Workday Release and Adoption Manager

The Talent Acquisition department hires qualified candidates to fill positions which contribute to the overall strategic success of Howard University. Hiring staff "for fit" makes significant contributions to Howard University's overall mission.


At Howard University, we prioritize well-being and professional growth.


Here is what we offer:

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus mental health support
• Work-Life Balance: PTO, paid holidays, flexible work arrangements
• Financial Wellness: Competitive salary, 403(b) with company match
• Professional Development: Ongoing training, tuition reimbursement, and career advancement paths
• Additional Perks: Wellness programs, commuter benefits, and a vibrant company culture

Join Howard University and thrive with us!

JOB PURPOSE:

The Workday Release and Adoption Manager is responsible for managing the technical and organizational aspects of Workday releases, driving user adoption, and supporting continuous improvement of Workday functionality across the organization. This role serves as the central point of coordination for release management, change communication, training and support, regression testing, and operational governance. The ideal candidate will possess strong project management skills, deep Workday expertise, and a passion for driving organizational excellence through effective systems management and user enablement.

SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY:

This role does not have direct supervisory responsibilities but requires the ability to collaborate across different teams. The incumbent may occasionally provide guidance to other analysts or team members as necessary.

NATURE AND SCOPE:

Operating within a dynamic and fast-paced environment, this role contributes to the organization's operational efficiency by supporting Workday release management and feature adoption. The incumbent will engage with stakeholders to ensure that functional areas requirements are met while supporting functional area operations. The position demands a high level of analytical thinking, technical expertise, and strong communication skills and collaboration within the organization.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Workday Community and Functional Area Self-Service Support - Support organizational capability building and issue resolution:

• Manage Community user access and profiles
  • Work with HR and ETS to deactivate users no longer employed with the organization
  • Connect users to appropriate Community resources and documentation

• Support submission of ideas to Ideation Hub to encourage Workday product development and new functionality
• Support cross-functional teams in continuous improvement efforts
• Identify problems from recurrent issues and lead resolution efforts by coordinating resources
• Oversee and manage escalated issue resolution
  • Manage Workday Support Cases and Ask-an-Expert tickets
  • Escalate issues as needed to ensure resolution
  • Ensure functional area operational continuity

• Manage incidents and service requests
  • Report on and escalate tickets across all systems (Workday Help Cases, Request Framework, Security Requests, ServiceNow, other tools)
  • Ensure timely tracking and resolution

• Generate and manage updates to Workday Help Articles for accuracy and relevance

• Tenant Management - Manage non-production Workday environments:

• Manage refresh schedules, refresh requests, and coordinate tenant refreshes for non-production tenants
• Maintain activity logs for each tenant
• Communicate tenant refresh schedules and impacts to stakeholders

• Releases and Regression Testing - Lead Workday release management and testing coordination:

• Log and disseminate all relevant weekly release notes and manage bi-annual releases utilizing tools in Community, Adoption Planning, and Kainos SmartTest
• Work with functional areas to ensure awareness of release information including:
  • Release item notes and documentation
  • Testing coordination (responsibilities, timeframes, tenant refreshes)
  • Workday Support Case resolution and completion tracking

• Support functional area learning of new functionality (made available in current and past releases) by connecting them with Workday Community resources
• Support functional areas in regression and configuration testing of new functionality being implemented (as part of projects), including:
  • Test planning, scenario development, and execution
  • Issue log management and resolution tracking
  • Completion verification and sign-off

• Research and champion new and emerging Workday functionality with potential to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and reduce processes external to Workday
• Perform basic report writing and collaborate with report writers to identify exceptions and testing requirements

• Operational Meetings and Support - Maintain operational governance and cross-functional coordination:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with all functional area stakeholders
• Meet regularly with operational areas to address issues and concerns
• Prepare meeting agendas, materials, and action item tracking
• Disseminate release updates and technical information that may impact operations

• Support feature adoption:

• Assist with planning, scheduling, and coordination
• Support status tracking and reporting
• Coordinate cross-functional engagement to manage feature impacts
• Monitor effective and timely delivery
• Identify and escalate risks and issues

• Change Log Management - Maintain comprehensive records of Workday changes:

• Document configuration changes and enhancements
• Maintain change logs with implementation dates and responsible parties
• Track configuration versions across all tenants
• Communicate change history to stakeholders and functional area leads
• Support audit and compliance reporting on system changes

• Training and Support - Facilitate user enablement and continuous learning:

• Provide references to Workday Community Resources, such as user guides, quick reference materials, and training videos, for new and enhanced functionality
• Manage Adoption Planning in Workday and collaborate with business units on release and feature adoption

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Excellent communication skills and ability to build and maintain strong relationships; ability to convey complex technical information to non-technical audiences
• Possess exceptional writing skills and a creative outlook with strong attention to detail and ability to document
• Passion for continuous improvement and proactive problem-solving and ability to manage complex change processes
• Ability to identify improvement opportunities, understand business requirements and user needs, accurately collect information, assess situations, and then translate them into technical requirements
• Outstanding organizational skills with the ability to prioritize workload and execute tasks independently, providing timely follow-up and resolution
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in identifying helpful solutions and driving cross-functional alignment
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment and handle both planned and unplanned responsibilities and multiple projects while meeting deadlines
• Proven ability to perform with a high degree of accuracy and with highly confidential data

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent combination of training and work experience
• Minimum 3 years of professional Workday experience with demonstrated expertise in system administration and best practices
• Experience managing multiple bi-annual or more frequent release cycles
• Experience with change management and organizational adoption strategies
• Proven ability to adhere to and promote Workday best practice methodologies across the organization
• Basic report writing capabilities in Workday; ability to develop and modify standard reports
• Proficiency with Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Office productivity suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Strong knowledge of Workday release and tenant management processes
• Deep familiarity with Workday Community resources, including Workday Success Plans and self-service materials
• Knowledge of Workday Help - Cases and Articles functionality
• Familiarity with ITSM tools and ticketing systems (ServiceNow or similar)

Compliance Salary Range Disclosure

Expected Salary Range: $85,000 - $100,000