The Workday Academic Foundation Business Functional Lead serves as a Workday Student functional expert within the Office of the University Registrar (OUR). This is a leadership role partnering with a cross-functional team working on the university’s Workday Student implementation project. The Academic Foundation Lead has experienced knowledge of all institutional academic calendars’ regulations and requirements, of program and course offerings by all Colleges and Departments, and of transfer programs and course articulations with the university. The incumbent understands institutional structure (Colleges, Departments, etc.), which programs and courses belong to which areas. The incumbent has in-depth knowledge of institutional transfer credit policies and procedures, including processes for course evaluation approvals. This leadership position has the ability to adapt to new technology and has experienced knowledge in the management of functional requirements set-up in systems and the operationalization of procedures and processes in a student information system. The incumbent also possesses experienced knowledge in the use of third-party program and course articulation systems (e.g. Quottly, CollegeSource Transferology) and is able to assess and propose functional integrations between systems. This position has demonstrated expertise in systems configuration and the management of functions (building academic calendars, terms and programs of study, and evaluating and processing transfer credit) in a student information system. The incumbent oversees all processes related to the design, configuration, and testing of the academic foundation workstreams in partnership with the Workday Analysts in the university’s Division of Information Technology (DIT) and with Huron implementation consultants. This vital role is a key decision maker in OUR that navigates inter-departmental operations, leads cross-functional requirements discussions, and liaises with the university’s Workday project team (Elevate), analyzing and conveying business needs and requirements. In particular, the Academic Foundation Lead must critically analyze and assess proposed future state process designs, and discuss and consult with, and counsel, OUR to enable decision-making. This role bridges functional and technical teams to ensure alignment between business requirements and technology solutions. This position is considered essential and may be required to work at the normal work location or an alternative location during a major catastrophic event, weather emergency, or other operational emergencies to help maintain continuity of university services. Following Workday Student implementation, the incumbent will continue as a permanent, full-time, position, and serve as a member of the OUR leadership team in providing post-implementation leadership and support to Office staff and stakeholders—the position will evaluate system upgrades, operationalize changes, support configurations, lead continuous process improvements, collaborate with DIT, and provide guidance as a Workday Student OUR expert.
Experience:
Seven (7) years’ experience managing academic calendars and terms, building programs of study, and managing the evaluation and processing of course articulations and transfer credit in a higher education setting in a homegrown or an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Knowledge of federal, State, agency, and university policies, and operational processes and procedures for a university’s Office of the Registrar, particularly in building academic calendars and term structures, and in processing course articulations, evaluation, and transfer.
Experienced knowledge of institutional structure (Colleges, Departments, etc.) and term, program, and course operationalization in a student information system.
Adept at working with campus stakeholders (including faculty, Department Chairs, and administrative teams) to facilitate program and course articulation, evaluation, and transfer.
Demonstrated experience leading system or technology implementation initiatives, including project management, team building leadership, and staff supervision.
Demonstrated expertise in the use of office productivity applications such as Visio, Google Workspace, Lucidchart, or Smartsheet. Experience in data analysis, reporting, and visualization, including the use of tools such as Excel, SAS Enterprise Guide, Tableau or other Business Intelligence platforms.
Excellent oral and written communication, interpersonal, planning, organizational, negotiation, and customer satisfaction skills are required to partner and work with various internal and external stakeholders in the implementation of a student information system.
Ability to prepare and present ideas, information, and training clearly and concisely verbally, in writing, and in presentation mode.
Ability to develop highly collaborative working relationships with a broad constituency in a professional and courteous manner.
Ability to lead groups through a decision-making process to arrive at mutually agreeable conclusions.
Ability to translate consensus into planned action.
Demonstrated ability to make administrative/procedural decisions, direct complex projects, meet deadlines, assign tasks, track accomplishments, and meet established goals and objectives.
Ability to understand possible impacts of changes to a highly integrated system, determine the depth and breadth of testing necessary to minimize risk of system changes, and execute and record results of testing.
The possession of analytical abilities, critical thinking, and problem-solving competencies to support issues resolution.
Demonstrated ability to adapt and evolve in a changing role over time.
Knowledge of managing student records and regulatory requirements, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and national and State (e.g. Maryland Higher Education Commission) higher education standards related to program and course articulation and credit transfer.
Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks and deadlines, with exceptional attention to detail, accuracy, and follow-up and follow-through.
