Director, Workday Operations

Position: DIRECTOR, WORKDAY OPERATIONS
Job Description

Position

Purpose:

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state, and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills, and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world. By being deeply invested in our work, showing compassion in our interactions, and embodying the spirit of a team player, each member contributes to a thriving community.

UW is committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff; your experiences, perspectives, and unique identities will be honored at the University of Washington. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable, and welcoming.

UW Information Technology (UW-IT) is the central information technology organization for the University of Washington, responsible for strategic planning, oversight, and direction of the UW's IT infrastructure, resources, and services. UW-IT provides critical technology support to all three campuses, UW Medicine, and research operations around the world, partnering with the UW community to enable innovation, learning, discovery, and service."

Data & Applications (D&A) is the division in UW-IT that runs the university's academic and business systems, productivity platforms, enterprise integrations, learning analytics and data for decision-making and is also responsible for the accessibility of UW's digital resources. Workday Operations (WO) is a unit within the Data & Applications division.

The Director for Workday Operations (WO) reports to the Associate Vice President for Data & Applications (D&A) in UW-IT and is responsible for leading the strategy, management and technical operations of the UW's Workday system and the Workday Coordination Services (WCS). The position oversees a team of specialists and the WCS team to ensure the effective utilization, maintenance, coordination, and continuous improvement of the Workday platform to support the organization's human resources, payroll, finance and other business functions.

The role requires a strong blend of technical expertise, leadership abilities and program management skills to drive efficiency and innovation within our Workday ecosystem.

Position Complexities:

The scope of the position includes the full scope of the institution's Workday platform, including tenant configuration management, centralized intake and coordination, security and access control, and application management. Drive the enterprise strategy for effective use of existing Workday modules and develops the roadmap for future enhancements and new modules.

The position requires superior leadership acumen as it directly interfaces with the UW's information and technology governance boards and executive leadership across UW. Advanced data and application governance and a cohesive enterprise architecture strategy are foundational to the success of these large-scale initiatives.

Position Dimensions and Impact to the University:

The Director for Workday Operations has institution-wide responsibility for the stability, security, and effective use of the University's Workday platform. Workday is the core system of record for HR, payroll, finance, procurement, and grants management, and its performance directly affects the daily work of faculty, staff, and student employees, as well as the quality and timeliness of information used by institutional leaders.

The director leads a multi-disciplinary team responsible for Workday tenant management, configuration and security, operational support, Workday Coordination Services (WCS),, and continuous improvement. The role sets standards for change management, access control, and incident response, and is accountable for service levels, operational risk mitigation, and ensuring that Workday changes are well-governed, well-communicated, and successfully adopted.

The director partners closely with functional owners in Human Resources, Finance, the Office of Research, Academic and Student Affairs, and other administrative units to ensure Workday capabilities align with business needs and institutional strategy. The role shapes how University policies and processes are operationalized in Workday and how Workday data flows to downstream systems and analytics platforms, and represents UW in Workday and higher-education user communities and with key vendors and partners.

The position provides leadership for Workday Coordination Services (WCS), which ensures centralized intake and coordination of changes to all Workday modules. This includes facilitating prioritization with business partners (UWHR, UW Medicine, FPB, and ORIS) and deploying project managers to lead and coordinate initiatives. Note that while this position oversees coordination and intake, WCS does not provide Workday end user support or training.

Position Responsibilities:

Leadership, Vision, and Strategy (40%)

* Develop and implement the UW's Workday technology…