

The Director of Enterprise Applications & Data Analytics provides strategic leadership, planning, implementation, governance, and operational support for Samuel Merritt University’s enterprise applications portfolio. This role is responsible for ensuring that enterprise systems effectively support the University’s academic, administrative, financial, student success, and operational objectives.

The Director oversees Workday Student, Workday Platform, Workday integrations, enterprise reporting, analytics, data governance, and application support services. The position serves as a key liaison between Information Technology and functional departments to optimize business processes, improve data quality, and leverage technology solutions that enhance the student, faculty, and staff experience.

The Director develops and executes enterprise application strategies that align with institutional goals, promotes data-informed decision-making, and ensures the reliability, security, and continuous improvement of critical business systems.

Duties and Responsibilities

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Enterprise Applications Leadership (30%)

• Develop and execute the strategic roadmap for enterprise applications supporting academic and administrative operations.
• Provide leadership for the University’s Workday ecosystem, including Workday Student, Finance, Human Capital Management (HCM), and Workday Platform technologies.
• Establish governance processes for application enhancements, upgrades, integrations, and change management.
• Collaborate with campus leadership to identify opportunities for process improvement and digital transformation.
• Ensure enterprise systems remain secure, reliable, scalable, and aligned with University objectives.

Workday Student & Platform Administration (20%)

• Lead the administration, optimization, and continuous improvement of Workday Student and Workday Platform capabilities.
• Partner with Enrollment Services, Registrar, Student Financial Services, Academic Affairs, Human Resources, and Finance to support business processes and system functionality.
• Oversee Workday releases, testing, configuration management, and deployment activities.
• Ensure effective utilization of Workday Extend, Workday Orchestrate, Prism Analytics, and related platform technologies as appropriate.
• Manage relationships with Workday, implementation partners, and third-party vendors.

Data Analytics & Business Intelligence (20%)

• Develop and lead the University’s enterprise data analytics strategy.
• Establish standards and governance for institutional reporting, analytics, and data stewardship.
• Oversee development of dashboards, key performance indicators (KPIs), operational reports, and executive analytics.
• Partner with Institutional Research and business stakeholders to improve access to actionable information.
• Promote data literacy and a culture of evidence-based decision-making across the University.
• Support predictive analytics and student success initiatives through effective use of institutional data.

Integration & Data Management (10%)

• Direct enterprise integration strategy across cloud and on-premises systems.
• Ensure reliable data exchange among Workday and ancillary applications.
• Oversee data quality initiatives, master data management, and integration architecture.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity and infrastructure teams to maintain compliance, security, and privacy requirements.

Team Leadership & Vendor Management (15%)

• Recruit, develop, mentor, and evaluate enterprise application and analytics staff.
• Establish performance expectations and professional development plans.
• Manage vendor relationships, contracts, licensing, and service-level agreements.
• Foster a customer-service-oriented culture focused on partnership and continuous improvement.

Governance, Budgeting & Strategic Planning (5%)

• Participate in University strategic planning initiatives.
• Develop and manage departmental operating and project budgets.
• Establish policies, procedures, and standards for enterprise application management.
• Support institutional compliance requirements and audit activities.

Other Duties

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

May supervise:

• Sr. Enterprise Applications Manager
• Business Systems Analysts
• Integration Developers
• Data Analysts / BI Developers
• Reporting and Analytics Specialists
• Application Support Staff

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Business Administration, Data Analytics, or related field.
• Seven (7) to ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in enterprise applications, ERP systems, or information technology leadership.
• Three (3) or more years of management or supervisory experience.
• Experience supporting enterprise ERP platforms in higher education.
• Experience with business intelligence, reporting, and analytics solutions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Information Systems, Business Administration, Higher Education, Data Analytics, or related field.
• Experience with Workday Student implementation and post-production support.
• Experience with Workday Platform technologies, including Workday Extend, Prism Analytics, and Orchestrate.
• Experience leading data governance and institutional analytics initiatives.
• Experience managing enterprise integrations and cloud-based applications.
• Project Management Professional (PMP), Workday certifications, or related professional certifications.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Extensive knowledge of enterprise application management principles and practices.
• Demonstrated experience with Workday Student and Workday Platform technologies.
• Strong understanding of higher education business processes, including student lifecycle management.
• Experience leading enterprise application implementations and optimization initiatives.
• Knowledge of business intelligence, analytics, data warehousing, and reporting platforms.
• Experience with data governance, data quality, and information management frameworks.
• Understanding of cloud-based SaaS architectures and enterprise integrations.
• Knowledge of API management, middleware, and integration platforms.
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Excellent verbal, written, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to influence and collaborate effectively across diverse constituencies.
• Commitment to customer service and continuous improvement.

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

Job Shift

Pay Range

Up to $185,000 [Annual/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.