Workday Project Manager (HCM & Financials)
Higher Education Required
Our client, a prestigious academic institution, is seeking an experienced Workday Project Manager with Higher Education experience to lead medium to large-scale Workday HCM and Financial Management initiatives. This role will be responsible for planning, leading, and executing complex Workday implementations and enhancements, partnering closely with third-party implementation vendors, internal IT leadership, functional leaders across HR and Finance, and peer Project Managers.
The Project Manager will own end-to-end delivery, ensuring projects are executed on time, within scope, and on budget, while adhering to established project management methodologies and governance standards within an academic environment.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and manage Workday implementations and optimization projects across HCM and Financial Management modules, from initiation through post-go-live stabilization.
- Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans, schedules, RAID logs, status reports, and governance artifacts.
- Serve as the primary point of contact between internal stakeholders and external implementation partners, ensuring clear accountability and delivery alignment.
- Partner closely with HR, Finance, Payroll, and IT leaders within a higher education setting to understand business needs, translate requirements into executable plans, and manage expectations.
- Oversee vendor performance, deliverables, and contractual milestones, escalating risks and issues as needed.
- Facilitate project governance forums, steering committee meetings, and executive-level status updates.
- Ensure adherence to project management best practices, institutional standards, and change management principles.
- Coordinate cross-functional dependencies including integrations, data conversion, testing, training, and cutover activities.
- Support post-implementation activities, including optimization, stabilization, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Mentor junior PMs and contribute to PMO process maturity, as appropriate.
Required Skills & Experience
- Required: Demonstrated project management experience within a Higher Education institution, including familiarity with academic calendars, governance models, and decentralized stakeholder environments.
- Extensive experience leading complex enterprise systems implementations, including direct management of vendors and system integrators.
- Strong working knowledge of Workday HCM, with demonstrated experience in modules such as:
- Recruiting
- Academic Pay
- Academic Appointments
- Working knowledge of Workday Financial Management, including areas such as:
- Financial Accounting
- Procurement
- Expenses
- Grants or Adaptive Planning (preferred, not required)
- Solid understanding of HR and Finance business processes in an academic context.
- Proven ability to manage multiple workstreams and cross-functional stakeholders simultaneously.
- Excellent facilitation, presentation, and executive-level communication skills.
- Highly professional, confident, and collaborative leadership style with a strong focus on customer success.
- Exceptional listening and relationship-building skills to ensure stakeholder alignment.
- Experience with ERP implementations beyond Workday is a plus.
- PMP or equivalent project management certification preferred.
- Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
You can AI interview here: https://gointerview.co/pmo-partners/workday-project-manager-he
