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 supportWork-Life Balance: PTO, paid holidays, flexible work arrangementsFinancial Wellness: Competitive salary, 403(b) with company match Professional Development: Ongoing training, tuition reimbursement, and career advancement pathsAdditional Perks: Wellness programs, commuter benefits, and a vibrant company cultureJoin Howard University and thrive with us!https://hr.howard.edu/benefits-wellnessJOB 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 profilesWork with HR and ETS to deactivate users no longer employed with the organizationConnect users to appropriate Community resources and documentationSupport submission of ideas to Ideation Hub to encourage Workday product development and new functionalitySupport cross-functional teams in continuous improvement effortsIdentify problems from recurrent issues and lead resolution efforts by coordinating resourcesOversee and manage escalated issue resolutionManage Workday Support Cases and Ask-an-Expert ticketsEscalate issues as needed to ensure resolutionEnsure functional area operational continuityManage incidents and service requestsReport on and escalate tickets across all systems (Workday Help Cases, Request Framework, Security Requests, ServiceNow, other tools)Ensure timely tracking and resolutionGenerate 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 tenantsMaintain activity logs for each tenantCommunicate tenant refresh schedules and impacts to stakeholdersReleases 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 SmartTestWork with functional areas to ensure awareness of release information including:Release item notes and documentationTesting coordination (responsibilities, timeframes, tenant refreshes)Workday Support Case resolution and completion trackingSupport functional area learning of new functionality (made available in current and past releases) by connecting them with Workday Community resourcesSupport functional areas in regression and configuration testing of new functionality being implemented (as part of projects), including:Test planning, scenario development, and executionIssue log management and resolution trackingCompletion verification and sign-offResearch and champion new and emerging Workday functionality with potential to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and reduce processes external to WorkdayPerform basic report writing and collaborate with report writers to identify exceptions and testing requirementsOperational Meetings and Support - Maintain operational governance and cross-functional coordination:Build and maintain strong relationships with all functional area stakeholdersMeet regularly with operational areas to address issues and concernsPrepare meeting agendas, materials, and action item trackingDisseminate release updates and technical information that may impact operationsSupport feature adoption:Assist with planning, scheduling, and coordinationSupport status tracking and reportingCoordinate cross-functional engagement to manage feature impactsMonitor effective and timely deliveryIdentify and escalate risks and issuesChange Log Management - Maintain comprehensive records of Workday changes:Document configuration changes and enhancementsMaintain change logs with implementation dates and responsible partiesTrack configuration versions across all tenantsCommunicate change history to stakeholders and functional area leadsSupport audit and compliance reporting on system changesTraining 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 functionalityManage Adoption Planning in Workday and collaborate with business units on release and feature adoptionCORE COMPETENCIES:Excellent communication skills and ability to build and maintain strong relationships; ability to convey complex technical information to non-technical audiencesPossess exceptional writing skills and a creative outlook with strong attention to detail and ability to documentPassion for continuous improvement and proactive problem-solving and ability to manage complex change processesAbility to identify improvement opportunities, understand business requirements and user needs, accurately collect information, assess situations, and then translate them into technical requirementsOutstanding organizational skills with the ability to prioritize workload and execute tasks independently, providing timely follow-up and resolutionAbility to work both independently and collaboratively in identifying helpful solutions and driving cross-functional alignmentAbility to work effectively in a fast-paced environment and handle both planned and unplanned responsibilities and multiple projects while meeting deadlinesProven ability to perform with a high degree of accuracy and with highly confidential dataMINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:Bachelor's Degree or equivalent combination of training and work experienceMinimum 3 years of professional Workday experience with demonstrated expertise in system administration and best practicesExperience managing multiple bi-annual or more frequent release cyclesExperience with change management and organizational adoption strategiesProven ability to adhere to and promote Workday best practice methodologies across the organizationBasic report writing capabilities in Workday; ability to develop and modify standard reportsProficiency with Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Office productivity suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)Strong knowledge of Workday release and tenant management processesDeep familiarity with Workday Community resources, including Workday Success Plans and self-service materialsKnowledge of Workday Help - Cases and Articles functionalityFamiliarity with ITSM tools and ticketing systems (ServiceNow or similar)Compliance Salary Range DisclosureExpected Salary Range: $85,000 - $100,000