Workday & Adoption Manager

Job Summary

Workday Change and Adoption Manager – a key role in Oberlin’s ERP Optimization Initiative. This full‑time, 1‑year renewable position reports to the Director of IT Project Management.

Shifts the college from a 30‑year‑old legacy system (Banner) to a cloud‑based ERP (Workday) in Human Resources and Finance. The role ensures successful adoption of Workday across the institution by leading organizational change, stakeholder engagement, and user readiness efforts for a multi‑year transformation.

• Develop, manage and execute a change management strategy, including process, system, and data changes; continuously gauge the needs and expectations of faculty, staff, and students; identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities; define KPIs for measuring change management success; conduct stakeholder impact assessments and organizational readiness evaluations.
• Build and lead a Workday Champion Network across campus to provide department‑level input, communication, and support, and peer‑to‑peer troubleshooting after go‑live.
• Execute the project communication plan—writing emails, newsletter articles, website content, and other materials—ensuring alignment with overall project strategy and messaging; develop targeted, audience‑specific communication strategies.
• Develop training plans, repositories, documentation, and courses aligned with Workday business process changes and standard workflows.
• Create training videos and deliver in‑person training; validate training effectiveness through feedback loops and user assessments.
• Participate in project team meetings, provide regular updates on change management progress, and collaborate with functional leads to ensure a positive change experience for end users.
• Contribute to project governance by identifying, tracking, and escalating change‑related risks and ensuring alignment with project milestones and timelines.
• Develop dashboards and reporting mechanisms to track adoption, training completion, engagement, and readiness; provide regular updates to project leadership and steering committees.

• High levels of user adoption and engagement across campus.
• Successful training completion and user readiness prior to go‑live.
• Minimal disruption during go‑live and strong post‑go‑live stabilization.
• Positive user experience and confidence in Workday.
• Strong alignment and engagement with campus stakeholders and leadership.

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Organizational Development, or a related field.
• Minimum 2 years in training, communications, or change management.
• Minimum 1 year of experience managing change or training in Workday HCM & Finance.
• Experience managing internal communications, including leadership forums, newsletters, and intranet sites.
• Experience managing change through sponsorship, communication, and training plans.
• Exceptional writing skills, strong attention to detail, editing, and tone.
• Ability to work independently and deliver high‑quality solutions.
• Ability to prioritize and perform multiple tasks in a dynamic, fast‑paced team environment.
• Creative in building communication and training assets or change management tools.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects while meeting deadlines.
• Outstanding organizational and planning abilities.
• Proficient team player and collaborator with cross‑functional teams.
• Strong influence and stakeholder management skills.
• Data‑driven mindset with the ability to measure and report on change effectiveness.

• Knowledge of IT Service Management (ITSM) frameworks such as ITIL.
• PROSCI or ACMP Change Management certification.

Oberlin College is committed to creating and sustaining a vibrant, welcoming community where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect, and where every member has an equal opportunity to learn, work, and contribute based on their talents, skills, and merit. We value a campus environment that draws on a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and ideas to enrich education, scholarship, and daily interactions.

The College adheres strictly to all…